Horse Hydration is a MUST
by Karen Tharp on 07/11/11Brad here, I thinks it's time for me to do another Blog so here it is.
Been hotter than hot around here the past few days but work still has to be done. So how does the heat effect your horse? Well, it's 3 times harder on your horse than it is for you. Here's why.
The most comfortable temperature for people is between 70 and 80 degrees. For horses, they are most comfortable at 45-55 degrees. So when the thermometer is hitting 109 as it has the past two days, horses NEED lots of water to stay hydrated. These animals weigh about five times that of there owners. Therefore, if they consume 10 gallons of water on a normal day, they are going to need 12 - 15 gallons in this kind of heat and that's just while grazing in the pasture.
Let's think about this from the standpoint that you're using this horse on a daily basis. A horse that's sweating heavily will loose 1.5 gallon of moisture in an hour. That's 12 pounds of weight lost every hour. Without stopping for water, your horse will die in 3-4 hours of steady working. Please take the time to re-hydrate your horse then take the time to re-hydrate yourself. An easy rule of thumb is "when you need a drink, so does your cayuse."
Happy Trails and Stay Cool!!
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