What am I doing wrong???

Major coliced again today....makes the 3rd time this year. So can someone help me out plzzzz? I must be doing something wrong!!!! Major gets 1 scoop of feed in morning and in evening, free choice hay and about a half an apple a day. Any help would be appreciated!!!

Some horses just colic easier. My horse, knock on all the wood in the world, hasn't colicked in her 17 years of life, but I know of four horses that were put down because of it. Has your vet been out? Is there anything he/she noticed? I would definitely ask him because you will probably get more information that way.

All I can say is maybe free choice hay isn't the way to go with him? If you're able to feed him otherwise, just see how he handles it. Is his water too cold? Is he not cooled down enough after he's worked? What kind of colic is it? I'm not sure about this so don't try it until you get a go-ahead from someone else, but maybe adding some mineral oil to his diet? All I can say is try and control his diet more. I'm sorry this is happening so often, and thank god he keeps pulling through. Good luck!

We have one that colic's at the drop of a hat.

One thing we did discover is that our well water wasn't very good. Are you on a well? If so have the water tested.

Secondly, when you say one scoop of feed, what is the feed and how much does a scoop weigh.

Another thing is regular exercise, this is so important. If the horse is confined to a paddock they need to get daily exercise. In the wild they will cover many miles a day and the movement does help keep things moving.

Have you done a fecal count? Have you have him checked for ulcers?
What type of colic's is he having? How many gallons of water is he drinking per day? What do you do when you notice a day he doesn't drink too much? If you clean his stall or paddock do you notice ANY change in the manure, drier or less of it?

Good job with the free choice hay. Typically, horses who are fed free choice hay have a much lower chance of colicking. Is your horse on a regular deworming schedule? Worms can be a major cause of colic. Also, have you had the vet out when he colics? Do you know what kind of colic it is?

Probiotics can typically help quite a bit. I have a horse that used to weather colic all the time and putting him on probiotics has made a world of difference. I use equisupps.com (think smart pak but cheaper) but you can really get them anywhere. Good luck!

I noticed in your barn that you said his favorite foods are apples and sweet feed. Both are loaded with sugar. Sugar irritates ulcers big time. First thing I would do is transition him off any sweet feed. Its the same old song from a different user...but I'd go with a ration balancer. Other than that the only thing I can add from the other posts is make sure he's not fed on sand.

HEY you stole my post!!!

To the OP if you aren't sure about what you can get in your area post or PM me your zip and let's see what we can find...

Free choice hay is a must ... alittle alfalfa is said to sooth ulcer pain and remove as much sugar and starches as you can from the diet

With him the hay is necessary. We are reseeding the pasture atm and all he gets is feed and grain. He is on 10% sweet feed...he gets a coffee can full (one of the red plastic folgers cans) and he gets 2 of those a day. For the first 8 months or so that I had him I was feeding 4 of those a day....so that's been cut down considerably. He is in a paddock with 3 other horses and a jenny, so I have never monitored his water intake. He looks healthy though. The water is well water. IDK if he has worms or not...but I wormed him 2 months ago. There is no sand where he lives...but I do give him hay on the ground....IDK if that matters or not. Excersise...he for sure hasnt been getting enough of it lately...ive been trying to focus on being able to get in the saddle while he stands (not a lot of movement required...preferably non lol). Maybe I need to exercise him in the morning and work on getting on in evening? Is probiotics safe and side effect free?

I think I should mention the first two times that happened it only took a little walking to get him past it. This time the symptoms where a lot worse and he had to have bute. One minute he was in the barn wanting to be petted...the next minute he is pooring sweat and not letting me near him (he's usually happy to see me coming). IDK if its important but he normally has a lot of gas (he farts a lot).

Is it sandy in your area? Could he have sand in his gut?