4 Ways to Encourage Your Horse to Drink Water

Many horse owners worry their horse isn't drinking enough water. Water helps your horse digest food and absorb essential nutrients. It's also a necessary aspect of regulating body temperature. Every horse needs about 8 to 12 gallons of water a day, and without sufficient water, they will not perform at their best. If your horse isn't drinking enough water, we have a few tips to encourage their water drinking.

1)      Make sure plenty of water is available.

It seems like an obvious tip, but it can be easy to overlook. You need to make sure your horse has access to water at all times. Make it available to your horse inside the stall, and in the pasture. Check troughs and buckets a few times throughout the day to make sure it isn't tainted or empty. If you use automatic water, double-check it's giving your horse enough water as needed. Also, buckets must be cleaned daily, and tanks cleaned weekly.

2)      Flavor the water.

There are plenty of ways to make water more appealing to your horse. Many people will add flavor to the water, such as apple cider vinegar, apple juice, or a fruit-flavored sports drink. However, you decide to flavor the water, start with a small amount so your horse can get used to the taste. Another benefit to flavoring the water is that when you go to trade shows, your horse may be more likely to drink unfamiliar water.

3)      Add salt to their diet.

Salt naturally improves a horse's thirst for water and helps with water retention. It's also essential to digestive health as well. While you don't want to overdo the salt intake, you can add about a teaspoon twice a day to the grain. Start small, of course, so your horse gets used to the taste. You may also consider adding a salt and mineral block that hangs somewhere near their feed. Speak to your vet about which salt block is right for your horse.

4)      Pay attention to the water temperature.

The temperature of your horse's water can make a difference as to how much your horse drinks. The ideal drinking water temperature is around 50°F. So, if it's the summertime, keep the water trough and bucket out of the sun. In the winter, make sure it's warmed up. If there is a situation where you don't have access to a power source to regulate temperature, use straw bales around the tank for insulation and put a cover over it to keep it from freezing over at night.

With these tips, you should notice your horse increasing their water intake. However, if none of these ideas work, and you notice signs of dehydration in your horse, contact your veterinarian.