Your horse may be powerful and majestic, but their digestive system is surprisingly delicate. Equine colic—a common and potentially life-threatening condition—can affect any horse, regardless of age, breed, or discipline. From mild gas buildup to severe intestinal distress, colic in horses can escalate quickly and requires prompt attention. Understanding the causes, signs, and symptoms is essential for every horse owner.

What is Colic in Horses?

Colic is a general term to describe abdominal discomfort and remains the leading cause of equine-related deaths. Colic takes many forms, but generally, you can tell if your horse might be on the road to colic if you observe any of these symptoms:

• Frequently looking at, and/or biting or kicking their flank or belly
• Pawing at the ground
• Rolling or wanting to lie down continuously
• Little or no evidence of manure having passed
• Excessive sweating
• Manure appears dry or mucous-covered
• Lack of appetite
• Change in drinking behavior
• Frequent attempts to urinate
• High pulse rate (over 50 beats per minute)
• Off-color mucous membranes (evidenced by examining gum tissue)

If you suspect your horse is experiencing colic, get immediate help from a veterinarian. This is not something you want to fool around with – even if the signs are vague, call in the expert for diagnosis and treatment.

How to Prevent Colic in Horses

Not all colic can be prevented – but you can take steps to decrease the chance your horse will have to suffer from it. Here are nine tips for keeping your horse healthy:

1. Let Horses Forage

The stomach of the horse is small in relation to their size; it only takes up 10% of the capacity of the digestive system. Because of this relatively small stomach, a horse naturally eats small amounts of roughage – continuously. Domestication has changed this for many horses, particularly if they are stall-kept. Now, horses are fed large meals in the morning, sometimes afternoons, and evenings, aligning with the schedules of the humans taking care of them. Access to large pastures and fields with roughage is limited in many areas of the country, and turning a horse out all day to graze is not an option.

Your horse is designed to eat grass and hay as part of a high-fiber, low-starch diet. Try to make this type of natural forage the bulk of their diet, limiting the grains that can upset the gut’s delicate bacterial balance.

Providing roughage throughout the day, even when stalled, can help the modern horse’s digestive system function as intended. If you do have to feed grain or concentrates, feeding them in smaller, more frequent amounts while accompanied by long-stem forage can also help. If you do need to provide additional calories in the diets, feed itin small amounts more frequently. This practice will better mimic the horse’s natural state of being and allow the GI tract to function normally.

Feeding the correct amount of hay at the proper rate is essential to maintaining a horse’s optimal body weight. Horses on an all-hay diet typically require approximately 2% of their body weight in hay daily-meaning a 1,000-pound horse will need about 20 pounds of hay each day. Using slow feeder hay nets can help regulate intake while minimizing waste. The safest options are cross-hatched hay nets, which reduce the risk of horses getting their legs caught, unlike wider-mesh designs. For adult horses, slow feeder nets with square openings around 1.5 x 1.5 inches are ideal for controlling consumption. Additionally, horse owners should consider hay testing to assess nutritional content, as hay color alone does not accurately reflect quality. A proper feeding strategy—based on weight, feeding tools, and nutritional testing—ensures horses remain healthy and well-nourished.

Foraging behavior is also important for the maintenance of a healthy digestive tract. The chewing process itself produces large amounts of saliva that help to buffer the acid that is produced in the horse’s stomach. Excess stomach acid can lead to gastric ulcers that are very painful., which can lead to poor performance, irritability, dull appearance and more. Products such as UlcerGard can be used to prevent stomach ulcers in horses. If your veterinarian diagnoses your horse with ulcers, they may prescribe GastroGard (Rx) for treatment.

High-dose vitamin E has been shown to support the treatment of equine stomach ulcers, making it a valuable supplement for horses with digestive issues. Products like Health-E® Oral Vitamin E provide a concentrated and bioavailable source of vitamin E to aid in healing, reduce inflammation, and support overall gut health. Incorporating a high-quality vitamin E supplement for horses can be an effective part of an ulcer management program.

