Does a Weather Change Cause Colic?

Does a sudden weather change cause colic?

Perhaps we should all find a big grain of salt here… And before I even get started, I’ll preface this by saying that there are actual studies that say “yes” and actual studies that say “no.” It’s often quite tricky to pinpoint any cause of colic, but I can tell you that my vet is Team Yes when asked “does a weather change cause colic?”

Jump to shopping

And to be ultra, super, ridiculously clear here, it’s important to remember that correlation (being related to) and causation (definitely being the reason why) are not the same.

There is some correlation between weather and colic in horses, but very little research can prove causation. So, we carry on… and work with what we do know.

71 degrees to 36 degrees in two days?

How weather and colic are related

When the weather changes, a few things happen that MAY relate to a horse getting colic – and sometimes it’s just the barn management that gets in the way.

Water intake

Some horses drink less when the weather is cold. It has been shown that horses like to drink cold water, but they don’t drink enough of it. When presented with warmer water, they will drink more. So when the weather changes from warm to cold they might drink less. This is a factor in colic. From the barn management standpoint, you can entice your horse to drink a bit more. Give some electrolytes, offer warm water, and add water to his food.

Your horse will have trouble drinking when the water trough is frozen.

Movement

Oh no, it’s getting cold, bring the horses in and batten down the hatches! While in some cases this is a good idea, like wicked lightning or icy ground, this restricts how much moving your horse will do. Knowing that moving your horse’s body helps your horse’s gut stay moving, this may relate to colic. From the barn management perspective – time to hand walk, find a safe spot to turn out, go for a ride, and generally keep his butt moving.

Your horse’s body and thermoregulation

Horses are great at regulating their body temperatures. Assuming they have adequate, high-quality forage and options to get out of the wind, most horses are great. However…. there are plenty of reasons to blanket and clip horses and most of us have some variation of a clipping/blanketing routine. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We get into trouble when we decide a cold front (or warm front) needs more or fewer blankets, and we over/under blanket, affecting our horse’s body temperature. And you guessed it – this is a possible factor in colic. An easy way to monitor our horse’s temperature is to use a thermometer. TPR deets can be found here so you can monitor your horse’s temp. From the barn management perspective, using a thermometer is the most accurate way to determine if your horse’s temp is good. Your hand on ears or under a blanket is wildly inaccurate.

Is his exercise routine varied because of the weather? I’m a bit hardcore, I’ll ride when the temps are below 20 to move my horse around. But if we can’t get to the barn or we don’t want to ride in fluctuating weather (I know the wind + silly young horse struggle is real), your horse’s mobility will go down. Like being in a barn longer than usual to avoid weather, this decreased exercise can affect his gut and digestive system.

On the flip side, a warm spell while he still has a furry coat can also create overheating and colic risk factor problems. Just because you can finally ride in a t-shirt doesn’t mean your winter-coated horse will be enjoying the warm temps. An unclipped horse in the winter has a great chance of overheating, so on warmer days, double up on hydration checks, and keep him cool.

Diet

And what about his diet? It’s very tempting if the weather changes to add more of his concentrated foods, or maybe give him a bran mash. Any change to your horse’s diet, regardless of the weather, can impact his gut mobility and health. So keep things on track as they usually are. If you need to add some forage to help him stay warm, be sure it’s the same type he usually gets! This article here details my dislike of wheat bran mashes and why you shouldn’t just feed them to your horse. It’s a complete myth that bran mashes have more fiber than forage. Hay is about 30% fiber, bran mash is about 10%. From the barn management perspective, no diet changes keep the GI system happier!

The thermometer is always your friend.

We can’t prove that weather causes colic, but we can certainly say that horse management changes during weather changes may lead to colic.

At any rate, keep paying attention and being smart about monitoring your horse’s vital signs and water intake. If you want to learn more about colic and what to tell your vet, read this gem!

Stock up here for your horse supplies! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, but it’s ZERO extra cents to you. You can also visit my Amazon storefront here: PEG storefront.

Concise Guide to Colic in the Horse BOOK

$19.90