The old adage ‘you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink’ is a very true saying. To maintain your horse in good health you must make sure that he drinks enough and this can be an issue in the warm summer months.
If your horse is out at pasture you must check daily that there is an adequate supply of water. Most animal rescue calls to organisations such as the ASPCA and the RSPCA regarding horses during the summer months are because they don’t have sufficient water. A horse is a large animal, they sweat freely when it is warm and need to replace the lost fluid, it is even more important if they have been working hard.
If the weather is particularly warm then you may need to add some electrolytes to the water to help replace lost salts and minerals to ensure good horse health. This can also be useful when traveling. Some horses are notoriously fussy about the water they drink, and when away from home they will refuse water if it doesn’t taste right. If they are used to having electrolytes in their water, the taste will mask the difference in the water and they will be much more likely to take on sufficient fluid. It is a useful trick to have up your sleeve!
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It is essential that, when your horse reaches retirement age and you are no longer riding him hard, you turn him out onto good quality pasture where he can spend his retirement. This ought to be an area where he can be with other horses. Horses are social animals and need company, it should also be an area that is big enough for him to wander as he wants. Ideally the pasture should have an area that is sheltered, whether this is a barn or some other structure that the horse can use when it is raining or cold. In other words give your faithful friend a pasture that allows him to choose what he wants to do, and provides the wherewithal for him to do it.