horses & water query

[rubysmum]

due to a potential welfare case that i may become involved in, i need some basic information re water & horses
1. what is the base line minimum water required on a daily[ ie 24 hr period] basis by a horse in a paddock at this time of year
2. after what period of time [ days/hrs etc] would lack of access to any drinking water become a welfare issue
3. should a welfare case go live, what would be the position of any YO/YM if DIY liveries were found to not have met the base line water requirements of their horses
4. are there any potential issues with 3rd parties giving water to horses who have been without for some days

many, many thanks for your help

 

[highlandponygirl]

A horse should have access to atleast 20l of water per day. It would become an issue within a few days. even though there is moisture contnent in grass, it is nowhere near enough to sustain a horse, especially in the heat, 60% of a horses body weight is made up of water. Imo it is the YOs responsibility to keep check on the wellfair of its liveries. I dont see there being a real issue with regards to giving the horse water, but it would have to be done carefully as a horse who has sudden access to plenty of water after having none is at risk of colic.

 

[MissTyc]

Ideally I like to see horses with ad lib access to water, but realistically a good drink two or three times a day is sufficient for most horses, providing they are able to intake their required 20-40l of water/24 hours (depending on what else they are intaking, weather, exercise, etc). My horses have ad lib access but I note they come for a drink in the water, then have a small drink (5l ish) after work, and then they come back to the trough in the evening (they live out) ... so with ad lib access they only really drink 2-3 times every day! In the olden days I remember riding schools that used to run round offering water in stables two times a day as the horses were kept without. again, not my ideal, but probably not a welfare issue if the horses are used to this routine.

 

[hayinamanger]

Horses drink something like 20-30 litres of water daily, clean water should be available at all times. The only circumstances in which water could be witheld are cases under veterinary direction.