Is it true my horse may be prone to colic as he is being kept in ??

[texansunrise]

Like many i have had to keep my horse in for the past few days because of the extent of ice and snow down our way... The yard is way to slippery and i would rather keep him in the barn with the other horses until it thaws out a bit -- however this morning while i was doing my chores another owner put the fear into me saying how it is likely they may be prone to colic being kept in etc I have not heard this before and feel its unlikely a few days would hurt..is this true? Its ok for the owners with the sane horses but if i turn mine out in that he is going to explode in the field and i dread to think what may happen! thanks guys x x

 

[Snowysadude]

Has your horse coliced before? If not then no not really although the risk is there (depends on how much grass he/she was on before etc though!). Go tell the other owner that frost can cause colic too

! Mines a nutter also and so he hasnt been out, and hes perfectly fine, as are all the other horses on our yard that have been in since the weekend

 

[Gooby]

how do horses on box rest cope then??

 

[millitiger]

it is true that there is an increased risk of colic from them staying in unexpectedly, as with any sudden change to routine/feeding.

however, most horses cope fine.

and horses who suddenly go onto box rest are definitely more prone to colic, hence feed being cut, succulents being fed etc.

 

[lochpearl]

If your horse is prone to colic then he may well get colic with a change of routine, however if he hasn't suffered from colic before then I would say the chances are slim. My 4 year old that grew up in Ireland i.e. out in the field from birth through to when they decided to get in and break him, has been on box rest for 5 months and seems quite happy. My other horse stays in when the weather is bad or I can't get down to bring him in - so this is very erratic with him and he is fine too.

I just make sure they have plenty of hay and water and they are fine.

 

[texansunrise]

thanks for that ...feeling better now ! No, he has never had colic before and has been on limited turn out any way as hes prone to laminitis and our grass has been really lush lately . He is more than happy to be in with his hay so il keep him that way until its safe for him to go out again.. thankyou ! x

 

[lily1]

All 5 of mine have been in for a week now, its too icy out and they only tear around and end up falling over so i've opted to keep them in they seem happy enough as long as they have got plenty of hay and I offer them all warm bucket of water and they love it!

 

[Tickles]

Like with a human who is suddenly sedentary (eg people in hospital who have to take laxitives when bed-ridden) the gut doesn't always move so well without exercise. Horses can also get stressed/react to change in diet. All of this increases colic risk, no?

If the field (and access to it) is snowy rather than icy I'd guess nearly always better to stick them out as normal. Obviously you'll have to be extra careful about your boy eating too much frozen grass. Could you not pop him out for a little bit while you muck out or whatever? After tearing round for a while he might settle with some hay?

Really hating seeing how the kept in horses on our yard are looking. We're not allowed turn out in this weather and most people now have frustrated/stressed animals. Share horsey is one of the few who looks more or less OK becasue we've been lunging in the snow (would be riding too but he really needs some buck and roll time more than to be ridden!), loose schooling and popping him on the walker.

Obviosuly most times out of ten keeping in won't cause colic but I've even noticed a change in share horsey's toilet habits from it... quiet a scare one day when he'd been kept in totally.

 

[Tormenta]

Water freezing and eating drier feed (hay etc) being inside for extended periods all run a possible risk of colic. One of my friend's was lugging water back and forward to her stables this morning as her automatic drinkers had frozen. Another friend had one of her ponies colic last Winter in similiar weather after being indoors for two days due to icy conditions and water freezing through the night despite her best efforts.

I would never say never even if they haven't had colic before, just be vigilant and aware.

 

[Pasha]

She was probably referring to impaction colic which is usually seen in competition horses (who live in 24/7) or those on box rest - it's basically to do with the fact that the horse is a roamer and so when it's standing still for long periods, the digestive system can start to suffer.

As others have said though, I wouldn't be overly concerned if your horse isn't prone to colic - mine was in the box for 8 months solid without a problem, then got a mild impaction colic for the first time in his 22yr old life when out in the field! Typical!

If possible (but obviously not if it's too dangerous), it helps to walk then out for 10 mins a couple of times a day - really loosens everything up and gets it working again