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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You are so right! I keep advocating good clean water to all who will listen, for many ailments found in horses. I also say to measure the water to find out how much water each horse takes in. During the summer, my beasties take in 13 to 15 gallon each day. But during the winter, they fall off their water, to 3 -5 gallons, so I have to encourage drinking.
I worry about small things such as a bad plant in their hay. Water helps flush toxins out of their bodies and avoids such things as colic. It is particularly important this time of the year also because the hay is getting older.
Wynn