What Are the Signs of Colic in a Horse?
Colic is one of the most important conditions every horse owner should know how to recognize.
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By Michel Scavuzzo, Founder, PetCompanionAI
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Quick answer
When it comes to colic, knowing your horse’s normal behavior isn’t just good horsemanship.
This is educational context, not a diagnosis. Read the full explanation and sources below.
The word colic doesn’t describe one specific disease. It refers to abdominal pain, and that pain can have many different causes. Some cases are relatively mild, while others can become life-threatening and require urgent treatment.
Because you cannot determine the seriousness of colic simply by watching a horse, recognizing the early signs matters.
Common Signs of Colic in Horses
A horse experiencing colic may show one or several of these signs:
- Pawing repeatedly at the ground
- Looking or turning toward the belly or flank
- Kicking or biting at the abdomen
- Lying down more than usual
- Repeatedly lying down and getting back up
- Rolling or attempting to roll
- Stretching as though trying to urinate
- Reduced interest in food
- Refusing food completely
- Producing less manure than usual or no manure
- Changes in manure consistency
- Sweating without an obvious reason
- Restlessness or repeatedly changing position
- Standing unusually stretched out
- Appearing depressed, quiet, or withdrawn
- Increased breathing or heart rate
Not every horse with colic will show dramatic symptoms.
Sometimes the earliest sign is simply that your horse isn’t acting like your horse.
Mild Colic Can Be Easy to Miss
Colic doesn’t always begin with a horse violently rolling on the ground.
A horse with abdominal discomfort may simply stop eating, become unusually quiet, look at their side occasionally, or lie down at an unusual time.
This is why knowing your horse’s normal behavior is so important.
If your horse normally finishes every meal immediately but suddenly walks away from the feed bucket, pay attention.
If your horse normally greets you but is suddenly standing alone and uninterested in their surroundings, investigate further.
Small behavioral changes can matter.
Severe Signs of Colic
More intense abdominal pain may cause a horse to become extremely restless.
The horse may repeatedly go down, roll violently, throw itself onto the ground, sweat heavily, or seem unable to find a comfortable position.
A horse behaving this way can also injure itself or the people around it.
Severe or persistent signs of colic require immediate veterinary attention.
Check for Manure
Knowing your horse’s normal manure production gives you another useful clue.
A horse producing substantially less manure than normal—or none at all—may have a gastrointestinal problem.
However, passing manure does not automatically mean the horse doesn’t have colic. Material already farther along in the digestive tract can still pass even when a problem exists elsewhere.
Manure is one piece of information, not a definitive test.
Check Your Horse’s Vital Signs
Every horse owner should consider learning how to safely measure their horse’s basic vital signs before an emergency occurs.
Knowing your horse’s normal temperature, pulse, and respiratory rate gives you something to compare against when the horse appears unwell.
If you suspect colic, your veterinarian may ask about these measurements as well as the horse’s behavior, appetite, manure production, and when symptoms began.
If you cannot safely obtain a measurement, don’t put yourself in danger trying.
What Should You Do If You Think Your Horse Has Colic?
Contact your veterinarian promptly.
Describe exactly what you’re seeing and follow their instructions.
Until you receive veterinary guidance, avoid giving medications or treatments simply because they worked for another horse previously. Different causes of abdominal pain can require very different treatment.
If the horse is violently rolling or behaving unpredictably, prioritize human safety.
Walking is sometimes recommended in particular circumstances, but a horse should not automatically be walked continuously or exhausted. Follow your veterinarian’s instructions for the individual situation.
Why Horses Get Colic
There are many potential causes of abdominal pain in horses.
Problems can involve gas, changes in intestinal movement, impactions, displacement or twisting of portions of the intestine, inflammation, parasites, sand accumulation, dietary changes, and other gastrointestinal conditions.
That wide range of possibilities is exactly why “colic” should never be treated as one single condition.
You can recognize the signs.
Determining what is causing them is another matter.
Know Your Horse Before There’s an Emergency
One of the best preparations for colic happens long before your horse ever experiences it.
Know what is normal.
Know how much your horse normally eats and drinks.
Know what their manure normally looks like and approximately how much they produce.
Know their normal behavior.
Know their normal vital signs.
Keep your veterinarian’s contact information somewhere immediately accessible, along with emergency transportation options if your horse ever needs referral to an equine hospital.
Don’t Wait for Dramatic Symptoms
You don’t need to wait until a horse is violently rolling before taking possible colic seriously.
A horse that suddenly stops eating, repeatedly looks at its abdomen, paws, lies down unusually, produces substantially less manure, or simply behaves very differently from normal may already be telling you something is wrong.
The earlier you recognize that message, the sooner you can respond.
When it comes to colic, knowing your horse’s normal behavior isn’t just good horsemanship.
It can help you recognize when your horse needs help.