Horses

Horse Water Requirements and Dehydration Prevention

Adequate water intake is fundamental to horse health and welfare, with dehydration causing colic, reduced performance, and serious physiological stress.

Key Facts

Horses require 25-55 liters of water per day depending on size, diet, and workload
Working horses in hot weather can need 60-100+ liters per day
Horses prefer water at 10-15 degrees C - very cold or warm water reduces voluntary intake
Automatic waterers must be checked daily to ensure they are functioning and not contaminated
Dehydration causes reduced gut motility leading to impaction colic - a serious welfare emergency
Salt supplementation stimulates thirst and increases water intake in horses prone to dehydration

Welfare Considerations

Dehydration develops rapidly in horses under work or heat stress and has serious consequences including impaction colic. The welfare obligation is to ensure ad libitum access to clean, palatable water at all times. Common failures include frozen waterers in winter, contaminated troughs, automatic waterer malfunctions, and insufficient trough space for group-housed horses. Daily checking and maintenance of water supply is a basic animal husbandry requirement.

What You Can Do

Check all water sources daily including automatic waterers for flow and cleanliness
Provide at least 45 liters of water per horse per day as a baseline minimum
Monitor water intake by measuring or observing drinking behavior, especially after work
Add electrolytes after heavy exercise to stimulate drinking and replace salts lost in sweat
Insulate or heat water supplies in winter to prevent freezing
Scrub water troughs weekly to prevent algae and bacterial contamination