Getting a horse to drink more - Any tips??

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hetty

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Hi All,
Just wondered if you guys might have any tips on how to get a horse to drink more water??
Have tried apple juice in his water and "apple-lyte". Have recently started putting a little sugar beet in the water which has had the best results so far, but i still don't feel he is drinking anywhere near enough.
His droppings are still quite hard. I am also soaking his hay to try and get water into him that way.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated
 
NAF pink powder is the cheap and easy (and palatable) way to get the biggest improvement in poo, it helps their tums make best use of the food and keep it settled. To increase water intake as well, a little salt in the feed (A teaspoon once a day, just for a few days) will also help. It makes them thirsty enough to actually start drinking, and then they drink plenty. The two things together really helped my chap (haylage also helps as it already has some water in it)
 
Thanks for the speedy response!
Have tried electrolytes in his water but he wasn't very keen!! Should i pop them in his feed instead?
Haven't tried salt in his feed, am just a little unsure about trying this as he recently had an episode of gassy colic - prob coz he's not drinking enough! Can it do any harm?? And if not how much would i pop in his feed? He weighs around 500kg
 
try putting the electrolytes in his feed, the salt can't do him any harm
i live in south africa and its seriously hot here at the moment. but all through summer i give my horses about a tablespoon of salt every night
 
You can put a bucket of really well dilluted, wet sugarbeet in his stable over night, we had to do this with a horse that didn't drink, but he would slurp at the bucket of sugar beet :)

Also agree with electrolytes, salt and pink powder in his feed.
 
I too would add salt to his feed. Mine get salt added regulary now as I've finally been convinced that horses need more salt than they can get from licks etc.
Check with the vet if you're concerned. It's the most simple way too if the vet agrees.
 
no that amount of salt wont make him more colicky, if anything much less so as he will drink properly and that will help stop his system bunging up. Like anything, intro the salt gradually but I found even with my 17 hh hunter, a teaspoon in evening feed had a positive effect.

Pink powder you can intro as directed on the tub, you start with a bit more then reduce but the amounts are still tiny and it will definitely help make colic less likely as its all about giving the gut the things it needs to work properly. It looks costly for a small tub but it lasts AGES as the measure thing is tiny, much cheaper than other balancers etc and horses dont even notice it's in the feed...
 
NAF Pink powder is a miracle supplement! worth every penny.

At shows we have 1 who wont drink, we put chunks of apple in a bucket. I find apple juice didn't work but if he watches you put the apple in he gulps a bit of water and slowly we have broken the habit.

The sugar beet water always works as well but find that a bit of a pain away from home. If you put electolytes or apple juice etc in his water, always make sure he has a second bucket of "plain" water otherwise he may become more fussy
 
A little salt added once a day to his feed will help - and yes, many horses will refuse to drink water with electrolytes in them, so it's important to always supply a 'clean' bucket of water alongside.

However, the best thing I've found to tempt them is indeed sugar beet water. Again, make sure you also supply a 'clean' bucket alongside.
 
When you scrub his buckets out are you sure there is no trace of soap etc? Strangely oh mare won't drink out of freshly scrubbed buckets with fresh water in, but will drink out of her field trough when it's due a clean out! One thing I think it might be is that the buckets are scrubbed out and then filled with new water it can smell a tiny bit of the chlorine from the water. When they have sat for a couple of hours the slight smell goes and she will drink normally!
Well soaked hay and sloppy speedi beet are good ideas to get some more water into him.
Also, are you sure he needs more water? Harder droppings and gassy colic might not be because of lack of water. Have you considered putting him on a probiotic. My mare seems to have rather a senstive constitution and gets gassy colic at the drop of a hat. She is on YeaSacc now and it has made a big diff. I get it from here http://www.naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk/?p=product&key=0901227913 you only feed a v small amount so it is economical to feed.
 
I agree with above. My mare was operated on twice last month for colic and vet said to give her YeaSacc now she is home just to make sure all keeps moving. I also give her Epsom salts.
 
I'd second the yea sacc and make sure he is getting enough fibre (hay, haylage). I worry a bit about stuff in drinking water in case it puts them off altogether myself so if you do add anything as Amymay suggests give 'clean' water as well.
I also worry about giving 'sweet' water, sugars are not the best for horses and definitely not their digestion as they can upset the gut flora balance.
 
Put a whole apple in the water bucket. Most horses seem pretty crap at apple bobbing, but seem to figure out that if they drink all the water, then they can bite the apple when it gets to the bottom of the bucket. Simples! Worked with my old horse :)
 
Thanks so much for all your help and tips, it really is very much appreciated.
We dont know for definite what caused the colic but i figured getting him to drink more certainly couldnt do him any harm - I hope!
At his worst he drinks no more than 3 litres a day :eek:
Will try the salt and see what happens, is ordinary table salt ok or do i need something special??
A prebiotic also sounds like a good idea and not too expensive either which is always good!!
And i'll see how good at apple bobbing he is tonight!! :)
Thanks again
 
If he is eating grass and wet feed as well as soaked hay he might not need more than that. They get alot of moisture from their food and now the weather is cooler he just might not need so much.
 
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