Impaction colic is a potential threat for horse owners year round but it is especially so in the cold
winter months.
During cold weather a horse’s metabolic requirement for water will drop. This combined with a
potential reduction in water intake resulting from icy cold and/or frozen water toughs and buckets
can lead to impaction colic.
The risk of impaction colic is exacerbated by the increase in consumption of hay during cold
weather. The heat generated by the fibre fermentation process in the hind gut is an efficient and
natural way for your horse to keep warm during cold weather and so your horse’s hay
requirement will increase. Increased hay intake combined with reduced water intake can very
quickly progress to an impaction colic situation requiring at the very least a vet call and it can
easily result in death for your horse.
What To do
The key to preventing impaction colic is water intake. Because the horse’s requirement for water
will naturally decline in cold weather horse owners need to use other methods to encourage water
intake.
1) provide warm water whenever possible for your horse. At the very least avoid forcing
your horse to drink water out of an ice filled trough. Horses love drinking warm water
and will willingly consume more if it is offered warm.
2) Provide wet feeds for your horse. Feeds that readily absorb water such as beet pulp,
soyhulls and alfalfa cubes are an excellent way to increase your horse’s water intake.
Most horses enjoy wet feeds especially if they are made with warm water.
Buckerfields is pleased to be able offer their customers the ProForm Feeds low NSC product
line consisting of Step 8 Hi Fat 20, ProFibre Crunch and ProFibre FX. All three of these
feeds are uniquely suited to cold weather feeding
Step 8 Hi Fat 20 contains 20% fat from canola oil, providing extra energy in the form of
unsaturated vegetable fat for the increased energy demands that cold weather places on your
horse’s metabolism.
ProFibre Crunch is a low NSC (less than 10%) complete feed containing soyhulls, a highly
digestible fibre source. Fibre digestion is one of the most significant ways your horse can
generate body heat in cold weather
ProFibre FX is an 80% soyhulls 20% beet pulp supplement that is very convenient for adding
water to and feeding warm on those cold winter days. Horses in general love eating it with about
3-4 parts water added to 1 part ProFibre FX. No need to soak ProFibre FX hours ahead of
time…when it is made with warm water generally it is ready to feed in 10 -15 minutes! Add
approximately 0.5-1.0 kg of Step 7 Equine Supplement daily to your mash to make it a
complete ration for your mature horse.
For more information about what to feed during cold weather to keep your horse happy and