The DIY Equestrian : You can lead a horse to water...

Summer is definitely upon us. It's hot hot HOT out there! Here in South Central Texas we are reaching temperatures in the 100° mark with miserable humidity and ridiculous indexes. Riding outside in the sun must be completed by 10AM as not to risk heatstroke. Even still, we sweat, we are sticky, we are red and exhausted....we are slathered in a mixture of sunscreen, sweat, alfalfa and dust. At the end of the day, I am definitely ready for a shower.

All of this hot weather reminds me of the old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink". It's true, we can't force our horse to hydrate, but there are things we can do to encourage him to wet the ol' whistle.

How much does a horse drink in a day anyway? An average healthy horse should slerp up 5 to 10 gallons every day. A horse in a strenuous exercise program may drink more. Know your horse's regular drinking pattern. If you use old fashioned buckets and tubs like I do, you'll have a good idea of how much he drinks or if he stops drinking. Always have fresh, cool, clean water available for your horse. Nobody wants hot water in the summer, so check the temperature of outdoor tubs, making certain they are cool and clear.

Staying hydrated is key for both you and your equine buddy to feel good and have good workouts together. I admit that I prefer to reach for a cold Dr. Pepper, but I know water hydrates me and keeps me going in extreme heat. Your horse may not want to drink water either, but there are a few tricks that may persuade him to guzzle a gallon.

I add Equine Electrolytes to my horse's feed. Twice daily. Every day. Year round. Each horse gets 1 teaspoon of electrolytes top dressed onto the grain ration, morning and evening. The electrolytes are salty in taste and encourage a quick quinch at mealtime. They also help to replace minerals lost through sweat that are vital for your horse to perform at his best. Some picky eaters will nibble around the odd tasting electrolyte powder. No problem! Just add a dab of molasses and put your electrolyte powder on top....mix well into the grain...Picky Eater becomes pleased with a sweet treat.

Another fun idea to encourage drinking is simply adding fresh apples or carrots to the water tub. Assuming your trusty steed likes these healthy treats, anyways. Apples and carrots float and encourage the horse to investigate. That often leads to the challenge of getting a hold of said treat....zoo keepers would call this Enrichment. It's a way to change up your horse's everyday boring water and make it fun! This often leads to head dunking, splashing, pawing and bubble blowing. All the play leads to water consumption, but also gives Mr. Ed something to think about.

I hope you have fun scrubbing buckets this weekend and remember to try a few ideas to keep Flicka drinking water, and staying cool. (As if they weren't super cool already) Of course, call you veterinarian if you believe your horse is not drinking enough. Cheers!