2. Supplements That Support Equine Gut Health

Some equine supplements can play a valuable role in supporting normal digestive health and maintaining normal stomach tissue. For example, Assure®Guard Gold, SUCCEED® DCP, U-Gard® Pellets or G.U.T. Powder are all comprehensive supplements designed to support the entire gastrointestinal tract—from the stomach through the hindgut. These formulas help buffer excess stomach acid, promote a healthy microbiome, and maintain overall digestive function. Many of these equine digestive supplements come in pellet, paste, or powder form—powders can be top-dressed on feed, while pastes or tubes are ideal for immediate feeding and faster absorption—helping you choose the best option for your horse’s needs and routine.

Additionally, Assure®Plus can benefit horses with a history of digestive challenges by helping to maintain normal gut motility and reduce the buildup of sand and debris in the intestines. Assure®Plus can be paired with Assure® or Assure®Guard to create the right solution for your horse’s digestive health needs. Together, these supplements offer targeted support for horses with sensitive digestive systems, promoting long-term gastrointestinal health.

3. Consistent Feeding Routines Help Reduce Colic Risk in Horses

Your horse’s GI tract is sensitive. A sudden change in feed could result in colic. Research has shown that switching types of forage or feeding a new cut of hay can increase a horse’s chances of developing colic by 10x. Additionally, changing the type, or brand of grain you feed can cause a 5x increase in colic risk. If a change is needed, gradually change to their new diet over the course of 7 to 10 days. For example, if your barn receives a new shipment of hay (whether a different cut or from a different field) try to mix it in gradually, over several days, with the old hay they have been. A consistent feeding program is very beneficial in avoiding equine colic.

4. Reduce How Quickly Your Horse Eats

If you’re able to provide roughage all day long, and can break any grain feedings into multiple sessions, ensure your horse isn’t wolfing everything down. Slow feed hay nets help extend the time they’re chewing and swallowing while also helping to mimic natural grazing behavior. Slow feed buckets and bucket inserts can help horses eat their grain and supplements more slowly. Just like us, if horses eat too fast, it can upset their digestive system.

5. Provide Fresh, Clean Water

Limited access to water has been associated with greater risk for GI trouble, including impaction colic. To ensure your horse always has access to fresh, clean water, offer more than one water bucket or if space permits, a large water trough. Clean the buckets and troughs regularly, and if you live in an area where it gets cold enough for ice to form, make sure you break and remove it from the buckets and troughs. Many water buckets and water trough heaters and covers are available, and can help make the chore of keeping buckets and troughs clear in the winter a little easier. Make sure you follow the instructions for any electrical heaters carefully to limit the risk of fire.

For long trailer trips (over 3 hours), it’s essential to help your horse stay hydrated and healthy during travel. Consult your veterinarian about administering a pre-trip electrolyte drench—typically three to four gallons of water mixed with electrolytes—on the morning of departure. This proactive step helps prevent dehydration and reduce the risk of colic after arrival. Keeping your horse properly hydrated during transportation supports digestive health, performance, and overall well-being.

6. Avoid Ground Feeding in Sandy Areas

In geographic areas where the soil is very sandy, it’s easy for horses to ingest sand along with hay. This can cause a problem since it does not move easily through the digestive tract and may end up  collecting in the horse’s large intestine. Large amounts of sand can cause impaction or blockage and lead to colic. Psyllium, a natural fiber, is commonly used to help remove sand from the digestive tract. Psyllium is included in all Assure® products (Assure, Assure Plus, Assure Guard and Assure Guard Gold) to support equine gut health and help address sand-related issues.

Using hay nets, feed troughs, or other elevated and slow feeders helps keep hay off the ground, reducing waste and minimizing contamination from dirt, sand, or manure. These tools not only promote cleaner feeding conditions but can also encourage slower, more natural eating behaviors, thus supporting better digestion and reducing the risk of issues like colic or choke in horses.

If putting hay on sandy soil is unavoidable, institute a good sand-elimination program. Discuss this with your vet .

7. Ensure Your Horse Gets Daily Exercise

Regular movement helps stimulate the horse’s digestive system. Horses that remain in stalls have a higher risk of colic due to lack of activity. A moderate amount of exercise, such as regular turnout into the pasture for as long as possible, is often sufficient to maintain proper digestive function. If turnout is not feasible, hand walking can help keep the horse and its digestive system active. Additionally, incorporating longer warm-ups and cool-downs before and after work can be beneficial. If the horse is kept in a stall, aim to provide some form of daily exercise.

