horse colic - 24hours timothy pastures

Question
hello, dont horses get struck by colic when they are set loose on fresh lush green timothy pastures for 24 hours? if horses dont get colic, i would like to know the reason. why i am asking is, horses have got small stomach, how can they afford to keep grazing for long hours, how can large amount of grass get digested in their small stomach?

Answer
Hi Rohit,

Thank you for your question.  Horses can potentially suffer from colic on lush pasture, but it generally happens if the horse is introduced too quickly to the pasture.  By taking 7-10 days to slowly introduce them to the pasture (by first limiting their grazing time, and increasing their grazing time every day).  Once accustomed to the grass pasture, their risk of colic is minimized as long as their routine remains consistent.

Horses do have small stomachs...but they also have large cecums, and the cecum is where forages are held and fermented by bacteria.  The stomach's job was to digest soluble nutrients that come largely from grain, before they could reach the cecum.  When a horse eats, food moves from the mouth to the stomach, small intestine, cecum, large colon, small colon and then is pooped out.

I hope that helps.

Thanks, Corlena