A client asked me this question several weeks ago, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I've attempted to summarize here my perspective shift after endless reading, interviewing insurance agents and veterinarians, poling the horse community, and allowing my curiosity to run amuck.
Part I: Why does colic happen? What is the statistical probability of needing colic surgery? Can 2 ounces a day of powder prevent colic? What does prevent colic?
Part II: Compare nutritional value, annual cost, and requirements across four different plans.
Part III: Summarizing the PRO's and CON's of colic surgery insurance/reimbursement plans. If we consider these options rationally (without emotion), is it worth buying a supplement that offers colic surgery insurance coverage?
*Fair warning: I tried my best to simplify the nutrition, cost, requirements and overall value of these programs, but there are many, many, many factors to consider! Whether or not you choose to purchase insurance coverage for your horse is a very personal decision to be discussed with your partners and equine professional team.
PART I.................................
Why Does Colic Happen?
Colic happens in horses for many reasons; gas, spasms, impaction, torsion, intussusception (my favorite to say), displacement, strangulation and more (The Horse, 2021). It can be initiated by parasites, sand, stress, dehydration, inflammation and dietary changes making it one of the leading causes of death in horses. The most serious types of colic, the ones leading to colic surgery, include impactions (i.e. parasites, sand, ileal impaction, or impactions at the pelvic flexture or right dorsal colon) and strangulations from lipomas, large colon volvulus, or displacement (Blikslager, 2019). However, most colic episodes are mild and resolve with minimum input. As many as 9 out of 10 colic cases may only need a trailer ride, fluids, a dose of Banamine, a night of monitoring, and the scary episode is over. It's emotional, yes, but not life threatening.
Every veterinarian that I talked to for this article confirmed that colic is incredibly mutlifactoral and that good horse management is key to prevention. Parasite control, well balanced nutrition, water quality and availability, and movement constitute the best anti-colic plan. The horses' digestive system is over 85 feet long, difficult to study, and more complex than we can imagine. So, how do we even begin to discuss the value of colic insurance? I will start with some statistics and wrap up the conversation with nutrition, cost, requirements and overall value. Buckle up...it's not gonna be smooth sailing.
What is the likelihood of YOUR horse colicing?
I really wanted to dig into this question, because it's obvious that these insurance programs are making supplement companies a lot of money. Let's be real...there's no philanthropy going on here. They wouldn't do it if it wasn't profitable. That means they are playing the odds and winning. This is a simple case of "the casino always wins". What do they know that we don't? If I were considering spending thousands of dollars each year on a supplement that offered colic surgery coverage, I'd first want to understand probability and opportunity costs. What are the chances that my horse will actually need colic surgery? If probability is low, what else could that money be used for? What are the opportunity costs? I started my research by digging into the scientific literature and drawing out some numbers.
The only consistent and reliable statistic for colic frequency that I could find, suggests that the incidence of colic in the United States is about 4% (Blikslager, 2019). Out of the 9.2 million horses estimated in the U.S. that's 368,000 horses that will colic each year (American Horse Council, 2017). SmartPak says it's twice that on their website, but they do not reference a source study, so we can't use it. More importantly, reimbursement from supplement companies ONLY covers colic surgery costs and not the costs incurred from simple, non-surgical procedures. So, next step, what's the probability of my horse needing colic surgery?
A statement on Foranequine.com (July 5, 2017) suggests that 95% of colics are of unknown origin and resolve with only mild to moderate intervention. These numbers are further supported by a study published in 1997 by Tinker et. al. covering 31 US farms and 1,427 horses. Only 4 horses out of 104 colic cases within one year needed colic surgery. That 3.8% in the 1997 study is not too far off from 5% estimated by Foran Equine. Let's be generous and assume that 5% of the 368,000 horses colicing each year do go to surgery. That's 18,400 colic surgeries in the US each year meaning your individual horse has a 0.2% chance of having colic surgery out of 9.2 million horses. Now, obviously that's an oversimplified statistic, because colic is mutlifactoral and probability can change with lifestyle. For example, horses out on pasture have a smaller chance of colicing than stabled horse. Some reports predict a higher percentage of horses colicing each year- maybe up to 10% of some populations. If we look at the 2.7 million horses showing and experiencing higher than normal stress, then 10% of that population is 270,000 and 5% of that is 13,500. If my calculations are correct, then my show horse has a 1 in 200 chance (0.5%) of needing colic surgery in her career. There is a 1 in 500 chance if we look at all horses across the country.
