Horse colic symptoms vary. Depending on the severity of the colic, its location in the digestive tract and the cause of the colic pain, horse colic symptoms can be mild (curling the upper lip) or dramatic (thrashing or rolling).
Your horse may display any of these symptoms or a combination of several. Don't judge a colic's severity by the symptoms—in its early stages, a serious displacement or strangulating colic can look very much a more benign gas colic.
Typical colic symptoms include:
• Head shaking
• Pawing the ground or stamping, tail twitching
• Sweating, depression, trembling and axiety
• Repeatedly lying down and getting up
• Stretching the neck
• Kicking and biting at the abdomen or watching the flanks
• Increased urination
• Decreased manure output or diarrhea, lack of appetite
• Rolling or thrashing
• Absence of gut sounds