Q & A With Stacey 

Q:  My horses share their water trough and on hot days I often see them standing around the trough. I�m concerned that the less dominant horses won�t have enough access to the water and may become dehydrated during hot summer days. How do I know when my horse has become dehydrated and what are the best methods to prevent it?


A: Horses are well equipped to conserve water on hot days, as long as no extra strain is put on their bodies. If your other horses seem to be guarding the trough, I don't think you have much to worry about, they can't stand in one spot 24/7 so although your less dominant horses may be thirsty, it is unlikely they will become dehydrated.

Horses who lose excessive ammounts of water fast are more likely to become dehyrated. Horses who are sweating profusely for long periods of time or have diarrhea are at the top of the list of those at risk.

In order to determine if your horse is dehydrated, lift his top lip and press on his gums, if it takes longer than 3 seconds for the colour to return or better yet his gums feel tacky or dry, its time to call the vet! Some people like to use the "skin tent" method by which you pinch up some skin on the fron tof the shoulder and count how long it takes the skin to return to normal. If the skin remains "tented" for more than 2 seconds, this is though to indicate dehydration, although studies have proven this is not the most reliable method.

In order to prevent dehydration in your horses, maybe you need to set up a seperate watering station for the less dominant horses. Provide lots of clean water and shade from the hot sun, and of course don't work them so hard that they're covered in sweat if they don't have access to all the water they feel they need.

Your local veterinarian is always a good source of information as well should you have any concerns.