One more point to consider is the high mortality rate of horses that do go under the knife. Now this can vary wildly depending on your proximity to a surgery location and your relationship with a vet, but that statistic is quite scary- mortality maybe as high as 1 in every 2 colic surgeries (White and Lessard, 1986). Now that number is old (1986) and I'm sure that colic surgery outcomes have improved over the last 35 years, but that study was robust considering they looked at the success rate of 2,055 surgeries at 16 universities. What this tells me is that even if a supplement company can reimburse my surgery costs, there's a decent chance that I'm left without a horse and a way to replace it. Is the cost of colic surgery insurance worth it considering the low probability of severe impaction or torsion colic and the high probability of mortality during that surgery? Perhaps one of the opportunity costs is good o'l standard equine mortality insurance that includes some colic surgery coverage.
"It is important to realize however, that the vast majority of colics never have their exact causation determined. Happily, this “unidentified type” of colic, also has a recovery rate of over 95%. This can be interpreted as; most horses get a mild form of colic, which is successfully treated by their veterinarian, making further investigation unnecessary. Foran Equine "
I think we may have found out why supplement companies are offering thousands of dollars of reimbursement. If, at best, only 1 out of every 500 customers ever needs reimbursement of any kind, then they can add a small margin to every product they sell and be just fine! Now that assumes that each and every customer using their qualified products actually keeps up with all the requirements described by the Terms and Conditions. These terms and conditions often require higher priced products, wellness plans overseen by a veterinarian, and auto-ship options that can not lapse for more than 7-14 days. So, there is a chance that your reimbursement can be denied, but to be honest, everything I've heard from veterinarians and horse owners suggests fair play from these supplement companies.
Can 2 ounces per day of powder prevent colic surgery?
I'm going to just go ahead and sum up an opinion I've developed after working professionally in the feed & supplement industry for 15 years. No. A few grams of powder in your horse's gut is unlikely to prevent colics that require surgical intervention. Let's think about just what we've learned so far...1) the horse's digestive system is very complex, 2) there are no fewer than 14 ways a horse can colic, and 3) most colics are resolved with minimum input. Therefore, as good as the supplement company marketing sounds, the likelihood of 2 scoops of powder manipulating that complex digestive system to prevent all those colic surgeries is low.
And I am being purposely vague here when I say "2 scoops of powder"! There are hundreds of ingredients being marketed today as "digestive aids" and most of them claim to enhance, stabilize, and/or support your horse's digestive system. I'm not going to single any one ingredient out for this article. To date...no supplement ingredient....not one....ever...has been proven to prevent colic. Let me repeat. No supplement can guarantee a colic-free horse. It sounds ludicrous to have to say, but it goes to show the powerful messaging that we get from supplement companies. A recent survey by Gluck and Pratt-Phillips (2021) reported that 82.7% of the 501 survey responses from horse owners believed that pre and probiotics made their horse's digestive systems better. Our vague notion of "gut health" really works to their advantage and is making their colic surgery reimbursement programs successful.
The problem with listing the meaningful ways of preventing colic is that they too are vague and often hard to implement. Whether you board your horse or keep them at home, there will always be limitations to the amount of turnout/exercise, ideal forage options, minimizing stress and/or all three limitations combined. This is what I call "the reality of modern day horse management". Many will read over a list of best practices to prevent colic and think "yea, yea, yea...I've heard that before, I already do that, or I can't control that, so "Where's the 2 scoop option?"
