WEATHER-RELATED COLIC

As the skies darken, the barometer drops and a summer storm begins to brew, is your horse at an increased risk of colic? Many owners believe that changes in weather are linked to gastrointestinal problems in their horses. That may be true, but what exactly it is about weather that triggers colic isn’t so clear.

Individual horses may indeed react to changes in the atmosphere alone, just like some people get sinus headaches in certain conditions. There is a theory that a drop in barometric pressure can lead to expansion of gas in the gut, leading to colic, but research into that possibility has produced conflicting results. If you suspect your horse may colic because of atmospheric conditions, you might be able to identify a pattern by keeping detailed notes about the weather conditions each time he colicks. Of course, you can’t control the weather, but you could be on higher alert for trouble when triggering conditions occur.

More likely, a colic that occurs “because of the weather” is actually the result of other factors in a horse’s life that are associated with environmental conditions. For instance, pasture grass biochemistry can change dramatically and suddenly due to weather. It’s possible that grass consumed during or after a storm is upsetting to a particular horse’s digestion. It’s also possible that management changes you make---even if they are necessary---due to weather can lead to colic. Your horse may not be turned out much on a stormy weekend,

for example, disrupting his routine and leading to colic. Looking beyond the weather itself to consider all the possible colic contributors can reveal the underlying cause and suggest changes you can make to protect your horse the next time storms threaten.