Have you ever thought about where the phrase ‘drinks like a horse’ came from?
Horses drink a lot of water so, whether you own a horse or are planning to buy one soon, here’s what you need to know about why a constant supply of clean water is important for equine care.
Why Is Water Important for Equines?
Besides ensuring proper digestion and blood circulations, water is an essential element in equine care because of the following reasons.
Thermoregulation
Water is necessary to maintain body temperature. Sweating is the body’s way to cool down after strenuous activities like running.
Lymphatic and excretory system
Water helps in removal of toxins and other waste products from the body and therefore, prevents diseases.
Eyes and nostrils
Tears and mucus work as a lubricant for horse’s eyes and nostrils respectively. So, insufficient water consumption will lead to dry eyes, itchy nostrils and troubled breathing.
How Much Water Does Your Horse Need?
Horses normally drink an average of 5 to 10 gallons of water in a day. However, the amount of water needed by your horse will depend on a number of different factors such as those discussed below.
Age
Ponies will require less water than an adult horse.
Workload and weather
Horses that have an intense workout routine or have just returned from a run will need more water than horses that spend most of their day in the stable. Similarly, your horses will drink a lot of water on a hot and sunny day.
Nursing mares
Horses that feed their young ones need a lot of water to stay hydrated.
Feed
If your horse prefers dry fodder over grass or you feed them food that has lower water content, then you must provide them sufficient water to ensure proper digestion.
How to Supply Water for Equines?
Of course, you would know the two ways to supply water to your four-legged friends. You can either use an automatic water supplier or you can choose the traditional buckets and pails.
Although they are convenient, automatic water suppliers are not used by many horse owners because of their various drawbacks. For instance, it is difficult to keep track of the amount of water consumed by the horses. Also, some horses need to be trained on how to drink from the automatic water supply whereas some horses may not drink from it at all given the noises that most automatic water suppliers make.
You can use buckets and the likes instead of automatic water suppliers. Buckets are easy to clean but they are difficult to carry and create a mess if spilled. However, this problem can be avoided by securing them properly so that they do not tumble over.
No matter what method you use to meet the water requirements of proper horse care, it goes without saying that you will have to clean and refill the water container regularly. Leaves, insects, chaff and any other contaminants that might fall in should be removed and the container must be scrubbed thoroughly to avoid algae growth.
Need Some Help with Cleaning?
Here at Little Fields Farm, we have several cleaning equipment to make the job easy for you. Choose what works for you in ensuring good horse care.