Generally Agreed Best Practices for Preventing Colic
Continuous grazing of good quality forage: Feeding little and often
Deworming: Having a good parasite prevention program.
Movement: Daily exercise and turnout >12 hours per day
Make any feed changes slowly.
Hydration!!!
PART II..........................................
The Nutrition
Ok, so even if we COULD prevent colic with a digestive aid, what is the nutritional value of these supplements beyond the colic insurance? I have spent weeks comparing four different supplement programs for you; 3 supplement company programs + 1 standard equine mortality insurance program. I went through the process of applying for colic surgery reimbursement/insurance through all four companies; Platinum Performance Colic Coverage®, SmartPak ColiCare™, Arenus Animal Health Colic Assurance Program™, and Carlton & Associates Equine Mortality/Major Medical Insurance ($30k mortality which includes $5,000 colic surgery coverage + $10,000 major medical). I used my own competition horse as an example seeing as I find her situation and mine to be roughly indicative of show horses across the USA. Here are her stats- 1,350 lb Swedish Warmblood mare competing at Preliminary eventing and worth $30,000 in mortality insurance. She has no history of colic and no gastric ulcers. I also used a diet program from each plan that included a minimum of 1) trace minerals zinc and copper, 2) 1 or more joint support ingredients, and 3) 1 or more digestive aids.
Plan #1: Platinum Performance Colic Coverage®
When I applied for the Platinum Performance Colic Coverage®, I chose the Platinum Performance CJ (joint+trace mineral) + Platinum Balance (digestive aid). This product combo qualifies me for the $10,000 reimbursement level and satisfies my requirement for 1) joint, 2) trace minerals, and 3) digestive aids.
It was very confusing how much of the product I needed to feed each day in order to qualify and stay eligible. A representative assured me that I only needed to feed 1.5 scoops per day for a 1,3500 lb horse that had no previous colic issues rather than the 2.5 scoops per day advertised on one webpage. However, when I went to place the product in my cart, it turns out I can only get them in PAKS totally 2 scoops per day. Confusing, I know! Anywhoo...the the ingredients levels are easier to calculate at 2 scoops per day, so there you go.
I've never been a fan of Platinum Performance products for one simple reason; they commit my cardinal supplement sin! They try to be everything in one- or should I say 2 scoops. By trying to be a vitamin/mineral, joint, fatty acid, amino acid and energy source in just 156 grams, they end up being pretty pathetic in most things. Ok, I'll give them kudos as a joint supplement. The levels of glucosamine, MSM, ASU and HA are legit, but come on... 1.5 grams of lysine! 122 mg of Zinc? 13 milligrams of Copper! Since the typical grass mix only supplies 40-60% of a horse's requirement in zinc and copper, then this supplement will not even meet the bare minimum requirements of the average sized show horse! I can not and will not feed this to my horse due to these extremely low levels. It's a bit shocking when you compare the levels of basic dietary but critical nutrients in this product to what a ration balancer will provide. Just look at rows 1 and 4 in the comparison chart above. The Platinum Performance CJ + Platinum Balance sacrifices good, basic nutrition for fancy label claims.
Platinum Performance Colic Coverage® Terms and Conditions
Plan #2: SmartPak ColiCare™
Now let's look at SmartPak's offer through ColiCare™. I chose their SmartCombo Ultimate Pellet for it's digestive aid package and $10,000 colic surgery reimbursement level. Can I just start off by saying that their nomenclature is god awful! I had to check back multiple times to make sure that I was comparing the right product, because there are so many combinations of ultimate, ultra, super, super duper, and complete combo ultimate ultras. I did choose the higher priced ULTIMATE Pellet over the ULTRA pellet due to the probiotics, prebiotics and enzymes offered in the ULTIMATE pellet. Again, I'm trying to be as consistent as possible across each plan.
Compared to the Platinum Performance CJ + Platinum Balance, the SmartPak SmartCombo Ultimate Pellet seems a bit more robust nutritionally speaking. Like Platinum's product, the joint support ingredients are guaranteed at high levels. At least their trace mineral offering is sufficient for the average horse in moderate work. Whoops...nope...their's no selenium in it! Geessshhh. Won't feed this either due to poor nutritional value!
