Colic: A preventable and potentially fatal condition

Colic is simply another word for abdominal pain, but in horses, this can be a sign that something is seriously wrong with a horses digestive system. Horse’s digestive systems are fragile with many areas that can cause the horses pain and can even turn fatal for the horses. 

There are many different types of colic in horses as well as many different causes. The major types include impaction, displacement, and torsion. Impaction involves food or sand getting stuck and packed into the intestines. This can cause severe pain and inability to pass fecal matter. Displacement involves part of the intestines get trapped around other internal organs which can cut off blood supply to the intestine or the other organs as well as trapping food or fecal matter and stopping the function of the other organs. Torsion is when the intestines wrap around themselves and can end up cutting off blood supply as well as the ability to pass food through. Many of these require surgery to fix and may be fatal to the horse without immediate intervention. 

Causes of colic can be wide ranging from things as innocuous as weather change, to changing diet, stress, worms, injury, or even drinking too much water. As the weather starts to cool, several issues can arise to make colic far more likely. First, just the weather change can cause horses to stress enough to cause colic. If your horse is prone to this, establish a routine and if possible, bring the horse into a stall at night to keep his temperature more even. As the weather gets cooler, horses tend to want to eat more and feel the need to drink less. This is the perfect storm of changes in diet to cause an impaction colic. The extra forage, especially in the short period of time, will collect in the gut and the lack of water will slow digestion down so that the food will become stuck. 

Another major cause is diet change. If you need to change your horse’s diet, there are several things to keep in mind. As the diet changes, the horse’s digestive tract needs time to get used to the new food and digesting a different volume of food. Especially when increasing grain, the tract needs time to adjust to the larger amount of simple carbohydrates. When changing a diet, its is important to make sure the horse has plenty of water and that the diet changes slowly. 

Other important ways to prevent colic include:

• Keeping your horse on a regular worming schedule
• Regular feeding schedule with more feedings rather than fewer
• Making sure horses cannot eat too quickly 
• Regular dental care and veterinary care
• High fiber in the diet especially in places where sand colic is an issue

If you see your horse behaving outside of his normal behaviors, it may be a sign of colic.

Signs of Colic include:

• Pawing and/or scraping
• Stretching
• Frequent attempts to urinate
• Flank watching: turning of the head to watch the stomach and/or hind quarters
• Biting/nipping the stomach
• Pacing
• Repeated flehmen response
• Repeated lying down and rising
• Rolling
• Groaning
• Excess salivation
• Loss of appetite
• Decreased fecal output
• Increased pulse rate
• Dark mucous membranes

If you think your horse is colicing, he needs to be watched carefully. Horses should not be allowed to roll if at all possible. Rolling can be the cause of the torsion and displacement types of colics which can lead to major surgery. Depending on the severity of pain, banamine should be administered orally or intravenously, never intramuscularly. If after given banamine, the horse does not improve, your vet should be called. Walking the horse may help get the digestive tract moving, but you should never force a horse to walk. Too much walking may cause a horse to further injure himself from stretching at the wrong time or from exhaustion. Water can be provided to the horse, but food should not be offered as more forage can exacerbate the problem. Other treatment methods should only be done by experienced personnel and preferably by a vet or with vet supervision. 

The best way to treat colic is through prevention. Prevention is best achieved by knowing your horse, his personality, his eating habits, and keeping up with his general heath care. The better you know your horse, the more likely you are to see the signs of colic before it becomes life threatening. If you see any behavior from you horse that is not normal, you can always call your vet and ask for their opinion before having them come out to your barn or bringing your horse to them. 

Jack’s Gulch: Horse camping for beginners

Ever wanted to take your horses camping but are not able to train your horse to hobble or high-line? Jack’s Gulch is the perfect place for you!

