Winter Weather Boosts Risk of Colic in Horses By Kristin Danley-Greiner
cool water for ice water and snow. These changes can contribute to an uptick in colic veterinarians have observed once cold weather hits. Though colic is a catch-all term for a bellyache in a horse, in the winter it’s most commonly caused by impaction. Contributing factors to winter colic include drier feed, less water and less exercise. Joe Stricklin, DVM, is a vet in Greeley, Colo. He’s practiced for 36 years and has noticed another factor that seems to bring on bouts of colic —barometic pressure. “I don’t know if there’s scientific proof, but when you get cold fronts coming through I think that has something to do with it. It increases pressure on the guts sometimes. It’s more than just a coincidence that When a horse has a belly ache, an indication of colic, he may try to bite or scratch at his when some of these fronts come through you see belly. iStock photo. horses with a bellyache.” Luke Bass, who teaches at Colorado State orses don't need much — food, water, a University’s veterinary hospital and specializes in equine little protection from the elements. Wild ambulatory care. said a fair 60 degrees in the afternoon horses can get by on old grass and snow all and a drop to 20 degrees at night can throw off a horse’s winter, without any help from automatic waterers or gastrointestinal system and cause colic to develop. heated barns. Though there’s not much a horse owner can do about But there's a difference between surviving and thriving, cold fronts, being deliberate and careful about the other and when you've invested heavily — both financially and environmental factors can help avoid a painful and emotionally — in an animal, surviving just isn't good potentially dangerous situation for the horse. enough.
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Heading into winter, consider the changes that happen in your horse's life. They may trade their days grazing green grass for standing at a bale feeder. They may swap their refreshingly
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Water Dehydration is probably the biggest factor in winter colic. “We’ll see horses with an obstruction or impaction in
