Over 90 per cent of horse owners do not feel confident in spotting the early signs of colic.

New research sheds light on deadly condition

A new campaign to help horse owners combat the life-threatening condition of colic has been launched by the British Horse Society (BHS) in conjunction with the University of Nottingham.

The ‘REACT Now to Beat Colic’ campaign aims to educate horse owners about the wide range of issues relating to colic, in particular identifying the more subtle, early signs of the illness.

To help horse owners prepare for colic, the institutions have produced a comprehensive library of new resources, including an educational video.

They have also put together a simple acronym, REACT, which aims to help horse owners spot the early signs of the condition.

R - Restless or agitated
E - Eating less of dropping reduced
A - Abdominal pain
C - Clinical changes
T - Tired or lethargic

“We know how daunting colic can be for horse owners, and a lot of people don’t know how to spot its early signs,” said Emmeline Hannelly, BHS welfare education officer. “The guides will support horse owners in dealing with colic; from its prevention to the worst case scenario of emergency decision making,”

According to a study by the University of Nottingham, over 90 per cent of horse owners do not feel confident in spotting the early signs of colic.

The research, revealed yesterday at the BHS’ 2016 welfare conference, also found that colic accounts for one in three emergency veterinary call outs to horses.  At least one in ten of these cases may be critical, and up to 80 per cent of these critical cases result in death or the horse being euthanised.

Professor Sarah Freeman, from The University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, said: “For the past five years we have been conducting systematic reviews of the evidence on risk factors for colic as well as different diagnostic tests.

“We have also generated new evidence on what happens when vets first see horses with colic and have run surveys, workshops and consensus voting to ask vets and horse owners about their experiences and opinions of colic. We have identified where more research is needed and generated important new information to inform this campaign.”

Further information and downloadable materials can be downloaded from the BHS website: www.bhs.org.uk/colic