Located off of Pingree Park road, Jack’s Gulch has 5 camping sites with horse stalls attached. The stalls are metal pipe fencing, 6’ tall and 12’ by 12’ so there is plenty of room for the horses to wander around. The campsites will fit a horse trailer or camper as well as a tent. There are plenty of trees around to provide the horses shelter and shade. This is a beautiful site and provides access to the Comanche Peak Wilderness and many miles of trails to explore. For the adventurous rider, there is even an old plane wreck near one of the trails that takes a bit of searching to find. 

While this type of camping with horses is far less intensive than backcountry camping, riders still need to be prepared and make sure to bring important supplies for taking care of their horses. The follow list is not a complete list, but is the bare minimum you will need to bring.

Things to bring include:

• Weed-free hay (if possible start feeding this several days before the trip)
• Grain and other treats
• Water (for both people and horses)
• Horses often prefer water from home
• Water is not always available at the campsites
• You may also want to bring flavored electrolytes to help horses drink
• Buckets
• Hay net
• Manure fork 
• Muck bucket
• Other trail riding supplies (see trail riding articles)
• Other camping supplies

There are miles of trails accessible from the Jack’s Gulch campground. Riders should watch signage within the campground as they do not want horses off the trails or in the group camping area. Trails from Jack’s Gulch include Little Beaver Creek and Fish Creek which connect through other trails to make a great loop ride. The Poudre Wilderness Volunteers have a great map of the trails available in this area. 

Also keep in mind:

Some of this area was affected by the High Park Fire, so there may be unseen hazards and downed trees that riders need to watch out for.

This area is in the mountains where the weather can change quickly, it gets very cold at night and there are wild animals around. Riders should be prepared for these conditions and be willing to change plans. 

See these sites for more info on camping at Jack’s Gulch and how to reserve a spot.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=36677

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=36675

Happy trails!

Hewlett Gulch: Nature recovers quickly

Just a short drive up the poudre canyon, Hewlett Gulch offers a great chance to explore the areas affected by the fires this summer. The Hewlett Gulch area was affected by both the Hewlett Gulch fire and the High Park fire and may have downed trees or other hazards that riders need to watch out for. The pictures accompanying this article are from a trail ride through the area several years ago.

Just 11 miles up the canyon from Ted’s Place, the turn off for Hewlett Gulch is on the right over a narrow bridge. This turn can be tricky for longer horse trailers, so drivers need to plan ahead and drive carefully. The parking lot is not large and may be difficult for larger vehicles to use especially during high use times such as weekends or holidays. There is no designated trailer parking, so be courteous and park so that others can use the parking area as well. 

For the difficulty in getting there, riders are hugely rewarded. The trail heads northwest following an old road bed and creek. In this area there are remains of old homesteads from the Poudre Park settlement in the early 1900s. The trail crosses the creek several times then heads up west up the hill. The official trail at the private property fence, but trail users still use the area past this point. In fact, if you get permission from the private property owners, riders can continue to ride all the way into the deer meadows or glacier view areas. This ride will take most of the day, so riders should plan ahead to have their trailers meet them at the other end of the ride. 

The trail takes riders through narrow canyons, up steep hills, and through beautiful open  meadows. The views and terrain are beautiful and rewarding. The pictures are from a ride in 2007, so the vegetation will look very different. This ride though is a great chance for riders to see how fire affects the land and to watch as nature, the unstoppable force, reclaims the land. Already in the fire area grass and bushes are growing back and by next summer there will be small stands of aspen and sapling pine trees starting to sprout. Riders should use caution, especially if riding off trail, as the land may be unstable in places where the fire burned hot or completely burned the roots of the trees out of the ground.  

Happy Trails!

Soapstone Prairie Natural Area

Located just 20 miles north of Fort Collins, Soapstone Prairie offers hours of riding, many trails to explore through mostly unspoiled prairie. While there are many trails in the area, riders need to observe signage as many of the trails do not allow horses. The horse trails are accessible from the south parking lot, which can be accessed by turning left after the entrance station. The entrance station is there to provide information, there is no access fee. The south parking lot has ample room for horse trailers with pull through spots, a mounting area and hitching posts. From the parking lot, riders have several options. 

