Managing Your Horse’s Diet How to Avoid Equine Colic

Anything that can be done in a management capacity to emulate the natural grazing diet of the horse is beneficial to support the normal digestive system and avoid colic from dietary complications. Horses are grazing herbivores, and their gastrointestinal tract is set up in a way that thrives on consistent access to high-fiber forages to function optimally. Horses on full pasture turnout have less incidences of colic than those stalled for most or all of the day.

Recommendations to better manage your horse’s diet include:

• Providing free choice hay to stalled horses can significantly reduce the risk of colic.
• For horses that need additional calories from grain, feeding smaller, more frequent meals can allow the small intestine to properly digest the simple carbohydrate load and prevent hindgut acidosis which can prevent colic.
• Introduce new feeds gradually, including hay, to allow the beneficial bacteria in the hindgut to adapt to new feeds.
• Provide a daily wellness supplement with digestive care that contains omega-3 fatty acids to support normal healthy levels of intestinal inflammation and pre- and probiotics to maintain healthy hindgut bacteria and aid in normal digestion.