During cold weather there is an increased risk of impaction colic due to decreased drinking. This can occur either because water troughs or buckets are frozen or even if not frozen as horses drink less water when water is cold (<5°C; <41°F) compared with when warm water is offered (~15-20°C; 59°-68°F). There is also a risk of colic due to horses being too cold.
- Ensure troughs and buckets are not frozen over
- Remove ice rather than simply break it to slow freezing
- Warm up water in buckets when feeding or in the stable by adding some hot water
- Water buckets placed in 2-3 old tyres stacked on top of each other and stuffed with straw can slow freezing
- Heated water buckets are not cheap and usually require mains but may be worth considering if you have a horse or pony very prone to impaction colic – they are still cheaper than a vet bill!
- Avoid feeding dry forage
- Damp down feeds with warm water
- Add ½ a 25ml scoop of salt a day to feeds if you are not already feeding salt and or electrolytes
- Soak hay in warm water
- Use a hay steamer and feed hay warm
- Provide more forage than normal – ideally ad lib
- Avoid sudden changes in routine
- Avoid sudden changes in feed. Don’t be tempted to suddenly add in hard feed. If your horse is struggling to maintain condition then slowly add in a low starch/low sugar/high energy (high oil) feed such as cooked/micronized linseed.
- Mashes – I’m not a fan and don’t recommend them. A mash is usually given occasionally, as it’s not something the horse’s gut is used to, this breaks one of the major rules in feeding horses – don’t make any sudden changes. If you introduce a mash slowly and build up over a few weeks and feed every day, then that would be ok.
- Horses that are turned out and moving even in very cold weather are less likely to develop impaction colic.