At the west end of the parking lot, the Cheyenne Rim trail leads northwest and connects into the Red Mountain Open Space. This trail will take riders into Red Mountain, then into Wyoming for a long day ride. Red Mountain is a beautiful area to ride in and in this area riders have several options to loop back to Soapstone Prairie. While this trail does connect to the Canyon Trail, riders are not allowed on the Canyon Trail and should read signage. 

The other horse trails are accessible from the entrance station. Riders should ride back to the main road (Rawhide Flats Road) then continue Northeast on the Pronghorn Loop. There are several available loops from this trailhead. The pronghorn loop is about 8 miles and will be a 2-4 hour ride. 

For a longer loop, riders can connect to the Plover trail, although it is closed from Apr. 1 through July 15. The Plover trail connects to the Sand Wash trail and back into the Pronghorn Loop. Riders should be cautious when taking trails as the Plover trail and Sand Wash trail connect into trails that are not open to horses. 

Rider should be vigilant for rattlesnakes and other wildlife while out on the trail. These areas are also used for stock grazing and riders should give stock and ranch workers plenty of space. Also, because this is a wildlife preserve, no dogs are allowed even leashed or in cars. 

Happy trails!

Elkhorn Creek

A fairly new (opened 2010) recreation area, Elkhorn offers a wide variety of terrain and trails to explore for any level of trail rider. The roomy parking lot provides ample room for horse trailers and pull through parking spots and a separate hitching post make this parking lot ideal for riders. 

The trail heads out from the west side of the parking lot through a fairly easy to open gate. Following the trail through beautiful open stands of pine and aspen, riders are quickly presented with several easy creek crossings before the trail opens into a grassy meadow. In the meadow riders can explore and find an old homesteader cabin. From this meadow, riders have several options and may have to do a bit of off trail exploring to find the areas they want to explore.

From the meadow, riders can follow the creek south following an intermittent trail that leads to an large open meadow with beautiful views of the Never Summer and Mummy Mountain ranges near Rocky Mountain National Park. From this meadow, if you turn north-northwest through part of the meadow, riders can connect with an an old access road. Following this road, through several gates, riders can connect to the Molly Lake and Lady Moon trail systems. Currently, the Lady Moon area is closed and riders may see forest service workers clearing hazard trees and doing other maintenance. Past the Lady Moon trail, the access road continues through open forest areas and eventually connects to the Molly Lake trail. 

Following the signs to the right, a quarter mile trail through a stand of aspen trees leads to Molly Lake. Following the trail around to the north side of the lake offers a beautiful view of the lake and meadow and offers a great chance to let the horses rest and grab a picnic lunch. 

From the lake there are several trails riders can take around the area but they should use caution as there is some private property in the area including the area around Lady Moon Lake. If riders return on Molly Lake trail and follow the old access road, they can connect to the disappointment falls trail that leads back to the Elkhorn Creek trailhead. 

Following the old access road, riders will go through several gates, but need to turn right at the gate with a trail leading east at the gate. On the other side of this gate, there is another forest access road and the trail should be fairly easy to spot. This trail leads through some meadows and trees and does have some tight and muddy spots and may be more challenging for beginner riders or horses. 

For their efforts, riders are offered beautiful views of Rocky Mountain National Park and glimpses of the Shambala Mountain Shrine.  This trail connects to the north side of the meadow with with the cabin and reconnects with the trail back to the trailhead. 

With many other trail options and acres of backcountry to explore off the trail, this new trail area is a place to explore over and over. 

Reservoir Ridge: Wildlife, rocks, and views

One of the smaller natural areas in the Fort Collins area, Reservoir Ridge is just north of the city and west of Overland Trail. Paths in this natural area make for a great short ride or can connect you with miles of trails in the other natural areas around Fort Collins.

