Re: [RC] colic at rides LONG--part 1 - Heidi Smith
This got rejected due to length, so I'll split it
up and send it again.... Three parts....
Heidi
>There are very very few horses in AERC rides that
actually have metabolic failure resulting in death. i.e. the classic
'ridden to death' - this just doesn't generally happen in this sport any more.
Most
of the fatalities are euthanizations due to colic (inoperable, or declining
surgery)
<snip>
>Can we predict or prevent horses colicing? Do we have
any idea why they colic? (impaction? gas? jiggled intestines??)
This question has me wondering...
I don't want to
pick on Steph here, because I think she is a knowledgeable, capable, and caring
rider. But I read the first statement above and said to myself, "Oh, wow,
we've missed the boat here somehow in the education
process..."
First off, a
general statement about colic. All that colic means is belly pain.
There can be innumerable types and causes of colics. They can range from
mild nuisances (gas colic) to lethal situations (endotoxemia, etc.). Some
colics are surgical if caught in time. Some are
not.
When we talk
about deaths of competing horses due to colic, we really don't know what the
score is unless we do a necropsy. Some colics are caused by pre-existing
conditions. But we are fooling ourselves if we think that some of these
horses are not "ridden to death." They are! And we can't separate
out which are which without investigation, which includes
necropsy.
Let me give a few
examples of colics that are NOT due to overriding. 1) Pedunculated
lipomas--these are fatty tumors on stalks that can wrap around an intestine and
strangulate it. Usually in older horses--but then we ride an
older-than-average group in this sport, compared to other sports. Have
seen one colic death at a ride due to one of these, and have heard of
others. 2) Enteroliths--stones in the intestinal tract. These
can go along without symptoms, but when they are sufficiently large, they can
shift a bit and cause a blockage that is an out-and-out emergency. May be
operable if caught in time--but they can happen at home just as easily as at a
ride. 3) Various sorts of abscesses, tumors (including melanomas),
etc.--these can rupture or shed and cause colics--usually not very successfully
treated, and again, can happen at home just as easily as at the ride.
4) Various infections and bowel irritations--these generally cause
diarrhea as well, and can range from mildly irritating to
deadly. Obviously being asked to work will exacerbate these
conditions--but if the horse is just beginning to break with one of these
problems, one can hardly pin it on overriding. 5) Aneurysms--often
quickly fatal, but can be slow leaks that can cause colic first. Again,
pre-existing, and not the fault of the rider on a given day. 6)
Ulcers--usually not fatal colics, unless they rupture--but if the ulcer is near
perforation, again, one can't blame it on overriding. There are others,
but those are the main ones that come to mind.
