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RE: [RC] returning to competition after colic - Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M.Only my opinion, but I think the answer depends on why the horse colicked in the first place, assuming you have anything close to an inkling of what the initial cause was (and a lot of the time we don't). It also depends on what kind of colic it was (gas, spasmodic, impaction, etc) and whether it was a Sh*t Happens sort of thing which easily resolved with a little banamine and maybe a bit of mineral oil; or if took some IV fluids, a second treatment of oil, etc. I don't think there's a simple answer if treatment was prolonged or required more than one visit from the vet. There are just too many variables involved to make blanket judgements and you should talk with your vet about the individual case. If the colic was secondary to over-riding, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances or heat exhaustion, then once the horse has clinically returned to normal and has had a week or so to recover, then you're okay to start riding again. Do so cautiously and keep an eye out for trouble the first few weeks, just in case there's some weird underlying factor or some residual damage. Obviously, you're also beholden to correct whatever issue caused the problem in the first place, including giving yourself a swift left to the chops if you did something stupid and/or just overrode your horse. If the colic was Just One of Those Things, was resolved quickly with a single simple treatment (which in my mind is some banamine +/- sedation, a fairly unexciting rectal exam showing nothing hugely amiss, a dose of electrolyted water and some oil via nasogastric tube, and the usual aftercare instruction of with holding feed and walking a few minutes every now and then), then I'm fine with the horse starting back to work fairly quickly. I might not send them off to the Kentucky Derby the next day, but if everything seems normal, then I'd rather see the horse out and moving around than standing in one place turning into a lump of clay. One of the best preventative measures against colic is regular exercise, so wrapping the horse in cotton wool and NOT riding is sort of counter - productive to further colic, eh? So...my opinion for you, Cindy, is get back to work. :-) Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, MS -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Cindy Collins Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 6:42 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] returning to competition after colic First, I know there is no "right" answer to this. I'm just curious about other riders' experiences. So, for those of you who have ever had a horse colic during or after a ride AND the horse recovered without surgery or prolonged treatment, how did you decide when to put the horse back to work and back in competition. This assumes the horse's parameters are all normal as are his bowels and he is running around the pasture playing similarly to his previous self. Please don't use this question as a chance to argue or judge, as I said, I know these are only opinions and what worked with individual horses. Cindy =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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