Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 88

Feeding to Prevent Colic Rase Veterinary Equine Horses are more prone to digestive upset than other domestic animals because of how their gastrointestinal tract functions and how we feed them. Often the most popular question asked by an owner is what he/she can do to avoid colic in the future and it all goes back to management and nutrition. Equine Digestion is Unique The horse evolved as a grazing animal, and his digestive tract is designed to utilise forage. It functions best and remains healthiest when he’s allowed to roam at pasture, eating more or less continuously, consuming small amounts, often. Domesticated horses are often confined and typically fed hay and grain in scheduled meals. This unnatural environment often leads to digestive problems and colic. Horses are one of a few animals that digest most of their feed in the hindgut (caecum, colon, and small colon) rather than in the stomach and small intestine. The horse’s GI tract is designed to transfer food to the hindgut as swiftly as possible. Feed can travel through the small intestine to the hindgut in three hours or less. This can create digestive problems if owners offer high volumes of grain per feed, because some reaches the hindgut before it is fully digested. Mimic Nature You can improve your horse’s digestive health by managing his dietary regime the way nature intended. Ideally, a horse’s diet should comprise good-quality forage, with added grain and concentrates, only if his level of work demands it. While turnout that allows a horse to graze continuously is best, this might not be realistic for your situation. If a horse must be confined, simply maximise the amount of forage. Two things can help prevent colic. One is to keep horses moving, to simulate free-ranging where they were walking all the time. Moving while grazing helps keep circulation going and continual eating keeps the digestive tract moving. The other important thing? Eating small amounts continually. Promoting this gut motility can be challenging for owners whose horses live almost continuously in stables. The risk of colic increases the more the horse stands still, especially if standing still without anything to eat. Horses in la