The "active ingredients" list of the SmartCombo Ultimate Pellet is no fewer than 49 ingredients long with some patented technologies having multiple ingredients layered within. Here is the cardinal supplement sin in all it's glory. Answer me this...how do they fit all 49+ ingredients into 180 grams and make it significant to a 1,350 lb horse? They can't! Two grams of lysine isn't valuable when a horse needs over 30 grams per day and they are eating a protein deficient forage. Is 1,000 mg of Resveratrol meaningful? The EquiThrive Metaboral product offers 4x the resveratrol per day for the same size horse. *See Rate My Horse Supplement's Review of EquiThrive Metaboral. Is 150 mg of oat beta glucan valuable to you? Is 22,500,000,000 colony forming units of lactobacillus acidophilus effective for every horse? And who is ensuring that all these ingredients mixed together are safe? Am I the only skeptic in the entire equine industry? This is the opposite of feeding with purpose, safety, and efficiency. I wouldn't buy this supplement if it were half the cost.
SmartPak ColiCare™ Terms and Conditions
Plan #3: Arenus Colic Assurance Program™
This was a colic surgery reimbursement program that I was unaware of until I started asking around. Their flagship product, Assure Guard Gold, has exploded on the market recently. When I applied online for their Colic Assurance Program™ I found the enrollment process annoyingly complex. I had to supply photos and records and sign in a box all of which would have deterred me if I hadn't been committed to this article! One advantage of their plan is that there is a $600 non-surgical reimbursement offer that the other companies don't give. I signed up for the $10,000 reimbursement limit which means I had to feed the Assure Guard Gold at 1.5 scoops per day.
There was a moment when I thought that the Arenus Assure Guard Gold might be a good option for me and my clients due to the ingredients. I value it's nutritional simplicity. It's JUST a digestive aid. I can balance a horse's diet, including my own horses, with meaningful protein/vitamin/minerals products and then simply top-dress the Assure Guard Gold. This method could offer greater flexibility and a far better nutritional value. Sadly, I then added up the cost. *See the Cost section below.
Arenus Colic Assurance Program™ Terms and Conditions
Plan #4: A Ration Balancer + Joint Supplement + Mortality/Major Medical Insurance with $5,000 worth of Colic Surgery Coverage Included
Now, what happens if I create a well balanced, affordable nutrition plan and then add a traditional equine insurance plan with colic surgery coverage on top? We'll debate the cost later, but for now please refer to the nutrition comparison chart above. The major advantage of this plan is far better nutrition. Just look at the columns for lysine, zinc, copper and selenium- some of the very first nutrients to balance in any horse's diet. Do you see the magnitude of difference in the lysine? This is a basic nutrition program I can get behind. Plus, I get similar levels of digestive aids and joint support for far less cost. That is, before I add the mortality insurance and major medical annual premium!
The Cost
What did I find? Sadly, they are ALL very expensive plans, and there is no solid winner. As a reference, my own performance horse‘s diet costs just over three dollars per day and never costs more than five dollars per day even in peak season.
I will spend at least $4.81 per day to qualify for a program and up to $6.97 per day. That's a total of $2,544 per year in supplement cost alone! Since my horse is 1,350 lbs, I had to use 2 scoops per day for the Platinum Performance CJ + Platinum Balance ($6.97/day), 2 scoops per day for the SmartCombo Ultimate Pellet ($6.39/day), and 1.5 scoops per day of the Assure Guard Gold ($4.81/day). The Arenus Assure Guard Gold may sound like a better deal at $4.81/day, but keep in mind that it's ONLY a digestive aid (and a pretty simple one at that). In order to stay consistent across plans, I have to add the cost of my ration balancer and joint supplement on top of the annual cost of Assure Guard Gold (albeit overall nutrition is better). This plan came to a grand total of $2,756 per year or $7.55/day! OUCH!!! I would consider Arenus's offer if it wasn't so expensive. It's hard to decide between better nutrition or lower costs when comparing Arenus to Platinum Performance and SmartPak.
