Nature designed horses to roam over distances of at least 5km a day, looking for food and grazing on the way. This “trickle feeding” means eating a large quantity of low energy food over the course of the whole day, and of course plenty of chewing.
However, many horses these days are stabled for eight hours, fed twice a day with hard feed and limited hay. This is a very different way of life from what nature intended and your horse’s intestines have unfortunately not evolved to cope with this modern routine. This can leave them more susceptible to any stress from changes to routine or environment.
Horses only produce saliva whilst chewing, which means that a long period of grazing is needed to neutralise stomach acid and help prevent common equine digestive issues like ulcers or colic. A horse’s digestion also produces gas whilst breaking down food, and without the right diet and routines this can build up and cause the gut to become distended.
Contributing factors to colic for horses are:
Poor or inadequate diet, including sudden changes and inappropriate quantities of forage/fibre or water.
Digestive issues including previous episodes of colic or poor teeth.
Overgrazed pasture
Sandy pasture
Stress, including travelling, sudden changes of environment or exercise after eating
Mouldy feed or parasite infestation
Impaction
Long term use of NSAIDs
Overstabling