As cooler weather approaches, so does your horse’s chance of colic. A major reason for this is that horses drink less cold water when the temperature is colder. When you think about it, you probably drink less cold beverages when it’s cold outside too.
As pastures start to die for the winter, there is less water content in the grass. Add to that the fact that we start feeding hay, which has little water, and our horses find themselves with a lot less water in their GI tracts. The majority of colic’s are impactions anyway (masses of drier than normal ingested material which is more difficult for the gut to move), so now we can expect even more. That’s not good news.
Here’s the good news: There are some simple steps you can take to decrease your chances of having a colicky horse:
1.) Add a tablespoon of salt or mineral mix to the feed – salt in the diet makes you drink more. If you doubt, eat a bag of Fritos!
2.) Add one to two cups of shredded beet pulp to the feed. You can either soak it in three times its volume of hot water and add it after 15 minutes or so, or add water to the entire meal and let it sit for a bit. Beet pulp draws water into the gut and also has a mild laxative effect. Contrary to popular belief it is not the greatest thing for removing intestinal sand, but that’s another story.
3.) Add water to the feed! I cover the feed with 2-3 inches of water and in 10 minutes it has all been absorbed. I then add more warm water just before I feed it, especially if it is really cold out.
4.) On those very cold days, pour a bucket of very hot water into the trough or add hot water to the buckets. They will often drink that warm bucket right down. It’s a good thing to do just before feeding.
Those are some quick hints for avoiding cold weather colic. Your horses will appreciate it!
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