The costs mentioned above do not include the Wellness Plan required to stay eligible which includes vaccines, deworming, fecal egg counts, dentals, and wellness exams performed by a licensed veterinarian. The health care requirements to stay eligible are pretty consistent across each plan, so I won't bore you with the details. However, I did want to calculate the costs of having a veterinarian oversee these health care requirements, because I currently do much of my own deworming and vaccinations. I don't do dentals every single year on every horse, and I don't do a wellness exam just because. I worked with my local veterinarian to predict the annual cost of eligibility, and it's about $630 per year for her to perform and record these procedures. I think it's fair to add this cost to the Platinum Performance, SmartPak, and Arenus offers seeing as they are necessary to stay eligible.
Now, let's consider my well balanced, affordable diet plan and just add standard equine mortality insurance ($30k limit) plus $10,000 worth of major medical coverage. What you need to know about this option is that it only covers $5,000 in emergency colic surgery, so half what the other plans offer. However, there are far more scenarios covered under this plan which means the statistical probability of actually using it is higher. Plus, if my horse actually died in colic surgery, the mortality insurance would kick in so I could replace her. I calculated my current diet plan cost with a ration balancer that contains digestive aids plus a joint supplement to be $1,055 per year. If I add the $1,711 basic annual premium, I would pay $2,766. That's actually more than the highest priced colic surgery coverage from the supplement companies, but again my coverage is greater.
The most frustrating consideration factor, though I tried as hard as I could to make the diets similar in each plan while maintaining minimum requirements, is that the nutrition offered across plans is not equal in vitamin/minerals, fatty acids, joint support ingredients, or digestive aids. The "worthiness" of each plan would be easier if the nutrition was better. Because I personally value nutrition very highly (it is my chosen full time profession), I am more likely to rank nutrition value above insurance coverage value. This goes to show just how personal this decision is for each horse owner.
Part III: Overall Value and Ranking............................................
The PRO's and CON's of Colic Insurance Coverage from a Supplement Company
Here is a summary of what I've learned.
Overall PROS
If you are not able to save or self insure, then the colic surgery coverage can make decision making easier during a colic episode.
Colic is one of the leading causes of horse mortality in the U.S.A.
Easier to apply and harder to lose when compared to traditional equine mortality and major medical insurance.
No age limit.
If you prioritize the coverage over nutritional quality and cost, then it's a no brainer. If your horse has elevated or specialized needs, you could always make the diet more robust by adding additional supplementation.
Overall CONS
Most of the supplement companies ONLY cover colic SURGERY which has a very low statistical probability of 0.2-0.5% of the population.
You still have to pay for the colic surgery up front. It's a reimbursement.
Most of the qualifying supplements are of very poor quality and have low nutrient guarantees with no third party oversight for safety or efficacy.
The supplements that qualify are very expensive.
There are additional eligibility requirements that cost real money.
Natalie's Personal Ranking
Please keep in mind that the major thing I learned through this process is how incredibly personal this decision is. I've explored the nutritional value and calculated cost for you, but after that you're on your own. You must ask yourself 1) if my horse coliced tomorrow, is he/she a surgery candidate based on age, condition, value, location? 2) If my horse was gone tomorrow, could I replace him/her?, 3) What are my financial priorities?, 4) Do I understand the requirements, eligibility, and wording behind each contract? Here is how I answered those questions for myself.
#1: Keep my current nutrition plan with NO insurance for my horses. I have many, many reasons for this decision including my understanding of colic surgery outcomes, financial situation, herd situation, and riding versus life goals. I do not judge other's insurance decisions, and I ask that you do not judge mine.
#2: $30,000 Mortality Limit with $10,000 Major Medical Coverage plus my current diet plan: Offers me greater coverage for similar annual cost plus a flexibly and high quality nutrition plan. However, my horse will only qualify for a few more years- there is an age limit. There is a $500 deductible here to consider as well. I like that I'm covered if my horse does NOT survive the colic surgery.
