My horses have new sand paddock footing. How much of a concern is sand buildup and colic?
I did some research online and it appears that there is not 100% guarantee that any of the supplements marketed for this purpose actually help.
My horses are on a sandy lot too. It does become a problem. Here’s what I do:
All feed is given in pans on top of 4 x 8 rubber mats.
All hay is fed in some contained area, on a surface of some sort–not directly on the ground.
Sand Clear once a month for a week.
Hay available all the time–the fiber helps keep things moving.
So far, this has worked pretty well for me.
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Thank you so much for the suggestions. I will need to move some things around and invest in sand clear 
In Australia we have loads of sand colic cases.
We have our horses stomach drenched autumn and spring by the vets with oil.
Spot on!
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The sand in my paddocks is near the consistency of corn starch, so ingestion is always a concern. My paint had to do a one month course of Sand Clear a while ago to clear him out, so I’ve gotten more obsessive.
I feed all grain in pans over rubber mats in their run in stalls. Hay is fed on the mats as well, usually in a slow feeder tub. I do Sand Clear (or similar) the first 7 days of each month, in addition to a probiotic (ProBios). If I am going to toss hay in the pasture to supplement the sparse grass I always make sure to toss it in a grassy area and not on dirt.
If you are noticing your horses having issues, you can safely double dose Sand Clear (or generic alternative) for a week as well.
My old gelding had real issues with sand the last year he was alive (no issues prior). As soon as I noticed a weaker topline or even just a slight dullness in personality, I knew he was having issues. So, if your horses don’t seem to quite be themselves, just run an additional course of Sand Clear.
My vet cautioned me against using Sand Clear for longer than a week at a time, as their body adjusts to the fiber and begins digesting it, instead of using the fiber to push everything through.
Yes to this. I’ll clarify that my horse had a LOT of sand in him and his treatment was done under the recommendation and supervision of a vet. We did 1 cup of Sand Clear twice a day for 4 weeks in conjunction with lots of free choice hay. The ProBios was added to help keep his system happy while all of this was going on. My vet said continuous use of psyllium products is never recommenced for prevention because they can lose their effectiveness over time fro the reason stated above.
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Thank you all! I am super worried about this and colic scares the crud out of me LOL! Horses are super happy with the sand though - they are much more comfortable on it since they are barefoot.
How would I know if they have sand buildup, is it something that a vet must diagnose?
Because they are on sand, it would be safest to assume that they are getting some sand in their system. Not wait until there are physical symptoms. You wouldn’t want the first symptom to be impact colic.
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I give my horse 1/4 cup of Chia seeds every day. Great source of Omegas as well as sand clearing.
https://equinenutritionnerd.com/2015/08/03/feeding-chia-seeds-to-horses/
Yeah, I agree–just treat as if they are getting some sand in their system.
If you are curious, you can take a stethoscope out and listen to their gut. You may be able to hear the sand slogging if there is some buildup.
I know this is an old thread but reviving because my vet told me my horse “sounded a bit sandy” (she was checking her breathing because of a minor runny nose/ sneezing virus thing I noticed). Eek 
I’m starting a double dose of sand clear for a week and ordered some chia seeds. I’ll also put her hay in a tub in her stall instead of the floor and ask (beg, with my help when I can) the barn to spread out her feeding schedule a bit more to keep more constant hay in her system. There’s no preventing the sand in her turnout - it’s the only outside option she has and she’s going to graze that nubby grass on the dirt ugh.
Is there anything else I should do? No digestive issues I’ve noticed and I can’t feed her much more hay without weight gain (she’s not at all thin).
For future use, you don’t have to buy special horse branded stuff, you can use generic psyllium (store brand Metamucil) from a human pharmacy. That has been much cheaper for me & it’s the same thing (it was instructed by my vet, I didn’t come up with it on my own) .
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