Winter Water Woes and Equine Colic Prevention

More water at feed time: You can add water to concentrate ration and/or soak the hay for 10 minutes prior to feeding as this will bring more water into the gut. You may also wish to discuss with your vet or equine nutritionist the use of soaked and shredded beet pulp as an addition to the diet for getting more water into the digestive system. Adding a bran mash once a week was once a popular practice, but the sudden introduction of a different feed is actually another colic risk factor. Adding water to their regular feed is recommended. Be consistent and make feed changes slowly.

Mike King, of CapriCMW, is a dedicated horseman who believes in the importance of education for horse owners. He addresses why it was so important for his organization to partner with Equine Guelph on colic prevention programs, “Given our decades of experience in insuring horses from coast to coast, we know that colic is one of the highest risk factors for death in the Canadian herd. We can think of no better risk management tool to prevent colic than education.” 

Equine Guelph has many resources to reduce your horse’s risk of colic, including a FREE interactive online healthcare tool, the Colic Risk Rater. The importance of access to clean, fresh water 24 hours a day, to keep everything flowing smoothly, cannot be overstated and is one of the top 12 tips discussed among management practices