Water: Much overlooked

[Shammy Davis]

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.asp ... 174&src=VW

You have to register w/The Horse site to view links. It's free and they have great facts and resources.

[ArchDandy]

I often wonder how I can make water more "appetizing". I can't imagine the metal auto waterer is the best option out there. Could horses- like cats- prefer running water?

[Shammy Davis]

I add about 1/4 cup of salt to each meal. That makes the water very appetizing.

[griff]

Shammy Davis

We humans are told to limit our intake of salt and I wonder if mixing a half cup of salt with your daily feed might be forcing too much salt on your horse[s].

I free choice 20/20 minerials and believe a horse will tailor his intake to his needs.

griff

[Shammy Davis]

Griff: Horses are six to ten times heavier than we humans. A 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salt is really not that much.

Humans are told to reduce their sugar intake also. I don't see the sweet feed manufacturers reducing the amount of molasses in their horse products.

We often think of our horses in human terms. That may be ineffective. The horses digestion is less timely and efficient than the human system and stress plays a greater role in equine digestive problems than it does in the human.

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/f ... eqsalt203/

It looks like I'm may be using slightly more than is recommended by this article, but I'm comfortable w/that.

I've been using this feeding method for over 20 years w/no bad results.

Best wishes.

[ArchDandy]

Huge ammounts of sugar are bad for hooves- I don't feed sweet feed. I have a large salt block in the outdoor pen and I feed the most comprehensive mineral supplement out there- I was just pondering ways to encourage drinking without making them thirsty.

[Shammy Davis]

You might be alright in the warmer seasons and climates, but if you have frigid winters, you may have some problems. Dehydration is a major cause of impaction colic. A horse can go 21 days without food, but no longer than three days without water. What Griff suggests is working for him and we both live within four hours of each other, so his comments maybe valid. I'm not saying he is wrong.

http://horses.about.com/od/basiccare/a/water.htm

This link might help answer your question.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Equine-Water- ... id=1338304


I maintain the same diet throughout the year for a number of reasons, but most importantly horses are creatures of habit and I don't want to do anything to get them off their feed. Changing diets can get complicated.