03/09/2026
With lots of dead grass and now green shoots coming up many horses will be grazing close to the ground. Unfortunately, due to the high amount of sandy soil in our area, we see a number of colic cases associated with consuming sand.
Like other colic cases its important to REACT when you see any of the following symptoms:
Restlessness and Agitation.
Eating Less or Reduced droppings.
Abdominal Pain.
Clinical Changes.
Tired or Lethargic.
It can be difficult to tell the cause of colic from symptoms alone as many causes of colic share symptoms. Horses with sand build up may also suffer from repeat bouts of mild colic and loose faeces or faecal water due to irritation of the gut lining.
Sand build up can be confirmed by allowing a faecal sample to settle out in a plastic glove as shown in the picture, revealing if sand is present in the digestive system, however, to measure how much sand is present we need to take abdominal radiographs- the sand shows up as a bright area in the guts.
Whilst some horses with large sand deposits may require surgery to empty the gut, treatment and prevention of sand colic usually involves feeding psyllium husk and providing supplemental hay in the field to avoid grazing close to the ground.
Radiograph photo from- Entwisle, IG., Byrne, DP., Lester, GD. and McConnell, EJ., Radiographic area of large intestinal sand accumulation in horses may determine clinical significance. Aust Vet J. 2025; 103: 890–893. https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.70007
