Dehydration can lead to impaction colic due to decreased water intake and is certainly a problem we'd all like to a void. An adult horse needs to drink between 5 and 10 gallons of water a day to stay adequately hydrated. This time of year hay tends to be the primary source of forage so the water content is significantly less than what they get from fresh grasses, which make water intake even more important. Here are a few tips to encourage increased consumption:
- Always have fresh, clean water available, breaking the ice regularly and removing any ""chunks"" (but be sure to move those chunks outside the pasture fence or stall to avoid bruising feet)
- Horses tend drink the majority of their water within 3 hours of feeding times, so plan to provide the thawed or warmed water within that period
- Warm the water - electric trough heaters properly managed and heated buckets work well if available, or simply pouring a bucket of warm water in once or twice a day will help
- Provide access to salt or mineral blocks to improve your horses' thirst
- Adding electrolytes directly to the feed can help stimulate water consumption
- Allow access to forage 24 hours a day to keep the fermentation process of digestion continually working
- Feeding a warm mash is a quick way to add a little hydration to the diet - start with a little water and increase it a bit every day until they are accustomed to the different texture of the wet feed
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