Colic is the most common cause of death in horses and the most important welfare emergency in equine medicine. Understanding prevention and response saves lives.
Colic causes acute, sometimes excruciating abdominal pain that is distressing to experience and witness. A horse in severe colic pain will paw, look at its flank, roll, refuse to eat, and show obvious distress. The welfare imperative is early veterinary assessment — walking a colicking horse gently to prevent violent rolling is appropriate, but delaying veterinary contact while hoping the problem resolves is a welfare failure that costs horses their lives. Surgical colic — including intestinal displacement and volvulus — has good survival rates with prompt intervention but deteriorates rapidly without surgery. Prevention is far preferable: maintaining consistent feeding routines, ensuring constant water access, appropriate parasite management, and regular dental care addresses most manageable risk factors.