My horse is prone to colic, and often gets attacks over the winter- how can I help him if he has to be confined?

Q:           My horse is prone to colic, and often gets attacks over the winter- how can I help him if he has to be confined? A:            Horses that are on box rest due to injury or weather are more prone to digestive issues, commonly impaction colic. To help to reduce the risk of this, increase your horses hydration by providing them with clean, fresh water at all times (warm water is shown to help increase drinking when the weather is cold!). Give your horse a rock salt lick in their stable, and add table salt or electrolytes to their feed to encourage drinking. Feeding soaked hay and soaked feeds will also help your horse to stay hydrated. As mentioned above, reduce hard feed and provide ad-lib hay or haylage to help keep the digestive tract moving. In addition to this, those with colic worries are wise to add BioPro to their horses feed during and after periods of confinement. This provides your horse with probiotics- the good bacteria needed by the hind gut to digest fibre, and maintain a healthy digestive system, and prebiotics, which are not used by the horse, but feed these good bacteria, helping to maintain the right balance of gut flora in your horse. BioPro is a pre and probiotic containing high levels of both Yea-Sacc1026 and FOS, which support the beneficial micro-organisms within the horse's gut.  See page