Snow colic - truth or myth?

Don't know although would be interested to hear what others think.

Me and my yard friend were talking about this today as one of her friends had said a couple at her yard had gone down with it. We turn out in snow, frost, rain or shine and ours are fine.
 
my friends horse got it a couple of years ago! they think because he didn't get enough water where it was frozen! I remember he had to go into hospital, so was a mission for her to drive the lorry there!
 
I don't know but I watch my boy like a hawk and turn him out for 2 or 3 short bursts when the grass is covered, as i also fear leaving him in the stable could contribute. I also give him extra watery feed and insulate his drinking water with straw, I watch my others too of course but he worries me the most.
 
I turn mine out whatever the weather too, but a "friend" suggested I shouldn't because of the snow colic risk. I would have thought that native breeds in particular would have died out if this was a regular occurrence! I suggested that my horse would be more likely to get colic from being stressed and stuck in all day - if they do get "snow" colic it's probably lack of forage going through them - like not putting hay in the field etc.
 
My older chap came down with it 2 years ago - he ate loads of snow even tho he had hay and water and the vet was firmly of the opinion the snow was the culprit. However he is a colic culprit historically too, so whether non colic prone horses get it I dont know. He is (blood tested) clear of tapeworms and wormed for encysted worms and clear worm counts for the others so not worm triggered in his case.

I now turn him out for no more than 5 hours and keep a very close eye on him in snow. Unfortunately living in the Cairngorms that can go on for quite a few weeks!

I think it is quite uncommon if other food is provided ie hay and water and horse is warm/in sheltered paddock
 
I don't know if snow can give them colic itself - none of mine actively 'eat it' and make sure they have some haylage if they can't get through to the grass.

I think the risk of colic is more due to no turn out and not enough water due to frozen troughs - mine have a few hours out every day to keep them moving about, and put some warm water in their buckets to enusure they are drinking enough, including making sloppy feeds.
 
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really hope not! my mares been eatting the stuff as quickly as she can!!! loves it........goes along like a snow plough, nose completly buried in about 7inchs!!!!!.....ive decided shes a bit odd and that turnout may have to be limited :).....
 
Maybe it's a case of a horse gets colic when they've been out in the snow and there's no obvious reason "so it must have been the snow"
 
A neighbour's loan horse got colic in the snow when she hadn't had him long and as he was a LOU there was no insurance cover for him. Vet thought that he had eaten snow and salt after the snowplough threw it all up against the field wall. It was touch and go for a while but Gastroguard sorted him out eventually. The thinking was that he hadn't drunk enough because the water was so cold, as well as eating the snow/salt.
 
Def true, though think it could just as easily be called frost or cold weather colic. I think because some horses are disinclined to drink in cold weather, then it makes them susceptible to colic. Lost my first pony this way so am always cautious through this weather, make sure ours always have plenty of fibre and that they drink enough, supplying warm sloppy feeds if they drop off drinking.
 
My mega heated water trough keeps them drinking :D

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The black thing is a pond heater, it floats, but is hauled out in this pic :cool:
 
Im not so sure its the snow, anything the horse eats will be warmed by the chewing process so by the time it hits the gut should be fine. Not drinking for whatever reason i think is more likely to be the culprit.
 
I'm not convinced to be honest. I too think its more likely a lack of water or forage problem.

I dont know of anybody ****Touches everything wooden in sight**** that has had cold weather colic. My pony is out 24/7 with plenty of hay and fresh water. He also gets a warm sloppy feed of fast fibre and hes fine. There is no evidence in the field that hes been eating or digging down to the grass so i'm not worried about him eating it. I have dug out several areas and put hay down as im more worried about his lack of movement.

My friend believes that going from a stable to the snowy field can cause colic so hers have stayed in for 9 days solid now.

I think everyone has a different opinion. Mine is that if there is plenty to eat and drink, the risk of colic is no more than any other time. x
 
A couple of years ago H&H ran an article about colic that showed it was seasonal, with more cases in winter iirc. It may be that there is a myth that snow causes colic whereas in fact the highest number of cases of colic tend to occur at the same time of the year when we get snow.
 
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