COLIC is defined as a set of clinical signs a horse displays when it is suffering pain in its digestive system. There is no more chilling an experience for a horse owner than to find that their horse, which one hour previously was left contentedly eating from its haynet, is now writhing in pain on the stable floor.
About 10% of horses suffer colic annually and although around 80% of these will self-cure or respond to medical treatments, some of the remainder will need life-saving - and expensive surgery. Colic surgery carries its own risks and there is no guarantee of survival in a critically-ill horse. It is important, therefore, to try to mitigate the risk of a horse developing colic.
