The small intestine alone is 60 feet long in your average size horse. Equine Colic can originate from the stomach, the small intestine or the large intestine. The entire digestive network is suspended and nourished by a thin membrane called the mesentery. Any malfunction, displacement, twisting, swelling, infection, or lesion of any part of this complex body system is what we recognize as colic. There seem to be countless situations which can precipitate colic.
Many conditions causing colic become life-threatening in a relatively short period of time.
Because of the organs involved in colic, there are many types of causes of colic. The horse's small, one compartment stomach. The main causes of colic are intestinal distension and reduced blood supply to the intestinal tract. The pressure which results from this lack of passage of material through the digestive system results in a reflex action, which causes adjoining areas to contract in spasm. The primary causes of the abdominal pain is the distention of the stomach or intestines, pain is also produced when the peritoneum is stretched during attacks of colic.