With a horse of your own, the difference between "this can wait" and "call now" can sometimes come down to hours. Colic is the best-known example of this, but it's not the only acute danger. This guide helps you recognize the signals and act in time — diagnosis and treatment always belong with the vet.
What Colic Actually Is
Colic isn't a disease in itself, but an umbrella term for abdominal pain. The causes vary widely: a blockage in the intestine, gas buildup, cramping, sand accumulation, or, in the most serious cases, a twisted gut. Some forms resolve on their own or with light treatment; others are life-threatening within hours.
As an owner, you can't determine the cause in the moment — and you don't need to. Your job is to recognize the signals, judge how serious it is, and call in the vet. See also the glossary entry for colic.
The Signs of Colic
A horse in abdominal pain shows it in recognizable ways. The more of these signs you see at once, and the more intense they are, the greater the urgency:
- Repeatedly lying down and getting up again, or staying down for a long time
- Rolling, sometimes violently, and with legs in the air
- Kicking or biting at its own belly, looking back at the flank
- Pawing the ground, pacing restlessly in the stall
- Refusing to eat, when it normally would
- Little or no manure, or noticeably dry manure
- Sweating without having worked
- A swollen belly
A single sign can be harmless — a horse will sometimes roll out of simple comfort. But the combination of restlessness, not eating, and pain behavior is reason to be alert right away. Not sure? Call the vet and describe what you see; that advice is free and can save you a surgery.
Vital Signs: Your Baseline
To recognize "abnormal," you need to know what's normal. Measure these values on your own horse a few times at rest so you have a reference point. The ranges below are general; they can vary slightly per horse.
| Value | Normal at rest (adult horse) |
|---|---|
| Heart rate/pulse | roughly 28–44 beats per minute |
| Respiration | about 8–16 breaths per minute |
| Temperature | around 37.5–38.5°C |
| Mucous membranes (gums) | pink and moist |
| Capillary refill time | within about 2 seconds |
An elevated heart rate is one of the most useful warning signs: a pulse that stays well above 44–48 at rest often points to pain or fever. Pale, dry, or dark red mucous membranes and a slow refill time (press briefly on the gum, see how quickly the color returns) also belong in your report to the vet. Report the values you measured when you call — they help gauge how quickly someone needs to come.
Other Acute Emergencies
Colic gets the most attention, but there are more situations where delay is harmful. Call immediately if you also see any of the following:
- Sudden, obvious lameness where the horse won't bear weight on a leg, especially with heat or swelling. Could be a fracture, an abscess, or a tendon injury. Don't keep working the horse or "walk it out." See the glossary entry for lameness.
- Laminitis: the horse stands "rocked back" with its weight on its hind legs, moves stiffly and with difficulty, and the hooves feel warm. This is an emergency, not something to watch for a day.
- Bleeding that keeps flowing, or a deep, gaping wound, especially at or in a joint. Apply pressure with a clean cloth until help arrives.
- Choke (an esophageal blockage): coughing, drooling, feed coming out of the nose, stretching of the neck. Take away feed and water and call.
- Respiratory distress: fast, labored, or wheezy breathing, flared nostrils, panic.
- Eye injury: a squeezed-shut, tearing, or cloudy eye. Eye problems worsen quickly.
- Neurological signs: staggering, falling over, uncontrolled pushing against walls, no longer responding.
In all these cases, the rule holds: better to call once too early than once too late.
What to Do While You Wait for the Vet
Your role is to keep the horse safe and calm and not make the situation worse — not to treat it yourself.
- Call the vet first. Describe the behavior, the duration, and the vital signs. Ask what to do until they arrive.
- Take away feed if you suspect colic or choke. Water can usually stay available, unless the vet says otherwise.
- Let a horse with abdominal pain walk calmly if it wants to, but don't force anything and don't force movement if it's exhausted. The old idea that you have to walk a colicking horse for hours to stop it from rolling is outdated — discuss it with the vet.
- Make the surroundings safe: thickly bedded stall or soft footing, sharp edges removed, other horses kept away.
- Don't give painkillers or any other medication on your own initiative. These can mask pain signals and make assessment harder. Only on the vet's instruction.
- Note the time the symptoms started and how they change. That's valuable information.
Preparation Prevents Panic
An emergency goes more smoothly if you've arranged things in advance. A few things that help:
- The phone number of your vet and the on-call evening/weekend service visible in the stable.
- Knowing whether your horse can be transported and how quickly you can arrange a trailer — colic surgery happens at a clinic.
- An arrangement with stable mates or neighbors about who can help or keep an eye on the horse if you can't.
- Insight into your insurance: surgery for a twisted gut can easily run into several thousand euros. Check in advance what your policy covers.
In Short
Learn your own horse's normal vital signs so deviations stand out. Treat restlessness combined with not eating and pain behavior as colic until proven otherwise, and call whenever in doubt. Treat acute lameness, respiratory distress, eye injury, and neurological signs just as seriously. Your most important action is almost always the same: call the vet in time and keep the horse safe in the meantime. For exact values, borderline cases, and emergencies, the vet is the only correct source.
See also: How Much Time Owning a Horse Takes per Day · Which Insurance Policies You Need · Glossary terms