Colic is the leading cause of death in horses and a major welfare concern. Understanding prevention, early recognition, and treatment helps horse owners and managers protect equine wellbeing.
Colic causes significant acute pain and distress. Affected horses demonstrate pawing, rolling, looking at their flanks, lip-curling, sweating, and refusal to move — all signs of visceral pain that can be intense. Time to veterinary assessment is critical: strangulating colics that receive surgical intervention within hours have far better survival than those where surgery is delayed. Prevention is primarily management-based: providing constant access to quality forage, ensuring adequate water intake, maintaining consistent feeding routines, minimizing abrupt dietary changes, and providing daily exercise. Horses at pasture with ad libitum grass have lower colic rates than stabled horses on concentrate-heavy diets. Managing colic risk through environmental design is far preferable to treatment of established cases.