For many equestrian enthusiasts and horse owners, modern day equine care has brought about numerous new discoveries and advances. This doesn’t mean that all health-related horse problems are magically gone forever. As a matter of fact, today’s horse owners face new and different problems that those equine enthusiasts of only fifty years ago. The reason is mostly that today’s horses lead very different lifestyles compared to those of the past.

Instead of living out of the open-fields and foraging for grass, modern horses are quite different. While it is true that they still can roam in fenced off areas, they spend a great deal of time housed in stalls. This means they don’t have easy access to green grass all day long. The result of this change in eating patterns has lead to an increase in cases of colic, a term to describe a problem with the horse’s stomach. Colic is probably the most common sickness horse owners have to deal with. Though it is only a mild ache to the horse, it can be fatal in some instances.

Compared to our stomachs and the stomachs of other animals, the horse’s stomach is quite unique and quite sensitive. It is smaller than what you might think due to the fact that it has evolved to digest multiple small meals instead of the standard two large feeds they are fed nowadays.

The problem occurs when the stomach is forced to deal with a large amount of food and trying to digest it properly instead of a constant stream of smaller food portions. Unlike humans, a horse doesn’t have the ability to tell when its stomach is full, causing it to eat the entire amount of its food all at once. This shocks the horse’s digestive system. As the stomach becomes over full, the bacteria which metabolize the food begin to die, meaning there is no longer anything in the stomach to break down all the nutrients. The food then just sits there in the stomach, producing dangerous toxins and gases. As these build up in the horse’s digestive system, the animal will noticeably become uncomfortable.

If you see any signs of colic or feel as though there might be a digestive problem with your horse, contact your veterinarian immediately. It is often recommended that you walk the horse around until the vet arrives. The horse will sometimes attempt to lie down and roll but its gut to twist, often requiring surgery.

Hopefully, none of your horses ever have to worry about colic. However, armed with the knowledge of what causes colic and what to look for you can be properly prepared with the right equine supplements and care needed to be sure the horse’s ailment is quickly healed.