Re: RC: beetpulp/colic Texas IMO

[Darolyn Butler <darolyn@swbell.net>]

HI Gwen & Ride Camp,
Gwen e mailed me privately wondering if 12 to 36 colics in a year wasn't
an inordinate numer.  First ... 36 would be four colics per month...
hopefully I never average that per month... but let me just share these
thoughts with everyone.....Consider this... do you actually catch all
your mild colics.  Many times horses colic just a bit & for 15 to 30
minutes.  If you don't happen to be observing them at that short time...
U may not be aware it ever happened.  I have the unique situation of
living in an elevated house right in  the middle of my ten acre place.
I can see every horse but 3 from my bedroom window & those 3 from the
other side of the house.  We ride off & on all day long,... (I do
adventure trail rides--- rental horses)  BTW... with my top endurance
horses, my prospects/in training & my retirees)  everyone works on our
place.   Anyway, besides my watchful eagle eye from above, there is a
lot of constant contact from the ground level.  Since I have pulled back
from my other video production career/job & am constantly here... I too,
am amazed at the quick/mild little colics that occur.  I know most of
them would cure themselves without my intervention... but don't know
which ones, so I always try to nip it in the bud with the first slight
signs I see.  Off feed, lying down alot, the typical rolling & looking
at the tummy.  In addition to the pro-bi I mentioned earlier, I also use
a magnetic roller to roll their tummys, & I have been known to jump them
over logs to rattle those gas pockets loose.  That's worked more than
once.  If I just can't keep them up, that's time to use the banamine/or
other pain killers, and/or be ready to haul to or call the vet.  You
really don't want to mess around with a serious colic!!!!  The rub is
knowing the difference.

Colic caused by competitive dehydration is incredibly more serious than
a barometric or slightly different hay colic....  They can rarely turn
themselves around without heroic fluid adminstration in that type of
colic... so don't confuse them at all or think that I am minimizing
that.  I've had people come and train on our trails on unconditioned
horses, in  heat, humidity, & deep sandy trails whose horses just
weren't ready for that.  They've ended up with a stress colic in just a
couple of hours or 5 to 15 miles of riding.  That's serious.... and not
to be treated lightly.

Something else that has occured to me regarding colic & I wud b
interested in hearing a vet opinion on this...  I think there are
occasional times when I'm competing that I can feel my horse back off...
want to walk awhile... look sour... unhappy... pretty yucky.  No matter
where I am in the race, (meaning place OR mileage)... I bow to her/his
request to walk for a few minutes.  I honestly think they may have an
nagging gas bubble making them feel just a bit uncomfortable.  When they
feel like trotting again... they usually pick up themselves.... & the
moment passes..  I think if I continued to push at this time... it might
push them over the edge.... Yet I don't think its necessary to pull
unless they don't come back around in a few minutes.  Just learn to
listen to your horse... know them well enough that U can tell the
difference between weary, gold bricking, or really uncomfortable.  They
will tell U.... just listen.
djb



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