What is the best way to tell if a horse is getting the proper amount of water? In general, there are two simple tests you can do to assess how well your horse is hydrated – the skin pinch and the capillary refill.
As a horse becomes dehydrated, the skin elasticity decreases. The skin pinch involves taking a fold of skin from the neck, just above the shoulder, and lifting it up. If your horse is hydrated it should snap back in place quickly. If your horse’s skin tents up or doesn’t snap back, then this is a symptom of dehydration.
The second test is the capillary refill. You should lift the upper lip of your horse and do a visual inspection of the gums of the teeth. The gums should be pink, shiny, moist, and slippery. Then, you should press your thumb against their gums, release your thumb and count how long it takes for the gums to go from a pale, white color to their normal pink color. Normal capillary refill time is under two seconds.
It is important to know what is normal for your horse. Measuring vital signs when your horse is healthy can give you a good baseline for comparison.
Learn more about Ritchie Industries Automatic Waterers and how they can help you manage your horse’s hydration by visiting classicequinebyritchie.com.
The biggest measure of water quality is total dissolved solids (TDS). TDS is comprised of inorganic salts (principally calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates) and some small amounts of organic matter. Elevated TDS can make your water have a bitter or salty taste. If you currently do not have a water quality report available, you might want to consider contacting your local health department.
“We know that TDS of one to three thousand parts per million (PPM) is in the safe range,” said Bob Coleman, Ph.D., associate professor and equine extension specialist at the University of Kentucky. “Once you start getting to seven thousand PPM then you have water quality issues. The other item to look at is high coliform counts which are an indication of bacteria. Certain coliforms are not going to bother your horse but the higher counts indicate fecal contamination somewhere along the line which means you need to be concerned about E. coli and salmonella. Also, if you have nitrates (agricultural run-off) in your water, especially if it is a change from prior years, then that is telling you that something is leaching into your water. It might be time to consider a new water source.”
Horses are sensitive to the taste and smell of their water. Water that is high in sulfur or tastes bitter can be masked by flavoring the water with prepackaged electrolyte mixes, packets of Jell-O gelatin powder, apple cider vinegar or any flavoring that your horse prefers.
Water is essential to the well-being of your horse. Take the time to plan an effective watering system that offers your horse free-choice access to clean, fresh water at all times and be rewarded with a healthy and happy horse.
There are three mandates every watering system needs to meet:
- 1. Keep the water clean.
- 2. Keep the water fresh.
- 3. Keep the water at the right temperature.
Whether you are planning an upgrade or starting from scratch, make sure that your trough and valve combinations are sized to provide as much water as your horse wants while limiting the amount of water that sits stagnant when they are not drinking. The easiest and hassle-free option to consider is an automatic waterer. Top-of-the-line waterers feature rugged, insulated polyethylene or stainless-steel units with designs that seal cold air away from the high-capacity valves. Options such as thermostatically controlled heat, self-regulated heaters, immersion heaters, protective shrouds, tamper-resistant lids and digital water meters are typically available.
“We have 11 Ritchie automatic waterers on-site and having fresh water for the horses at the ready is awesome,” said David Smith, ranch manager at Wolfe Ranch of Quakerdale in Marshalltown, Iowa. “The maintenance is very minimal and to be able to just walk by with a quick glance to make sure the water is clean and available – that is a real time saver. No more hauling hoses everywhere and no more broken buckets.”
Best management practices involve delivering fresh water to your horse. The days of horses accessing streams and ponds are dwindling for many reasons, including water quality concerns and environmental impact.
“We can use the natural water sources such as streams and ponds,” said Bob Coleman, Ph.D., associate professor and equine extension specialist at the University of Kentucky. “I just recommend that you don’t give the horses access to the water source, instead you need to deliver water to the horses in a tank or waterer. We all need to be good stewards. We are not trailing thousands of head of cattle miles and miles to market anymore. Streams don’t need to have horses in the water, this affects water quality for everyone downstream and also can erode the stream banks as the horses enter and exit. Ponds have the same erosion and contamination issues. I would also be concerned about algae blooms. Not all algae are going to cause a problem but unfortunately, you may not know you have a problem until a post-mortem is completed.”
Setting up a proper water delivery system involves designing an area with a concrete or crushed rock pad large enough for all four of the horse’s feet to be on the pad while drinking to help reduce erosion. Other factors to consider are tank/fount capacity, refill rate, and tank/fount locations.
Underlying health issues can impact your horse’s water consumption, with the most common issue being diarrhea. Monitoring manure will give you a head’s up on how much water is being lost. On the flip side, horses who have drier or less manure production are telling you that they are not drinking enough, and an intestinal blockage or impaction may occur. Acute diarrhea in your horse can be very serious and should be treated as an emergency by a veterinarian. Diarrhea that lasts more than two weeks is considered chronic and a veterinarian should be consulted.
Horses with Cushing’s disease, also known as Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction or PPID, will have an increased need for more water. Horses with chronic kidney disease will also drink more water than typical.
Don’t forget about the condition of your horse’s teeth. Diseased or sensitive teeth may lead to pain when drinking cold water which in turn leads to your horse avoiding the waterer – offer them warm water to entice them back to the waterer.
Good horse management means providing your horse with an ample supply of fresh, clean water at all times. Remember, horses will not break ice to drink. It is best practice to provide water at a temperature between 45 F and 65 F to encourage adequate water consumption. Monitor water consumption to reduce the risk of impaction colic, and if any problems arise, consult your veterinarian.
Underlying Health Issues Can Impact Your Horse’s Water Consumption