Colder Weather? Reduce Colic Risk With Smarter Fiber This Winter

As temperatures drop, many horses decide that drinking water is “optional.” Unfortunately, their digestive tract disagrees. Winter is the prime season for impaction colic — the kind caused by dry feed, low water intake, and those stubborn clumps of hay fiber that decide to set up camp in the hindgut.

But don’t panic. With the right combination of hydration, soluble fiber, and good management, you can dramatically reduce the risk. And yes — Cowboy’s Choice Feeds were designed with this exact problem in mind.

Why Winter = Higher Colic Risk? When it’s cold, horses naturally drink less.
Less water + dry hay + long-stem indigestible fiber = recipe for impaction colic

This is why winter nutrition needs to focus on:

• Keeping the gut hydrated
• Reducing the amount of unusable fiber
• Increasing soluble (easier-to-digest) fiber
• Supporting a healthy hindgut microbiome

Why Cowboy’s Choice Feeds Help Prevent Winter Colic

Cowboy Complete Pellets are:
60% alfalfa
18% almond hulls
12% beet pulp
Cowboy Complete functions as a hay replacer with extremely digestible fiber,
low starch (1%) and low NSC (11.2%), ideal also for metabolically challenged horses.

Cowboy Red Pellets, alfalfa-free are made of: 
45% almond hulls
30% beet pulp
25% rice bran

Both feeds deliver soluble fiber that absorbs water, is more absorbable and forms a soft gel-like texture in the gut to keep gut content moving. In other words, soluble fiber is your horse’s winter gut insurance policy. Soluble fiber helps reduce impaction risk by keeping the gut hydrated and moving. 

Almond hulls in particular:

• Are highly digestible fiber
• Act as natural prebiotics
• Are rich in antioxidants, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K
• Are gentle on the hindgut

Hydration Tip:
Add 1–2 tablespoons of loose salt daily per 1,000 pound horse. Warm water also encourages drinking.

Why Cowboy’s Choice Feeds Make Winter Feeding Safer

1. Less dry hay = less risk
2. Prebiotic action keeps the hindgut happy
3. Dust-free pellets support respiratory comfort
4. Excellent for seniors and metabolic horses

“How to reduce the risk for impaction colic”

• Add salt daily
• Soak feed into a warm mash
• Reduce undigestible hay burden by using Cowboy Complete
• For performance horses, add Cowboy Red
• Provide warm water frequently
• Introduce changes gradually

References
1. Basic equine colic pathophysiology
2. Almond hull digestibility and TDN values (Takeoka et al. 2003)
3. Clutter & Rodiek (1992): Almond hulls safe up to 45% of diet
4. Hansen et al. (2020): Low insulin response to almond hulls
5. Cowboy’s Choice Product Training Manual, 2025
6. Cowboy Complete & Cowboy Red Analysis Charts