09/05/2026
Every once in a while, I hear an old wives’ tale about treating colic that makes me stop and think, “Well… that’s certainly a new one for me.” 😂
There are a LOT of old school remedies for colic that have been passed down through generations of horse people. Some of the ones I’ve heard include:
• Drawing blood and squirting it into the horse’s mouth
• Walking a colicky horse for hours
• Giving wh***ey or other alcohol
• Pouring oil down the horse’s throat
• Giving to***co or ni****ne
• And, apparently, putting various substances into the re**um 🤦♀️
I never imagined I’d have to say this, but please do not shove anything in your horse’s a**s, including but not limited to onions, soda, electrolyte drinks, or hoses.
Seriously. Please don’t. 😂
While some of these remedies have interesting historical origins, none should replace an appropriate veterinary examination. Colic can be something as simple as gas or as serious as a strangulating intestinal obstruction, and delaying appropriate treatment can have very serious consequences.
And please don’t assume that because something is an old horseman’s remedy, it is necessarily safe or effective. Veterinary medicine has learned a lot since the days of “walk him until he sweats and give him a shot of wh***ey.”
When your horse colics, call your veterinarian. Let’s leave the old wives’ tales in the history books and keep the hoses where they belong. 😂
