The phone call comes before everything else
Pawing, looking round at the flank, rolling repeatedly, sweating, and going off feed are signs that something in the abdomen is wrong, and colic-type signs are always a vet call, never a wait-until-morning decision. Ring the vet as soon as you see the pattern, describe what he is doing and when it started, and follow their instructions over anything you read, including this. While you wait, tell someone where you are: a distressed horse in a dark stable is a situation where a second pair of hands and eyes genuinely matters.
Keeping him safe while you wait
Remove hay, feed and bedding he might eat, since a gut that is already struggling should not be loaded with more food, and offer water only as the vet advises. If he is restless, pawing or throwing himself down, walk him slowly in hand in a safe, enclosed area such as the school or a fenced yard; steady walking discourages violent rolling and helps you judge whether the signs are easing or building. If he wants to lie quietly and rest, that is usually fine — the danger is thrashing rolling, not lying down. Keep the stable calm, keep other horses away from the fence line if they wind him up, and stay with him rather than leaving him unobserved between checks.
What not to do in the waiting time
Do not give any medicine from the yard cabinet unless the vet specifically tells you to; pain relief given before the vet examines him can mask the very signs they need to judge how serious this is. Do not drench, do not force him to trot or lunge to work it through, and do not keep offering feed to test whether he is better. Do not let him roll on hard or rutted ground where he can injure himself, and do not load him into a trailer unless the vet asks you to travel to them.
The notes that genuinely help the vet
While you walk and watch, build the timeline the vet will ask for: when he was last normal, when the signs began, whether he has passed droppings and how many, what he last ate and whether anything in his routine changed, and his temperature, pulse and breathing rate if you can take them without a fight. Note whether he has drunk, whether his belly looks distended, and whether gut sounds are present if you know how to listen. Write it down rather than trusting memory, because an hour of walking a sick horse blurs everything. A note on your phone is fine; what matters is that the times and numbers exist somewhere other than your head once you are tired and worried.
When the vet arrives, decisions move faster if the horse's background is in one place rather than scattered across your memory and the feed-room wall. His KinsLe Pet Passport holds his records together in one portable packet, so vaccination history, previous colic episodes and current treatments can be handed over in seconds while you keep hold of the lead rope.