"Colic" is a general term for a horse's demonstration of abdominal pain. It is a common emergency, and can result from simple gas accumulation or gut spasm (70% of the time), or from more serious problems involving any part of the equine intestine. Occasionally a horse can show colic signs when body systems other than the intestines are involved. Examples in the pregnant mare are impending abortion, the foaling process itself, and uterine torsion or malposition.

Colic in pregnant mares is relatively common, especially in the last few months of pregnancy. Pregnant mares are probably predisposed to increased intestinal dysfunction because of the space occupying mass of the pregnancy. There are also particular conditions causing colic that are only seen in the pregnant mare. An example of this is uterine torsion.

Signs of colic include the listed of related observations. Any or all of these signs can range from mild to severe, but severity of any signs do not always correlate to the severity of the problem. Horses may show one sign, or many.