HELP!!! Horse won't drink ANYTHING when in the stable!!

[maesmynatchmidnight]

Hello, I am looking for some friendly advice.
I have just bought a rising 3 y/o from a stud. He has spent his life living in a herd of colts - in summer turned out, and in winter in a cow shed. He had never been stabled alone until I bought him.
When I bought him he had to be quarantined in the stable for a week to ensure that he had not caught strangles which was going around Wales at the time. He coped really well with this experience. He ate all of his hay, he drank his water, he was seen lying down and sleeping, his poo and wee were perfectly normal etc. In other words he was absolutely fine and as comfortable as possible in his new surroundings.
However since then he is turned out over night and gets brought in during the day. Usually 12-6. During this time he still has a rest, he still eats all of his hay, he still has perfectly healthy wee and poo etc BUT HE WON'T DRINK. Every evening his water bucket is untouched.
The water on the yard is collected rain water and it is used in both the fields and the stables. I am also using the same buckets as when he first arrived, so same colour and size etc. When it does come to turning him out in to the field again he gallops over to the trough and spends five minutes or longer drinking.
I don't know what to do, particularly as it has been so hot this week!
Thank you x

 

[Goldenstar]

I would not worry some of my horses go much longer than this without drinking when they are not working hard.

 

[xpkEcho]

How odd... I absolutely understand your worry! Have you tried a different bucket in the stable? Maybe putting the bucket in a different spot in the stable? I'd try putting some tasty liquid in the water to make it more interesting for him. Good luck!

 

[_HP_]

Is there lots of grass...he could be getting enough from that. Or are you soaking hay?
If he's otherwise healthy and acting normally I wouldn't worry too much...he'll be getting his fill at night.
You could try watching him to see if he goes straight to the trough to drink when you turn him out

 

[Nappy Croc]

http://www.derbyhouse.co.uk/horse-quencher?gclid=CPHC5ou0ms0CFeIp0wodcMUOAQ

 

[maesmynatchmidnight]

There is no grass in the field hence why he has to be brought in for a couple of hours, particularly as his a growing boy. The hay doesn't need soaking and is fed ad lib. But other than that he is very healthy and happy. His skin and hooves are looking great, his personality is really coming through and he is seems very content in his new surroundings and is showing no apparent signs of distress - he even whinnies every time he sees me, which is why it's so odd that he's not drinking!?

 

[be positive]

Not drinking for 6 hours in the stable would not worry me unduly but the fact he is obviously very thirsty when he goes out and then drinks so deeply would be of some concern especially if he is eating a fair amount of hay while in the box.

I would make up a very sloppy soup of grassnuts or speedibeet literally a few handfuls in a bucket of water, maybe start with less water and gradually increase it so it is more diluted and see if that is more tempting, it will be much the same as the quenchers and at far less expense, when one of mine was not drinking he took on the sloppy feed but was not interested in the various flavoured water I tried and I tried many different things over the course of 2 months.

 

[maesmynatchmidnight]

He's on a sloppy mix of speedibeet, alfalfa, grassnuts (once the bag has run out he'll come off these), linseed and forageplus balancer so shall I keep him on that then to help get extra liquid in to him?

 

[Damnation]

Me personally? I'd dunk a few apples in his water bucket to play with and soak his hay if you are worried.

If he has access to water in the field I wouldn't worry too much. My mare in the summer if she comes in during the day barely eats or drinks but she is perfectly healthy, just takes the opportunity to have a snooze!

 

[_GG_]

If one of the herd horses here comes in for anything, the hay gets soaked quickly to ensure hydration and any feeds given if the need to be, are very sloppy as it's quite normal for field kept horses to just forget to go and drink when in a stable, so its good practise to avoid colic and dehydration. For 6 hours, it wouldn't worry me too much. Going to the trough on turnout may be a routine thing. My herds here, both herds who can't see each other, move around through the day...they all walk to the trough around 6am, 11am, 6pm and 10:30pm. I swear I could set my watch by them. If any of them are in the stables during one of these times, when turned out, they all always go further a drink from the trough before going off to find the herd. They're just catching up with routine as they won't go back to the trough until the next time the herd does.

Try not to worry too much if the urine is still looking normal.

 

[11bluewolf]

Apple juice in water may get him to drink, also soak hay and watery feeds as already said

 

[Snuffles]

Mine doesnt often drink his water in the stable overnight in winter but then gulps down great bucketfuls when hes turned out.
Fresh water, clean buckets, dont know what his problem is

 

[eggs]

I wouldn't worry. When mine are in at night and out during the day in winter they will drink in their stables but now that they come in for a few hours during the day and go out at night none of them seem to drink in their stables but all go to the field trough when they get turned out.

When they were youngsters and out in the big field I noticed that they tended to all come down once a day flat out to the trough, have a drink and then disappear back up the field.

 

[stormox]

my horse has an automatic drinker in his stable, the second I turn him out he goes straight to the trough for a drink, and its the same water!! I wouldnt worry about yours if his faeces and skin are normal

 

[indie1282]

If my two are in by day for a few hours this time of year they never drink the water in their stables - even though its fresh right before they come in and I'm super fussy about clean buckets - they always drink from the trough in the field every time! Even though thats warm and been in the sun they just prefer it.

In the winter they drink their bucket in the stable and always have some left in the morning but again , they go straight to the trough and drink lol. I guess that's just what they like :-D

 

[_GG_]

If my two are in by day for a few hours this time of year they never drink the water in their stables - even though its fresh right before they come in and I'm super fussy about clean buckets - they always drink from the trough in the field every time! Even though thats warm and been in the sun they just prefer it.

In the winter they drink their bucket in the stable and always have some left in the morning but again , they go straight to the trough and drink lol. I guess that's just what they like :-D

They might know better...warm water helps hydration more than cold water does

 

[Embo]

Mine goes out almost 24/7 in summer, coming in for breakfast and then again in the afternoon around 3pm for a snooze, dinner, & exercise. I arrive at 4.30pm most days and am turning him back out by 7.30pm so he's only in for around 4/5 hours.

He will only drink from the trough in the field or the water in the big bucket used to soak hay. He has zero interest in fresh, clean water from the tap (whether cold or warm!). The water in his stable is changed everyday as normal, but I only put a small amount in knowing he won't touch it...

When he comes in over winter and turnout is reduced, he goes back to drinking from his bucket.

I wouldn't worry too much if everything else seems normal and you are soaking hay/wetting feeds down as well.

 

[Theocat]

Have you tried filling a bucket from the trough?

 

[Honey08]

My two come in for 12 hours a day in summer, at the moment overnight but shortly in during the day. They barely drink anything at all. I throw the previous day's un drunk water over their haynets and refil their buckets.

 

[dollyanna]

My two are drinking surprisingly little at the moment, they have very little obvious grass although it is growing (compared to areas outside their reach) but are getting hay cobs in their feeders and eating dry hay as and when they want to, but probably only drinking one small bucket worth each per day, if that. Brought them in today and they haven't touched their water beyond maybe the top inch between 2 of them, but have eaten 4 sections of dry hay between them. I usually just monitor but leave them to it, they know what they're doing and will drink when they need to. I'd worry more if they went 24hrs without drinking while stabled than 6hrs, if you know they drink in the field.