#3: Arenus Colic Assurance Program with Assure Guard Gold + Ration Balancer + Joint Supplement: I'm intrigued by their offering and I think there could be value here for clients, but it's very expensive. Plus, I would need to plan ahead for annual wellness exams and health care procedures to be done by my vet.
#4: SmartPak ColiCare with SmartCombo Ultimate Pellet: Poor nutritional value, but reasonable cost. Could be a valuable nutrition tool for clients with horses at high risk for colic, but lower nutritional needs.
#5: Platinum Performance Colic Coverage with P.P. CJ + Platinum Balance: Very poor nutritional value for high price. I do not recommend this program.
#6: Arenus Colic Assurance Program with Assure Guard Gold: This product is ONLY a digestive aid, so it's incomplete without additional supplementation.
#7: $30,000 Mortality Limit with $10,000 Major Medical Coverage + Platinum Performance Colic Coverage: A couple acquaintances mentioned that they get both! Doubling up on coverage would be my least likely plan due to extreme cost to benefit ratio.
Take this information as you will!
A Conversation with an Equine Insurance Agent
I didn't have the time or space in this article to include the many amazing insights I gleaned from my equine insurance GURU, Amy Haugen. A competitive upper level eventer herself, I have deep respect for Amy's perspective on the insurance business. My conversation with her did shift my perspective. Click the link below to listen to Amy and I discuss the differences between colic surgery insurance provided by a supplement company and traditional equine insurance provided by an insurance carrier. When should you insure your horse? Are these insurance types valuable? Which should you choose and can they go together? Amy’s wealth of knowledge in the insurance industry combined with Natalie’s nutrition expertise make for an interesting conversation where the industries collide!
YouTube link to phone interview with Amy Haugen- CLICK HERE (1 hour long conversation)
Contact Amy Haugen at Carlson & Associates Independent Insurance Advisors
REFERENCES
American Horse Council. 2017. 2017 ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY OF THE U.S. HORSE INDUSTRY. Accessed July 21, 2021 at https://www.ridewithequo.com/blog/the-horse-industry-by-the-numbers.
Blikslager, A.T. 2019. Colic Prevention to Avoid Colic Surgery: A Surgeon's Perspective,
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 76:1-5. ISSN 0737-0806.
Foran Equine. July 5th, 2017. Colic in Horses: Types, Symptoms, and Treatments. Accessed July 2021 from https://foranequine.com/us/expert-advice/colic-in-horses-types-symptoms-and-treatment/.
Gluck, C. and S. Pratt-Phillips. 2021. 65 Survey regarding the perception of prebiotics/probiotics amongst North Carolina horse owners or leasers. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. Volume 100. 103528. ISSN 0737-0806.
Mehdi, S. and V. Mohammad. 2006. A farm-based prospective study of equine colic incidence and associated risk factors. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 26(4)4:171-174. ISSN 0737-0806.
Moore, J.N. 2019. Making Sense of Large Colon Displacements in Horses. Accessed July 20121 at https://www.vetfolio.com/learn/article/making-sense-of-large-colon-displacements-in-horses.
The Horse. 2021. What type of colic is it? Accessed July 2021 at https://thehorse.com/183061/what-type-of-colic-is-it/.
Tinker, M.K., N.A. White, P. Lessard, C.D. Thatcher, K.D. Pelzer, B. Davis and D.K. Carmel. 1997. Prospective study of equine colic incidence and mortality. Equine Veterinary Journal. 29(6): 448-453.
White NA, Lessard P. Risk factors and clinical signs associated with cases of equine colic. Proc Ann Mtg Am Assoc Equine Pract 1986;637-644.
Really appreciate your input on this! If you don't mind me asking, what supplements (Ration balancer + joint) do you use for your mare?
Thank you, well done exploration of this topic I have wondered about, and some good info here as well.