8. Control Parasites

Failure to receive appropriate deworming doubles a horse’s risk of developing colic.Internal parasites attach to the lining of a horse’s stomach or intestines, affecting the horse’s health. They can take nutrients from the horse’s food for their own survival and even disrupt the horse’s blood flow, depriving it of essential nutrients carried by the bloodstream.

When it comes to parasite control, a strategic deworming program is essential for maintaining your horse’s health. Revival carries a wide selection of trusted equine dewormers, including Zimecterin® for bot and strongyle control, Safe-Guard® for eliminating ascarids and strongyles, Anthelcide® EQ as a broad-spectrum option, Equimax® for effective tapeworm and bot protection, and QUEST® Plus for long-lasting, comprehensive parasite control.

Revival also offers two Annual Equine Dewormer Bundles—one designed for adult horses and another tailored specifically for foals and young horses. Young horses, particularly foals and yearlings, are more vulnerable to parasites and require more frequent, targeted deworming protocols than adults. Our bundles make it easy to follow a veterinarian-recommended schedule with the right products at the right time.

Consult your vet with help in this area; there are many factors that may put your horse at even more risk. Many owners maintain a program of removing manure from fields several times a week, as horses graze near the piles and may ingest worms in the process. This is particularly important in restricted grazing areas.

9. Provide Routine Dental Care

Your horse should have regular dental check-ups and have their teeth “floated” (filing down any sharp points) to ensure they can grind his food properly along with making sure that they have no bad or infected teeth that may require removal. A horse with sharp points on their teeth will not forage or eat well due to the associated pain. Be sure to obtain the services of a licensed professional. Some horses need higher maintenance than others; some can be seen successfully just once a year. As your horse ages, the dental maintenance becomes particularly important, because if your horse has lost weight due to their inability to eat or chew, it’s difficult to get the weight back on.

10. Reduce Your Horse’s Stress

If your horse must deal with changes to their environment or workload, it can cause intestinal disturbances. This really comes into play if a lot of traveling is involved, as is the case with race or show horses. Stress varies from horse to horse or breed to breed. Keep your horse’s forage level high and check with your veterinarian regarding either supplements and/or medication that may help with a high-stress routine or life change. Products like UlcerGard® can be used for the prevention of gastric ulcers in horses that can result from the stress of changes in routine. Acclimate® can help reduce stress and support your horse’s well-being during travel.

And Now There’s One Additional Equine Colic Tip:

11. No matter how well you follow Tips 1-10, your horse may still experience colic.

Colic is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition, so it’s crucial to work closely with your veterinarian at the first sign of any concern. Don’t hesitate to contact your vet if you notice changes in your horse’s behavior, appetite, or signs of discomfort. Remember, your veterinarian is not only a medical resource but also a partner in your horse’s care, guiding you through prevention and treatment options.

Fortunately, most cases of equine colic are spasmodic and non-surgical, meaning your veterinarian can often treat them successfully right at your barn. The key to managing colic is not only prompt treatment, but also identifying the underlying cause. Once the cause is determined, you can adjust your horse’s management routine—such as feeding, hydration, turnout, or stress levels—to help prevent future episodes. Proactive care and timely veterinary intervention are essential for reducing repeat colic incidents and supporting your horse’s digestive health.

In the unfortunate event that despite all efforts, saving your horse isn’t possible, many veterinary clinics, teaching hospitals, and equine communities offer support networks and counseling to help you cope with the loss. These resources can provide comfort and connection during a difficult time, reminding you that you’re not alone.

Final Thoughts on Preventing Colic in Horses

Colic remains one of the most serious and unpredictable health threats facing horses today. From maintaining a high-forage diet and establishing a routine deworming schedule to providing clean water and minimizing stress, every step you take helps reduce your horse’s risk. Supplements like Assure® Guard Gold, SUCCEED® DCP and Assure® Plus can further support digestive health, especially in horses with a history of digestive upset. Most importantly, you, and your team, such as your trainer or barn manager, know your horse best. If your horse seems to be behaving strangely or something just doesn’t ‘feel right’ it’s better to be safe than sorry and contact your veterinarian right away. By being proactive and doing your best to limit risks, your horse has the best chance of living a long and healthy life. If you need help with developing an equine colic management and prevention plan, call us at 800.786.4751.