FALCON CREEK FARM NEWSLETTER

MARCH 2003

WINTER WEATHER- IS YOUR HORSE GETTING ENOUGH WATER?

Winter weather can be a potential source of health problems for horses. One of them is that it can cause your horse to drink less water and as such, increase his risk of colic. This decreased intake of water can be caused by several factors. Water helps break food down and move it through the digestive tract. Decreased water intake can cause the hay and roughage in the gut to build up and “compact” or cause colic. Both of these conditions are very painful and can be life threatening to the horse. It is vital to a horse that he drinks enough water to help prevent this from happening. Most adult horses need a minimum of 10-12 gallons of water per day, more or less depending on such factors and the temperature, how much they sweat, how much exercise they get and how much they eat. An increase in food during the winter can also add to the potential of colic or impaction. Horses generally don’t like to drink freezing cold water as much as they do warmer water, thus they may not drink enough to satisfy their thirst completely. The winter months seem to increase the number of colic cases. Also, a horse’s sense of thirst can become less sensitive in the cold temperatures.

Some horses have cold-sensitive teeth and thus they do not like to drink cold water. This may be especially true for very young or very old horses, or horses with dental problems. When their water buckets become frozen, then they simply cannot drink if they have no other way to get water.

Many have found that horses generally prefer to drink warmer water during colder months, as opposed to water that is near freezing. By adding some warm water to your horse’s bucket, it may encourage him to drink more. Be careful not to make it too hot. Horses should be able to drink a minimum of twice a day, if not more.

So how do you know if your horse isn’t getting enough water? A quick skin test can help you determine if your horse is dehydrated. You can check for dehydration simply by gently pulling up some skin on the shoulder with your thumb and index finger and then letting it go. How fast it springs back can give you some indication of whether or not he may be dehydrated. The skin should pop back immediately, but if it takes a few seconds, you might suspect some dehydration.

There are several ways to ensure a steady supply of unfrozen water to your horse. Tank heaters can be used for outdoor watering troughs and commercially available insulated or heated buckets can be used in the stall.

If you suspect your horse has colic, call your vet immediately.

Keep those buckets ice-free and check back next month for some more great horse care news!

Happy Riding!

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