Equine Colic Stress

Colic, which is any type of abdominal pain in the horse, is something that worries most horse people all of the time. However, colic itself is a symptom, not necessarily a disease. Something else is going on inside the horse's body when it has colic, which can sometimes be determined by the symptoms a horse exhibits.

  1. Symptoms

    • A horse that is obviously stressed may have colic, as stressed behavior is one of the symptoms of colic. Other symptoms of colic are changes in bowel sounds, capillary refill time greater than three seconds, and slowing or quickening of heart rate.

    Colic Stress

    • Stress in colic may be exhibited by a horse that swishes its tail in a worried manner, pawing, patchy sweating, labored breathing and violent rolling on the ground. Horses with a lot of abdominal pain will also kick at their bellies.

    Severity

    • The worse the colic is, the more stressed the horse will appear. Though you should always consult your veterinarian when a horse has colic, severe signs of stress mean a veterinarian should be brought in immediately.

    Behavior

    • Some horses are stoic and rarely show pain, while other horses react to the slightest problem. One horse's normal behavior may be extreme for another horse.

    Nervous Horses

    • Flightly, nervous horses that often exhibit signs of stress that are unrelated to colic may be more prone to the type of colic called spasmodic colic, where the bowel contracts hard for episodes of about ten minutes.