Colic is an important cause of mortality in horses (Leblond et al.
1995; Egenvall et al. 2006) and is a high priority health concern of
owners (Mellor et al. 2001). Whilst many colic cases are isolated
episodes, recurrence is frequently reported and has been identified
as a frustrating problem to manage (Beard and Freeman 1994; Hart
and Southwood 2010). Although medical colic has been named as
a frequent reason for veterinary attendance in practice (Traub-
Dargatz and Salman 1991), there are no published reports of an
incidence rate of recurrent colic and the occurrence within the UK
leisure horse population is unknown.