How to identify and prevent colic in horses

exercise time. Movement and exercise are essential in stimulating peristalsis the contractions of smooth muscle in the gut wall that move food along the digestive tract. As our horses and ponies spend more time stabled their guts can become a little sluggish making impaction colic more likely as the passage of gut contents slows down.
Water is absorbed from food as it passes along the intestine so the longer food stays in one section of gut the more water is reabsorbed and the direr the ingesta becomes. Leaving horses turned out as much as possible will ensure their digestive system is stimulated and kept motile. Horses in good condition can withstand very low temperatures provided they have access to some form of shelter so unless grazing is restricted many horses will be happier and healthier if left outdoors.
2 Reduced fluid intake
Insufficient water can contribute to impactions in two ways
First a lack of dietary moisture quite literally dries out the gut contents increasing the risk of a blockage.
Second dehydration lowers blood volume. Because of this blood is diverted away from the gut to vital organs such as the heart and kidneys ensuring they receive an adequate supply of oxygen water and nutrients. As blood flow to the gut is reduced the gut becomes less active and the passage of food along the intestinal tract slows down.
Unfortunately horses are notoriously fussy drinkers. As the adage goes you can lead a horse to water but you cant make them drink. However we do need to make sure the horse can firstly get to the water by breaking any ice that forms on buckets troughs and automatic drinkers and we can encourage them to drink
Dietary changes
Another cause associated with colic in horses is the switch from fresh to preserved forage typically hay or haylage. Horses are hindgut fermenters and are uniquely adapted to digest fibrous plant material with the help of microbes in the hindgut. Rapid changes in any feed material changes the balance of microbes in the hindgut and alters fermentation patterns. This results in increased gas production and changes the normal fluid exchange within the colin increasing the risk of gassy tympanic and impaction colic.
Different sources of forage also supply dietary moisture in varying amounts. Fresh grass has a moisture content of around 80. Compare this to hay where the moisture content is reduced to around 12 to prevent spoilage and we can soon see why