Newsdate: Monday December 26, 20211:00 am
Location: GILROY, California

The body of every living thing whether animal or plant is made up largely of water. Water is an extremely versatile molecule. It is the perfect liquid medium in which to dissolve nutrients for ingestion or wastes for excretion. With a large body, the horse needs clean, fresh, palatable water at least several times a day, if not free choice all the time.

Horse drinking from a water trough

Frozen water troughs, fouled water buckets, broken automatic systems, wrong-size water buckets, all lead to horses not getting enough fresh, clean, palatable water to maintain health.
© 2008 by Gwendolyn Sams New window.

Dehydration is often not recognized until 5 percent or more body weight is lost.

Water is essential for all metabolic activities and for a number of vital physiological processes including utilization and digestion of nutrients, regulation of body temperature, muscle contraction strength, joint lubrication, and waste elimination.

A horse's body contains 65 to 76 percent water with the 10 percent variation being accounted for by differences in age, amount of body fat and muscle mass, and the amount of exercise during any given period.

The typical horse weighing 1,000 to 1,200 pounds needs 8 to 10 gallons of water each day just for maintenance, and during strenuous exercise in hot, humid weather when the horse is sweating a great deal, it will need 2 to 3 times more. 

A lactating mare producing 3 gallons of milk a day needs at least 75 percent more water per day and during hot weather that need can increase significantly.

Many horses are given access to water only a couple of times a day. Although horses can adapt to this practice, it is not always best for their health and well-being. A horse going without water for a number of hours will begin to become dehydrated and the functioning of its body will begin to decline.

Caution - cold can cause colic

When temperatures are cold and drinking water temperatures approach freezing, a horse's water intake will usually decrease drastically. This is not good, and, in fact can lead to problems such as impaction colic.

According to research, horses prefer water that ranges between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and will drink more water if it is in the proper temperature range. Ask yourself, "Do you like to drink hot water on a hot day, or icy water when the temperature is around freezing?" Neither does your horse!

During cold weather, care should be taken to make sure that water is warmed to a drinkable temperature.  This is extremely important for older horses or horses that have chronic illnesses.  An automatic heating element can be used in many cases to keep water at a drinkable temperature

Water availability should never be left to chance.  Frozen water troughs, fouled water buckets, broken automatic systems, natural rivers or streams that are polluted or contaminated, wrong-size water buckets, water troughs filled with algae all lead to horses not getting enough fresh, clean, palatable water, and in the worst case scenario becoming dehydrated and ill because of lack of water.

Standing, stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitos and may become contaminated by rats and other rodents.  Algae which grows rapidly in stagnant water is often toxic and your horse can become ill or be poisoned if the algae is ingested. 

Fortunately, there are several effective ways for providing water for your horse, thereby making sure he maintains the proper fluid balance in his body for maximum health and efficiency.

If you change your water system, be sure to work with your horse so that it adapts to the new system.  Some horses readily take to new ways of doing things including getting the necessary amount of water each day, but others need some training and time to adapt to a new system.

Buckets that are automatically filled several times a day, other automatic waterers, water troughs that are systematically cleaned and refilled regularly, heated water buckets or troughs used during cold weather, and many other options are available for the horse owner who wants to ensure the health of the horse by always having an accessible water supply available.