Colic induced by being cold, is this a thing? (rugging question)

[soloequestrian]

I look after a horse whose owner is obsessed with him being too cold and getting colic from that. Is this something that actually happens? I have never come across it but I can feel it starting to infect my thinking about him. I usually rug to keep them from getting shivery rather than to keep them warm, so in an ideal world I would only rug when it's going to rain not for cold per se (none are clipped). I had a horse for a while who would efficiently remove his own rug if he thought it was too warm and it was amazing how rarely he actually wanted to wear one - even in the middle of winter it had to be windy and wet before he wanted one on. So, is colic ever directly associated with being cold?

 

[Alibear]

I think it's more around them not drinking as much in the cold weather than increasing colic cases, hence the advice to add warm water to buckets/troughs in really cold weather.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Colic can be associated with stress so if a horse is distressed by being too cold (or too hot) then it could colic.

 

[TheMule]

It's highly unlikely to be causative, far more likely that they don’t drink enough water so there is an increased risk of impaction colic in colder conditions

 

[SantaVera]

Like the others have said, possibly dehydration and using up food stored in the gut to keep warm so having an empty gut or stomach.

 

[mini-eventer]

Maybe he feels the cold. One of ours came in violently shivering yesterday morning, it was cold but dry. The cold has come suddenly and taken us unaware, I do rug to keep warm but try not to over rug. Some horses feel it more than others. I don't like to see my horses shivering, they are in work and need their energy for that, I also believe it makes their muscles tight.

 

[Melody Grey]

Anything which makes the horse miserable and prevents normal eating could cause colic which is, by definition, abdominal discomfort. So yes, in theory being very cold could cause colic though the vast majority will eat to keep warm….though cold and without forage is a recipe for disaster.

 

[exracehorse]

Yes. Five years ago my boy, who feels the cold and hates the rain, wasn’t rugged one October evening as it had been sunny and warm during the day and said dry at night. The app lied. Tenpture dropped. And it poured. I went in the morning to find him shivering sooo badly. And tucked up. He was cold. Got him into the stable. And rugged him. He then started to colic. Vet called. So from that day .. I always rug him when it drops. Especially like it has done in the past week.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I look after a horse whose owner is obsessed with him being too cold and getting colic from that. Is this something that actually happens? I have never come across it but I can feel it starting to infect my thinking about him. I usually rug to keep them from getting shivery rather than to keep them warm, so in an ideal world I would only rug when it's going to rain not for cold per se (none are clipped). I had a horse for a while who would efficiently remove his own rug if he thought it was too warm and it was amazing how rarely he actually wanted to wear one - even in the middle of winter it had to be windy and wet before he wanted one on. So, is colic ever directly associated with being cold?

Yes, it is , BB got caught in the rain in April 13 degrees without a rug on, and he ended up shivering and colicked. Spasmodic colic but colic nonetheless. Another time he was rugged up and tbh it was like a monsoon , he was out and I was at work, by 5 pm he was colicking. It is The sudden cold , wind and drop in temperature

 

[paddy555]

Yes. Five years ago my boy, who feels the cold and hates the rain, wasn’t rugged one October evening as it had been sunny and warm during the day and said dry at night. The app lied. Tenpture dropped. And it poured. I went in the morning to find him shivering sooo badly. And tucked up. He was cold. Got him into the stable. And rugged him. He then started to colic. Vet called. So from that day .. I always rug him when it drops. Especially like it has done in the past week.

exactly the same. 2 horses from the rain on the same morning so far too much of a coincidence not to be the rain. They too were shivering.

 

[Reacher]

One year in early spring we let my older TB out without her rug for the first time that year. It was a sunny day but a bit chilly breeze. She promptly came down with colic. She is a bit of a princess though!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Anything is possible with horses I have come to the conclusion

 

[onemoretime]

Anything is possible with horses I have come to the conclusion

Absolutely anything!!

 

[soloequestrian]

I've clearly been around tough horses my whole life! He is a bit of a delicate flower, he'll be shivering and the TB will be raising an eyebrow.

 

[ihatework]

It’s possible for sure, but in reality pretty unlikely. In my life I have only known one that coliced that way, he was a complete and utter pansy if he got remotely wet/cold, would shiver violently when every other horse was completely fine. It would stress him enough to colic if got caught out on the (quite frankly excessive!) rugging he needed. But it’s not the norm.

 

[AnShanDan]

I had a mare (lost her last year, not to colic) who would colic when she was cold and miserable.

I left her in a lightweight rug one october night a couple of years ago and despite an OK forecast, it rained heavily and the rug leaked.

In the morning she was very poorly (down and had been for a while, quite distressed), called vet and got her up somehow (she was determined that she was dying), buscopan etc. and warmed her up. She was fine by later in the day.

Edited to add, it seems there is theme developing here