Encouraging drinking away from home

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StraightForward
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Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby StraightForward » Sun Sep 05, 2021 2:41 pm

Next weekend we'll be hauling ~4 hours away and staying two nights for a show. This will be Miss Annabelle's longest trip, as I realized she was born about 20 miles away and has never in her 8 years been out of the valley. For day trips, she is not usually interested in drinking, but she did drink when I stabled her one night for a show, and also when she was quarantined at the vet hospital waiting for Strangles lab results (3 days I think). So maybe I am worrying needlessly, but do want to plan ahead on getting her to drink.

It looks like the weather will be pretty mild - probably mid to upper 70's down to mid 40's at night. I have a 25 gallon water tank in my trailer, so I can bring water from home. I'm going to pick up a tube of electrolyte paste, and figured that I could soak her feed. She is not a picky eater at all, but I'll give the soaked feed a test run this week just to make sure. I'll be able to get to a grocery or feed store from the show grounds, so I can get other supplies if needed.

Just wondering what others do to encourage a healthy intake of water, or how to intervene if they really aren't drinking.
Keep calm and canter on.

Tanga
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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby Tanga » Sun Sep 05, 2021 5:39 pm

I wouldn't worry. It sounds like very mild conditions. If you're worried, do the skin pinch test. If you really want to make sure, you can add salt to her feed. I don't think I've ever had a horse get dehydrated no matter how hot it got.
Last edited by Tanga on Mon Sep 06, 2021 2:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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StraightForward
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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby StraightForward » Sun Sep 05, 2021 7:38 pm

Good to know you haven't had problems. I'm sure if I don't worry about this, I'll think of something else. :P
Keep calm and canter on.

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby blob » Sun Sep 05, 2021 8:24 pm

A couple things that might help:

Some people take water from home so taste is consistent
Some horses like Gatorade or apple juice mixed in with their water (I would test this at home)
Giving salt can encourage drinking
I give my horses beet pulp at shows and make it very soupy. Because it's just forage, it's safe to feed and I like it too make up some for the moisture-rich grass forage they'd be getting at home with 12 hr turnout. Also they love it

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby exvet » Sun Sep 05, 2021 8:58 pm

I bring water from home. Buckets are from home and have that familiar smell - Junior recognizes HIS buckets. Living where I do, all are already on electrolytes which encourages drinking. I also soak their feed (hay pellets) so they get some hydration due to slurping up their ration balancer mixed with hay pellets. I have one hay water dunker; so, he typically takes care of himself no matter what.

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby Chisamba » Sun Sep 05, 2021 11:06 pm

I have taught horses to enjoy Gatorade laced water. it does have the dual positive of encouraging drinking and giving electrolytes

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby piedmontfields » Sun Sep 05, 2021 11:35 pm

If she is not on electrolytes, add before the show and continue (I like Apple-a-Day; I actually use it year round).

Consider providing a familiar salt block, too, in her show stall.

Other advice about flavors/home stuff is good.

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StraightForward
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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby StraightForward » Mon Sep 06, 2021 12:33 am

Thanks. I do feed electrolytes. She has an auto waterer but I could put a water bucket in her stall and see if she drinks from it.
Keep calm and canter on.

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby heddylamar » Mon Sep 06, 2021 3:29 am

Add electrolytes, soak food, and bring some water from home. Otherwise, don't worry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby Moutaineer » Tue Sep 07, 2021 3:01 am

I'm tired and emotional, and don't need to be encouraged to drink away from home.

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StraightForward
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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby StraightForward » Tue Sep 07, 2021 3:14 am

Moutaineer wrote:I'm tired and emmotional, and don't need to be encouraged yo drink away from home.


I'm only bringing one bottle of wine, to limit my own drinking away from home. :lol:
Keep calm and canter on.

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby khall » Tue Sep 07, 2021 1:00 pm

How I do it here in the south where we can have temperature extremes is to add in a couple of handfuls of triple crown senior feed to warm water. Also known as crack water. Feeding Bermuda hay it is imperative that they drink and they find this to help most horses that I care for. I do this routinely in the winter so mine are quite used to it. Having lost a mare to impaction in the colon I do no take hydration lightly bring on Bermuda hay

Have fun!

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby Sue B » Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:10 pm

I'm with Moutaineer. Drinking away from home should be done with caution!

I think having Annabell drink from your show bucket before leaving for the show would be a good idea so she's not looking for the auto waterer. Some horses I've had to flavor the water ahead of time, most drank just fine, however. I do bring my own water if I'm at all concerned about pickiness. Lad was the worst, he once went 24hrs without drinking at a show; I wound up "sleeping" next to his stall, feeding mash, soaking hay etc. Not the funnest night on record, there were several thunderstorms and I was soaked. He finally polished off his bucket at like 4 in the morning and the mashes kept his gi tract moving, so all was fine by the time we left. Then again, Lad never was a good traveler.

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Re: Encouraging drinking away from home

Postby heddylamar » Tue Sep 07, 2021 11:15 pm

The auto waterer definitely changes things! I used khall's crack water successfully with one horse, another mare turned her nose up at that and far prefered bobbing for water bucket hay and apples. With her attention on me, I'd put a generous handful of hay in her water bucket, add water, and hand it over. Ditto with apples. It really depended on her mood which she'd go for — another redheaded mare :lol:


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