Cold and rainy weather sees many horses moved from their fields and pastures to spending more time indoors in stalls. This sudden decrease of turnout time may increase stress on the horse, including physical stress, and lead to an increased colic risk.
An English study by Drs. Williams, Horner, Orton, Green, McMullen, Mobasheri and Freeman followed seven horses as they transitioned from living out 24/7 to being constantly stalled and only out of the stall to exercise regularly.
The researchers determined that the horse's gut motility slowed significantly in the first five days after the transition, putting them at rick of colic: horses with both impaction and strangulating colic show decreased intestinal contractions.
For the study, the horses on full turnout ate only grass and had no structured exercise; the horses were placed in individual paddocks for 24-hour periods twice during the study for researchers to determine each horse's water intake and manure output, which was analyzed for moisture content. Ultrasound was also used to measure the horse's gut activity, which was determined by the amount of intestinal wall contractions.
The horses were then moved into stalls, transitioned to a diet of grass hay and worked twice a day. The horses were monitored for 14 days after the transition with the same data collected.
The scientists discovered that horses drank significantly more water when they were stalled, but that they produced less manure, which was drier. This shows that the horse's bodies are trying to adapt, but the differences in the diet were so significant that they couldn't. None of the study horses developed colic, but two horses that had the greatest physiological changes did have a history of colic.
Each horse's gut motility slowed significantly in the first five days after the transition. The team noted that a variety of factors could come into play to cause this, but one is that chewing and food in the stomach and intestine stimulate motility, so a horse grazing all day would have a more-regular motility rhythm.
The team says that this study reinforces the importance of making management changes gradually. If a gradual change isn't possible (for instance, because of an injury), horse owners and care takers should keep a watchful eye on the horse in the first five days after the transition to pick up on any colic signs.
Read the study here.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
The post Decreased Turnout Leads To Increased Risk of Colic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
