Gosh, I hope the title of my article does not offend you. I personally have bookshelves of "Dummies" books that are perfect for helping me understand a subject of which I am not very knowledgeable. Actually I find endurance riders to be very intelligent as well as knowledgeable on many topics so maybe my article will not help many members. I hope it will remind some of the importance of staying in tune with your horse.

The word colic means many different things to different people. Some who have had personal experience with colic in their horse know it can be serious but for the most part do not have a "come apart" when faced with a new episode. Then there are others who have a very strong fear of just the word and relate it to a death sentence for their horse. I try to get my clients and riding buddies to be in the first group.

Colic is the most common condition affecting horses. Understanding what it is and what is happening usually is all a person needs to understand to get their horse through an episode. A horse is just a large digestive system on four legs. The system is a very complicated one and can easily get out of whack and that is the definition of colic -- simply a "tummy ache" that in many cases just goes away on its own.

There is no telling how many cases of colic go undetected and just go away. It has been said that a parasite-free, well-hydrated horse that does not experience even the slightest change in either the amount or exact type of feed will never colic.

The number one cause of colic is diet change. Overfeeding the horse's normal diet can cause colic, as well as changing brands. There are a lot of horses that have come close to dying after finding the feed stash and stuffing down all they could in a short period of time.

The next most common cause of colic is parasites. Heavy loads of common intestinal worms will cause constant irritation and poor function of the digestive tract, resulting in chronic colic signs. Strongyles will also affect the blood vessels supplying the intestinal tract, causing colic signs and even sometimes ruptured aneurysms that will kill a horse.

Colic types

Overeating. I think the most common type of colic in the general horse population is caused by getting into the feed supply and overeating. (I can relate to this one as I do it all the time.) Like me, a horse loves to eat and an open feed room with a barrel of grain and no one around to stop them seems to be an invitation to eat and eat and eat.

This colic can be extremely dangerous and usually requires professional help. Pain meds and stomach tube administration of mineral oil are usually required as well as some prevention measures for founder which often follows colic caused by overeating grain. Multiple doses of oil are often required before you start to see signs of it completing its journey through the very long GI tract indicating all will be OK.

Dehydration. Another common type of colic, and by far the most common in endurance horses, is dehydration causing poor flow of gut contents. This type usually follows extended exercise or travel. The horse's body will divert blood carrying water to vital organs like the kidneys, liver and brain, leaving the gut without good circulation and therefore dry. Impaction of the food that is sitting there waiting to be digested makes the belly hurt (colic).

Usually just drinking lots of water will eventually rehydrate the gut and relieve the impaction and voila! the colic is over. If the impaction has been there too long or is just too extensive you will need help. Large amounts of water (two gallons initially) given by stomach tube with some oil added, followed by smaller amounts every 45 minutes, will correct the problem. Severe cases often require intravenous fluids to correct the dehydration. Pain meds will make the horse more comfortable while the dehydration is being corrected.

Ileus. Another type is called ileus, which means that the small intestines have stopped working and have become static. The small intestines are located just after the stomach and perform a lot of the nutrition absorption. There are many reasons this can happen but usually it occurs due to irritation or other damage to the lining or a problem with blood supply. This is a very serious type and demands immediate attention.

Ileus is diagnosed by passing a stomach tube and looking for reflux, which is foul-smelling flow of liquid from the stomach when the head and neck are lowered. Not good! Horses cannot vomit so this fluid accumulates and causes severe pain and often rupture of the stomach. This poor guy needs help soon.

Twisted gut. Then there is the granddaddy of them all, a twist somewhere in the GI tract causing severe pain and a blockage of normal flow of digestion. All of the above types can result in a twist. Surgery is the horse's only chance for survival. The twist also causes an interruption of blood flow to parts of the GI tract resulting in the tissue dying. This dead tissue cannot be salvaged. Surgery should always be initiated as soon as possible if it is an option. These horses, if they get good help quickly and survive, have a fair chance of returning to normal, but can have repeated bouts of trouble due to normal consequences of surgery and are often only suitable as pasture ornaments.

Plan for possible problems