Colic — abdominal pain in horses — is the leading cause of death in horses beyond old age, with specific management practices significantly reducing colic incidence and improving welfare outcomes.
Colic causes severe abdominal pain that ranges from mild discomfort to surgical emergency. Affected horses show pawing, looking at the flank, rolling, and refusing food — behavioral indicators of acute pain distress. Severe colic requires emergency veterinary assessment and potentially surgery under general anesthesia with significant surgical risk. The welfare burden of colic extends beyond acute episodes — chronic colic cases involve repeated pain events, multiple veterinary interventions, and progressive deterioration of quality of life. Prevention through management practices that reduce risk — maximizing roughage in diet, ensuring consistent water access, maintaining dental health, maximizing movement — addresses welfare through preventing suffering rather than treating it after it occurs.