{"id":163,"date":"2022-01-21T15:35:02","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T15:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horsegazette.com\/?p=163"},"modified":"2022-02-17T15:18:20","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T15:18:20","slug":"what-causes-colic-in-horses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horsegazette.com\/what-causes-colic-in-horses\/","title":{"rendered":"What Causes Colic In Horses?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you suspect that your horse is unwell, it can be a worrying time, especially if they are showing signs of colic. To put it simply, colic is a general term used to describe a horse who is suffering from abdominal pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Whilst it may be from something as simple as indigestion, the horse could also be suffering from much worse causes such as a twisted gut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing any horse owner can do is to try and prevent colic. Whilst that does not mean that they will never suffer from it, any steps taken will help to heavily reduce their likelihood of it happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Colic Happens In Horses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Colic is a lot more common in horses than you might think, and there are a couple of things that could be the reason why that is so. Such as how a horse’s eating and grazing habits have changed dramatically since their ancestors were alive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature intended horses to constantly be on the move, grazing as they go along. In this perfect world, horses would feed off low-energy food in large quantities all day in a process known as \u2018trickle feeding\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, many horses today spend their time eating a type of hard feed alongside a particular amount of hay, and then left in a stable for hours without exercise and food to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even those who do get to spend time grazing are different to what once was, or how wild horses<\/a> live. Sadly, a horse\u2019s digestive system has not evolved to keep up with the changes, therefore are more susceptible to colic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because a horse cannot vomit, they are also unable to get rid of food that cannot be digested, as well as toxins. The gut has an absorptive area that is rather large, and due to horses being herbivores, and a slower digestion rate, toxins may get absorbed into their body quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Signs Of Colic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All horses are different, but these are some of the signs they might be showing alongside other behaviour:<\/p>\n\n\n\n