In sand research, the causes of sand accumulations in the equine gut and effective drug therapies for the condition have been diversely investigated. Effective medical removal of sand accumulations reduces the risk of the horse’s undergoing colic surgery. In studies conducted so far, a combination of psyllium and magnesium sulphate has been found to be a well-functioning drug therapy, with the best results achieved in hospital care.
Another goal is to find out why horses ingest sand; an extensive survey on equine living habits was conducted among the owners of horse patients and sandless control subjects to identify a reason for sand ingestion. As sand ingestion is occasionally also associated with trace element deficiencies, another goal is to compare trace element levels in the blood of healthy horses and horses with sand accumulations.