Windt im Wald
A Wind in the Woods
Geauga County, Northeast
Ohio since 1995
Colic in the Sandhills
Jim Hamilton, DVM
The Carolinas are home to an ever increasing
horse population and as numbers increase so does the incidence of several
types of colic. When bringing a horse to this region there are several precautions
to be taken.
In Sandy soil where the main grass is Bermuda; horses,
as they graze, will pick up small amounts of sand along with the grass roots.
As time goes on, the sand, instead of being passed out in the manure, settles
to the floor of the intestines and stays there. The bed of sand becomes
heavy with time and it can cause a blockage in the intestinal tract (impaction)
and/or a twisted intestine (Due to one segment of the intestine being heavier
than the rest).
Once sand is there, getting rid of it takes some
doing. Bran, beet pulp, or mineral oil help but are only of limited value
when trying to push the sand out. The best treatments are psyllium-based
laxatives such as "Metamucil." There are several brands on the market for
use in the horse and all are about the same. I recommend feeding the laxative
10 days out of every month. Some people add it to the feed every day and
that's OK as long as the manure doesn't get too loose.
The most common
type of hay fed to horses here is coastal. It is, unfortunately, not a very
high quality type of hay, nutritionally speaking. If a horse has been elsewhere
and is used to timothy, orchard grass, or some other variety of hay, making
a slow transition to the new diet is important. Bring enough of the old
hay with you to last two weeks. Each day give some of the coastal mixed
in with the old type of hay. Make sure to shake out the "flakes" so the
two types are really mixed - horses are very good at picking out what they
like and leaving the rest.
Because the nutritional value of coastal
is not the best, you should consider adding some mixed grain to the diet.
The addition of only 2-3 quarts (2-3 small coffee cans) per day can provide
all that the hay and pasture does not. This is important to the field trial
rider because his horse needs all the stamina he can muster for the long
endurance rides that are taken.
The third precaution has to do with
belly worms (parasites). The sandy soil and the year-round warm temperatures
make ideal parasite growing conditions. The bottom line with a worm horse
is poor growth, poor condition and poor stamina. So investing in a paste
wormer every 30-45 days is very smart. My suggestion is to rotate types
of wormers that you use because some worms are better controlled by different
medications. First use Ivermectin (Zymectin) then the next month Strongid
and the third month Anthelcide. Now, start back with the Ivermectin and
rotate through them all year long. On this plan your horse will be less
apt to colic and will be stronger and look much healthier.
Many people
have the misconception that horses are like cattle - able to thrive on pasture
and water. Horses can exist that way by barely thriving. A field trial horse
is an endurance horse, much like a marathon runner and should be treated
as such if he is to do his best.