The importance of water is often overlooked when thinking of the key nutrients that are consumed by horses. It is therefore worthwhile to look at the important role water plays, factors that can affect consumption, and why it is important to have a clean and abundant source for your horse.
The role of water in horses
We know that water is an essential element and that no living organism is capable of existing without it. Science tells us that an adult horse’s body is comprised of almost 70% water. Most of this water is concentrated in the individual cells of the body and of course comprises a key component of blood. Water plays a vital role in many physiological activities including:
- Utilisation and digestion of nutrients
- Regulating body temperature
- Muscle contraction strength
- Joint lubrication
- Waste elimination (urinating & defecating)
These activities give a clear indication as to the role water plays in everyday functions and activities. And when we look at these, we can understand why a poorly hydrated horse runs an increased risk of developing colic (that dreaded word again!)
Factors influencing amount of water required
Whilst we have touched on why water is important; it is also necessary to look at some of the factors that affect the amount of water required by horses (or the volume of water consumed). The general size of the horse will affect the level of consumption, and most horses will typically require somewhere between 3 and 7 litres for every 100kg of body weight.
After a horse’s size, the second biggest impact on consumption levels is performance level or workload. Performance animals need 1.5-2 times more water than a horse at pasture. This increased demand is driven by a number of factors, including perspiration (sweating), respiration, higher feed intake, and increased urination. Performance animals, whilst also requiring more water also have an absolute need for electrolyte replacement. Increased levels of sweating in performance animals (at all levels from pony club to Olympic-level competition) result in the loss of substantial quantities of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, etc) that need to be replaced. Choosing a good electrolyte for use during recovery and the immediate aftermath of competition is essential, but we will look at that in more detail in a future discussion. Temperature and humidity impact consumption levels as well as potentially influence the degree of sweating.
For example: the volume of water required for a 500kg horse could range from 15 to 35 litres per day. Allowing for performance requirements, this increases to a range of 25 to 70 litres per day (depending on the animal in question) – that’s a lot of buckets to be filling up!
Obviously, this is an extremely large quantity of water and would require a horse to spend vast quantities of time drinking. Thankfully all forages and feedstuffs will have a certain moisture content and this goes some way to meeting the water demands of the individual horse. A horse at grass in Springtime meets most of its water demands from grazing alone. At this time of year, it is typical for grass to have a moisture concentration of 75-80%. This alters at different times of the year and as the moisture concentration decreases, the need to drink more increases. Typically, a horse fed on hay needs to visit the water drinker more regularly than a horse at pasture.
In turning our attention directly to what is in the water bowl/trough/bucket, there are a few important questions to answer:
- Is it fresh?
- Is it clean?
- Is it abundant?
- And finally, and most importantly, would you drink it yourself?
Importance of water quality
The final question is one of the more significant ones; if you would not readily drink from your horse’s drinker, how, or rather why, should we expect them to do so? Visual contamination with leaves, algae or faecal matter is easy to identify, however, there are many micro-organisms and bacteria lurking in our water supplies that are not necessarily detectable to the human eye. Some of the more problematic bacteria can create something called a biofilm which acts to protect the bacteria and provides a means of growth and development.
Biofilm: what is it?
Stagnant water and water pipes are prime locations for this to occur. In some cases, we can visually see the build-up of biofilm in water pipes as cruddy material. This can become so extensive that it can affect water flow. In this case, just imagine how many bacteria are making their way into your horse’s water drinker/trough and their digestive system! These biofilm-producing bacteria can cause quite a degree of illness if consumed in large enough quantities. They not only can make the water look dirty or murky but can result in an unusual taste. All-in-all this can result in your horse not wanting to drink the quantity of water they need.
So, what we can determine from this brief discussion is the importance of providing a clean source of water that is available in sufficient supply for your horse’s individual needs. And if you still don’t think you would drink from your horse’s water trough, then maybe it’s worthwhile getting their water tested. Afterall, water is the source of all life!
Ian Rountree MVB
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