WATER! Water is crucial for every function in your horse’s body from their respiratory tract to their digestive system. Horses need 2 to 3 times more water than any other feed. Horses drink an average of 5 to 10 gallons of fresh water a day.
Take a look at this funny horse that can’t stop drinking water. In general, horses drink approximately 25 to 55 liters of water per day, depending on the weather, their diet, and the level of work they are doing. Water is essential to maintain a horse’s health and horses must have access to fresh clean water at all times, in the stable and also in the field.
A horse can live for almost a month without food, but within a mere 48 hours without water, a horse can begin to show signs of colic and can quickly develop an impaction, lethargy, and life-threatening sequelae. Sadly, a horse deprived of water may only live up to 3 or 6 days. After lacking water intake for two days a horse may refuse to eat and exhibit signs of colic and other life-threatening ailments. So that’s why water is so important.
Also, horses will not drink bad water if it smells or tastes foul, but when contaminated with harmful substances without an abnormal taste or smell, horses may consume it, so be sure your horse’s watering buckets and troughs stay clean. Many people believe that horses can distinguish safe drinking water from bad.
Horses suffering from an extreme lack of water and minerals are dehydrated. Signs of dehydration include lethargy, red mucous membranes, skin tenting, loss of appetite, excessive sweating or no sweating, high heart rate, dark urine, dizziness, and fever.
Also, your horse may not drink the water that it needs if it doesn’t feel thirsty, which can happen if it has low sodium. Giving the horse a source of sodium through a salt block or a salt supplement can help the horse feel thirsty, which will make it drink the water it needs.
@alddeda