The word “colic” simply refers to abdominal pain. It covers a multitude of abdominal and intestinal problems, ranging from simple excess gas in the intestines to severe torsion or twisting of the intestines. It can also include stomach ulcers, uterine pain in pregnant or post-foaling mares and pain associated with disease in organs of the abdomen.

It is critical for horse owners to recognize the early signs of colic, because the sooner the horse is seen and treated, the greater his chances of recovery. All colics begin with mild pain and subtle symptoms. If the horse is lucky, it will be a mild colic and resolve on its own or with moderate treatment from a veterinarian.

However, the first clinical signs might be an early stage of a life-threatening colic that will eventually require extensive treatment or surgery. Unfortunately, no one can tell at the beginning.

Signs of colic in the horse vary, but include not eating, yawning, restlessness, groaning, repeatedly curling the upper lip, looking at the flank, continuous or intermittent pawing, circling, backing into a corner or post, standing in a stretched position, lying down repeatedly, rolling and sweating excessively.

Remember that these signs are not specific for any particular type of colic and no colicky horse is likely to show all of them. Know how your horse acts normally to recognize anything unusual.

Remember that all colic’s are emergencies and a veterinarian should be contacted as soon as possible. Once you’ve determined that your horse is colicking, call a veterinarian immediately. Provide the veterinarian with as much information over the phone as possible. This should include the clinical signs (pawing, sweating, rolling, etc.), the horse’s rectal temperature (normal between 98 to 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit), the horse’s heart rate (normal is 30 to 40 beats per minute), and the horse’s gum color (normally pink, but might be blue if the horse is in shock or dark red if the horse is toxic).

Because of the complicated nature of the horse's digestive tract, and the fact that much of the bowel is essentially floating loose inside the abdomen rather than securely held in position, some colics are basically accidents that you cannot prevent. That said, several studies have identified clear risk factors.

Inadequate water intake. The horse's intestinal tract can hold as much as 35 gallons. Until you get to the very end of the gut, a large percentage of that is water. Much of the fluid in the gut comes either from saliva (a horse produces about 10 gallons per day), or fluids secreted along the intestinal tract, but the water in those secretions has to come from the horse's diet or water bucket.

The horse's natural diet, grass, is at least 80% water. When the horse eats grains or hays that are less than 10% water, he has to make up the difference by drinking. For optimal digestive tract health, a horse on a "dry" diet needs to take in at least 8 gallons per day of water. In summer heat and when exercising, needs are considerably higher. Insufficient salt is a common reason why horses don't drink enough water. Make sure your horse has access to salt and also make sure he's actually taking it in. He needs at least 1 ounce/day in winter, 2 to 4 ounces/day in hot weather.

Feed changes. While we've been repeatedly told to make any switches in grain slowly, fewer may realize that changes in hay can have an even greater impact on our horses' health. Hays can and do vary tremendously in the levels of sugar, starch, protein and fiber types they contain. All these different nutrients are fermented by different types of organisms in the horse's intestines. When you make a sudden change, they may not be able to adapt. Even if you always feed the same type of hay (such as orchard grass), there can be sizeable differences between cuttings and hays grown in different locations. Always try to make changes gradually, over about a week's time.

Too much grain. Grains are low-fiber, high-starch feeds that are more suitable for humans than horses. The horse has a limited ability to digest starch due to a relatively short small intestine where that digestion occurs. Sugars and starches that don't get digested end up in the large bowel and can cause serious problems. Equally bad is that horses eating grain do not take in as much fiber from hays. Most horses are fed way too much grain. You should only feed grain if your horse can't hold a normal weight on hay alone. Limit grain feedings to 3-5 pounds, at the very most, per feeding. Remember, too, that brans and pelleted supplements often contain considerable amounts of sugar or starch, anywhere from two to three times as much as hay.

Inadequate deworming. The problem of parasites as a cause of colic, especially chronic, recurrent colics, has dropped considerably since the modern paste dewormers came on the market, but parasites still can be a problem. This is particularly true of roundworms in foals and tapeworms or small strongyles in adults. Young horses require more frequent dewormings than adults. Small strongyles are now resistant to many of the paste dewormers, so if you are using a rotational deworming plan, you need to talk to your vet about periodic fecal exams to make sure the products you're using are getting the job done. Tapeworms aren't sensitive to most of the common dewormers, so you need to attack these twice a year with either an ivermectin or moxidectin combo product labeled for tapeworms, or a month of a daily dewormer containing pyrantel tartrate.

Inadequate exercise. Exercise encourages good intestinal motility. A horse confined to a stall is a colic waiting to happen. Through proper management practices, you can reduce your horse's chances of colic and ward off tummy troubles that otherwise could threaten your horse's life.