Following Overland Trail north from Fort Collins, the road bends sharply to the left, then sharply right and continues into LaPorte. To get to the parking lot, drivers should continue straight when Overland turns right and follow Michaud Lane. The road dead-ends at the parking lot after a narrow bridge. Trailers should parallel park at the fence on the right of the lot. Cars should continue into diagonal parking on the left side. Parking is limited, so be courteous and use all available trailer space. If the lot is full, you will have to ride at another time.

The trail leaves from the south end of the parking lot and continues through an open meadow. Even through the meadow, the trail is rocky and fairly narrow. Horses should be equipped with shoes and riders should be vigilant for signs of lameness in their horses. The rocks and low grass are also ideal habitat for rattlesnakes, so use caution and carry a snakebite kit.

As the trail starts to climb, riders meet their first option. To the right, the trail climbs the hill and does a long, wide loop back to this junction. To the left, following the Foothills Trail, riders will have several more options for routes to take. About a quarter mile up the trail from this junction, another option is available; it goes straight over the ridge and connects back to the loop trail or to a parking lot on County Road 23.

The Foothills Trail continues south over some rough terrain with some large rocks for horses to climb over. If riders continue on the Foothills Trail, they will walk though an open gate and make the final choice to stay in this natural area or continue through the foothills. If riders take a right turn, they will reconnect with the other trail options and can make shorter or longer loops back to the parking lot. This option takes riders though some nice meadow areas and gives views of both Fort Collins and Horsetooth Reservoir. Taking the Foothills Trail, riders can connect into Maxwell and Pineridge natural areas and extend their ride for several hours.

Reservoir Ridge's largest loop takes about 1.5 hours and makes a nice evening ride.

The trails in this area are challenging, with many rocks, tight spots and other trail users. Riders need to watch for mountain bikers, hikers, dogs and wildlife while out riding on this trail. For the effort, riders are treated to views of the city, the reservoir, the Bellevue area and the foothills.

Lory State Park

Just a short drive north west of town is one of the best places in Northern Colorado to ride. Lory State Park has a wide variety of trails for horseback riders ranging in difficulty level from beginner to advanced. 

There are several places to park each with their own options for trails. After stopping at the visitor center to purchase a day pass, follow the main road through the park. The first left leads to the first parking lot with trail access. There are two trails you can access from this lot, both head south on either side of the valley and reconnect at the south parking lot.

The next parking on the main road is on the left and connects to the east valley trail as well as beach access. The east valley trail has some bridges that can be challenging for horses new to trail riding. They are wooden bridges, fairly narrow without sides, while most bridges on the trails are short, one on this trail is fairly long and winding and provides a great schooling opportunity. This trail is also great for conditioning for eventing or endurance riding as the trails are long and have a variety of terrain. 

Just before the road ends, there is a large trailer parking area on the left.  This parking lot gives you access to all the trails. The east and west valley trails meet at this parking lot and continue into the next valley. Following those trails into the next valley also gives riders access to the cross country course. The jumps are being worked on the the CSU english riding team, but not all of the jumps have had recent maintenance. When schooling, walk around and inspect the jumps and take off and landing areas as they may be holes, loose boards, nails, or other hazards. The east and west valley trails connect at the south end of the park and make a nice loop. From the end of this loop, riders can continue into the Horsetooth park open space. 

From the east valley trail, another trail branches to the left and heads down to Horsetooth Reservoir. This trail gets steep and rocky and can be hard to follow, but there are several beaches and reservoir access. There is also a short branch from that trail that follows the ridge line and gives beautiful views of the park. 

From the west valley trail, a trail branches off and heads west. This trail heads into the backcountry of the park. This trail is steep and rocky and for more advanced riders. There are several branches off this trail that can connect back to the west valley trail or into Horsetooth park. 

Lory State Park is also part of a trail system that connects to Devil’s Backbone Open Space though Horsetooth park. This trail can also be a great all day ride. 

Lory State Park offers year long passes so riders can feel free to explore all the trails this park has to offer. 

Happy Trails!