This\nis Part 1 of a two-part series about horse water requirements. Part 2 will\nfocus on horse water-quality management.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nnutritionists, we spend a lot of time talking about protein, energy, fat, fiber\nand so on \u2014 but in reality, water is the number one priority. It\u2019s second only\nto air in importance as a nutrient critical to life. It\u2019s involved in\neverything from pumping of the heart and food digestion to lubricating joints\nand filtering waste through the kidneys. While we can\u2019t control the amount of\navailable air, we can<\/em> control the amount of water we provide our\nanimals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lack\nof water puts a horse\u2019s vital systems at risk. A horse can live about a month\nwithout food \u2014 but within 48 hours\nwithout water, they\u2019ll likely start developing issues like colic, impaction,\nlethargy or other life-threatening problems such as kidney failure. Dehydration\nalso affects milk production in lactating mares. If you notice your horse\nacting lazy or being a little more stubborn than usual, it could be a sign of\ndehydration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This\ntwo-part series focuses on horses and the importance of providing adequate,\nclean water. In this first part, I\u2019ve included some tips to ensure your horse\nis getting enough water. In Part 2, I\u2019ll talk more about how you can better\nmanage water quality your horses receive to help them stay active and healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s\na great question, but the answer isn\u2019t black and white. Water intake for a\nhorse varies due to many factors. When it comes to water needs for a horse,\nsize matters \u2014 the bigger the horse, the more water it\u2019s going to require.\nWater requirements for a work horse or a Belgian, for example, will be greater\nthan those for a quarter horse or pony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nhorse needs about three to seven liters of water per 100 kilograms of body\nweight, or about four to nine gallons per day for an 1,100-pound horse. Keep in\nmind this amount is usually met by drinking only 5 to 10 minutes per day. When\na horse wants to drink, it\u2019s imperative that you have a readily available\nsupply that\u2019s clean and pleasant to drink. Your horses won\u2019t spend much time drinking\nwater on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stages\nin a horse\u2019s lifecycle are important too. With colts, for instance, their initial\nwater requirements are met by the mare\u2019s milk. But by about a month of age,\nthey\u2019ll start eating a pretty significant amount of feed and\/or be nibbling at\ndry forages \u2014 their water intake may be as high as a gallon a day by this time.\nWhen they shift to more dry feed such as hay and grain (and less milk), their\nwater intake increases. Conversely, an older, more mature horse that\u2019s\nexercised less may typically have a lower water intake. A horse\u2019s daily water\nneeds are a reflection of their workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside\nof ensuring your horse has available water 24\/7, there are some visible signs a\nhorse has become dehydrated. Dehydrated horses may have sunken eyes, and you\u2019ll\nusually see thick saliva or a thickened mucous discharge. Another easy way to\ntell if a horse is dehydrated is through a simple skinfold test: Just grab a\npinch of skin on the neck or anywhere there\u2019s smooth skin, and the skinfold\nshould snap back almost instantly. If it remains as a ridge for 2 to 5 seconds,\nthe horse is mildly dehydrated. If it remains as a ridge or a tent for 10 to 15\nseconds, the horse is extremely dehydrated, and you should call your veterinarian\nto get IV fluids in as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water\nrequirements change with the horse\u2019s level of work. A pleasure horse that\u2019s\nridden often and aggressively will have higher water requirements than one\nthat\u2019s only ridden occasionally. Performance and work horses will require one\nand a half to two times more water due to losses in sweat, respiration, higher\nfeed intake and increased urination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things\nlike working, racing, endurance rides, hunts or hill-topping increase work\nsweat and respiratory water loss, thus, increasing their water demand. Horses\nexercised in hot humid conditions can lose gallons of sweat and critical\nelectrolytes, depending on the length of the exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horses\nmay also lose a significant amount of hydration when being hauled long\ndistances. Even if the horse has only been in the trailer for an hour or so, it\ncan suffer hydration losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Water\nrequirements change with the season too. Water requirement increases with\nincreased ambient temperature and humidity. Just like with humans, when it gets\nhot, we\u2019re instructed to stay hydrated. The same is true for our horses. When\ntemperatures drop, water intake also tends to decline in horses due to less\nevaporative loss and lower exercise. However, be aware that water requirements\nmay go up in winter as the horse is consuming more dry feed and hay, and less\nlush grass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Grass\nintake can have a direct effect on your horse\u2019s water intake. If the horse is\nprimarily eating a lot of lush grass, it may not need to consume much water if\nits exercise level is relatively low. If you water using a five-gallon bucket\nand it\u2019s still full, don\u2019t assume your horse didn\u2019t need that amount of water \u2014\nit simply got the water from the grass versus drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grass\nin the spring or fall has about 80% or more moisture. That means water intake\nis going to be low as the temperature is lower. In summer it may seem like your\nhorse is eating a lot of grass, but the grass\u2019s dry matter this time of year is\naround 60% or 70% \u2014 and that decreased water content compounds when you add in\nheat and humidity. Even though it looks like your horse may be eating a lot, it\nmakes sense that it\u2019s going to consume more water throughout the summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another\nimportant consideration is the impact of changing your horse\u2019s feed. For\nexample, if you got a new load of hay and it contains more alfalfa, your horse\nwill likely drink more water. Simply by changing the fiber content of the diet\nfrom an alfalfa hay to a grass hay can also change your horse\u2019s water intake\nbecause of the amount of water that it actually holds in the feed as it moves\nthrough the gastrointestinal tract. Alfalfa will create wetter feces, so water\nintake goes up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nkey here is to monitor your horses and understand the different factors that\nchange how much water they need each day. Don\u2019t let yourself get into the\nhabit of simply filling a bucket once or twice a day or leave an automatic\nwaterer unattended at length.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gut integrity is an important part of preventing dehydration in horses. If a horse is dehydrated, then it\u2019s likely that they are suffering from a condition called leaky gut, leading to additional body moisture loss. Including zinc from performance trace minerals in your equine nutrition program strengthens the bond between the epithelial cells in the gastrointestinal tract, helping to maintain the tight junctions and decrease the occurrence of leaky gut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ensure your horses have plenty of fresh, clean water 24\/7 to keep them properly hydrated and healthy. To learn more about your horse\u2019s water needs and feeding performance trace minerals in your equine nutrition program, contact your Zinpro representative today<\/a>. For more information about water quality, visit us online<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Water is second only to air in importance as a nutrient critical to life. These tips can help ensure your horses get the water they need each day to stay healthy. Learn more.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":56960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_eb_attr":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_ecp_custom_2":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2682],"tags":[2693,2683,2705],"species":[],"class_list":["post-56959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-animal-husbandry","tag-animal-performance","tag-water-quality"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Much Water Does a Horse Need Each Day?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lifecycle Stages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Symptoms of Dehydration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Makes Water Requirements Increase or Decrease?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Does Feeding Impact Water Needs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Supplement Zinc to Prevent Leaky Gut and Dehydration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n