So as I normally do I try and research and learn more about the aliment to try and eliminate this from happening again or even worse loosing a horse over it. The following information I found on the website http://www.gaitedhorses.net/Articles/Colic.html it covers this in much more detail but I choose a few helpful tips for this segment. The more we learn the more likely we will be able to eliminate some of the causes of colic.
Some Causes of Colic
There are several nutritional aspects of colic which can be managed, thereby reducing the incidence of colic.
Digestive colic may result from:
a horse overeating,
a horse constantly swallowing air "wind sucking",
a sudden change in diet,
consumption of moldy feed,
turnout on the wet pastures of early spring,
a heavy meal before work,
feeding or watering before proper cooling after work.
You can keep incidence of colic to a minimum by following sound management practices such as:
supply plenty of fresh, clean drinking water, (The only exception is when a horse is excessively hot. Then it should be given small sips of lukewarm water until it has recover.)
set up a regular parasite control program with the help of your equine practitioner. Utilize fecal testing to determine its effectiveness,
using processed grains ( Steam crimping/rolling and grinding or pelleted),
avoid medications unless they are prescribed by your equine practitioner, especially pain-relief drugs (analgesics), which can cause ulcers,
limiting the amount of grain provided in a single meal , divide daily concentrate rations into two or more feedings rather than one large one to avoid overloading the horse's digestive tract.
avoid feeding excessive grain and energy-dense supplements. (At least half the horse's energy requirements should be supplied through hay or forage. A better guide is that twice as much energy should be supplied from a roughage source than from concentrates.) Hay is best fed free-choice.
make dietary and other management changes as gradually as possible avoid sudden changes in diet,
reduce stress. Horse's experiencing changes in environments or workloads are at a high risk of intestinal dysfunction
feed at regular times and intervals,
feed good quality forages free of mold, weeds and foreign objects, feed a high quality diet comprised primarily of roughage where possible.
check hay, bedding, pasture and environment for potentially toxic substances, such as blister beetles, noxious weeds, and other indigestible foreign matter,
offered dry hay while grazing high moisture pasture,
provide exercise and/or turnout on a daily basis. Change the intensity/duration of an exercise regime gradually.
check the teeth routinely and float file, if necessary,
minimize unnecessary stress, and
know what is abnormal and normal for your horses.
set up a regular parasite control program with the help of your equine practitioner. Utilize fecal testing to determine its effectiveness,
using processed grains ( Steam crimping/rolling and grinding or pelleted),
avoid medications unless they are prescribed by your equine practitioner, especially pain-relief drugs (analgesics), which can cause ulcers,
limiting the amount of grain provided in a single meal , divide daily concentrate rations into two or more feedings rather than one large one to avoid overloading the horse's digestive tract.
avoid feeding excessive grain and energy-dense supplements. (At least half the horse's energy requirements should be supplied through hay or forage. A better guide is that twice as much energy should be supplied from a roughage source than from concentrates.) Hay is best fed free-choice.
make dietary and other management changes as gradually as possible avoid sudden changes in diet,
reduce stress. Horse's experiencing changes in environments or workloads are at a high risk of intestinal dysfunction
feed at regular times and intervals,
feed good quality forages free of mold, weeds and foreign objects, feed a high quality diet comprised primarily of roughage where possible.
check hay, bedding, pasture and environment for potentially toxic substances, such as blister beetles, noxious weeds, and other indigestible foreign matter,
offered dry hay while grazing high moisture pasture,
provide exercise and/or turnout on a daily basis. Change the intensity/duration of an exercise regime gradually.
check the teeth routinely and float file, if necessary,
minimize unnecessary stress, and
know what is abnormal and normal for your horses.
I found these great tips about colic on the following website,
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