Is rolling after dinner a sign of colic?

[jcagrove]

My friend is a bit worried about her daughters pony as a lot of the time, after it has been fed (especially when it is fed out in the field), it will have a roll straight afterwards (or even after one mouthful).

She is worried that it might have colic or be colicy as she remembers someone once saying that this is a likely sign (no doubt one of those yard experts). She says that the pony did this last winter and has just started doing it again - she doesn't know if she should be worried and call out the vet or not. Certainly the pony doesn't have any other symptoms of colic and seems quite lively and happy. Is this just common high jinx and normal or should she be worrying?

Any help appreciated.

[Mehitabel]

does she shake when she gets back up? does she seem distressed or threash about violently when she rolls? not shaking, and rolling violently as if trying to get at pain somewhere are signs of colic - normal rolling is usually obviously being enjoyed, and they shake when they get up.

[jcagrove]

Apparently it is just like any normal roll - she appears to enjoy it and then gets up and has a shake - she isn't at all distressed.

[Mehitabel]

just a weird habit then!

[becs]

Maybe she feels she needs a good fart after the meal and that helps!

If it has all the features (as Mehitabel says) of normal happy rolling and she's fine in every other way (eg resumes grazing after, as usual) then I wouldn't worry.

[Pink's lady]

It could possibly be mild choke. If she's in the field she might eat it faster than normal (to stop others pinching it) and choke on it (which is a impaction in the oesophagous, not inhaltion of food like we would call 'choke')

Does she stand and stare blankly after a few mouthfuls sometimes? Or arch her neck?

Brodie is very prone to choking and he stops eating and stands and stares with him neck a little exteneded. If that isn't enough he gets down to roll a couple of times. Once it's clear he gives himself a shake and goes back to eating:rolleyes:

[galadriel]

It could also be ulcers. Ulcers cause stomach pain (which horses can respond to by rolling), and some horses with ulcers have a pain flareup when they eat.

[Gracie]

While we're on this topic, I also have a question....

When horses are colicing do they roll?
What if a horse just lies down in between his meal?
My horse did this one time (That I saw anyways), he ate part of his meal then laid down in his stall, I of course panicked (Because of his age), I went in his stall and he seemed calm... but it's something that has always been a mystery to me, why did he lay down in the middle of his meal? Could it have been because of pain?

[galadriel]

Some horses don't roll when they're colicking. Sometimes they just lie down (looking rather sorry for themselves, usually). A horse who's in pain may have a really tensed upper lip, which sometimes can even look like a droopy lower lip.

A horse who stops eating to lie down is probably uncomfortable. There are some horses who just aren't all that interested in their dinner, but these are few & far between; most horses want to eat until they're done. If he gets over it & gets back up to finish, I'd suspect ulcers or a very mild gas colic.

[Wally]

Kina has her little routine, she has her grub, then she lies down, still eating, nose in bucket, then she rolls and rolls, trying desperately to keep her nose in the bucket. She stops occasionally for another nosh then gets up and finishes her dinner. But she always rolls during, or after dins with her head in her bucket!

[Mehitabel]

i know a fair few ponies who will potter through their dinners as and when they can be bothered. copper regularly leaves some of his and comes back to it. it is uncommon, but in my smallish sample size of about 70 on the yard i can think of three or four, so it's not uncommon enough that i'd be worrying about a problem.

it could be pain, but i do think a horse rolling in pain is pretty identifiable compared to a horse rolling for pleasure.