Winter Hydration for Your Horse
This winter has been a particularly cold one for much of the country. During this time of year, horses’ access to fresh grass is compromised, and because hay has a lower moisture content than pasture grass, horses need to drink more water. The cold weather also reduces movement, with horses often being exercised less and/or spending more time in stalls. All of these winter weather consequences combined can affect gut motility.
The GI tract of horses requires water to digest fiber via fermentation and move food through the tract; therefore, gut motility depends on adequate hydration.
DIY: Increasing hydration for your horse in the winter
Encouraging your horse to consume more water doesn’t have to be difficult; all you need is a bucket, some water, and a few simple ingredients to make an enticing, hydrating concoction.
WINTER HYDRATION RECIPE:
Soaked hay cubes:
Throw ten or so alfalfa or Timothy cubes in a bucket and let them soak in warm water. Soaked forage pellets (alfalfa, sainfoin, Timothy, or orchard grass) also work well in this mixture.
Salt:
Salt:Once the cubes are soaked, top off the bucket with more water and add ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt. I prefer Celtic sea salt, because it doesn’t have the high iron content of Himalayan salt.
Most commercial feeds provide salt, but it may not be enough for horses in cold weather (or high heat and humidity, for that matter). It’s best to aim for a minimum of 2 tablespoons of salt intake per day for your horse. For general maintenance of salt intake, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt to their feed once or twice per day.
Important note: Salt blocks should be offered in addition to what your horse regularly intakes, and he/she should always have access to a bucket of fresh water.
Sweeteners (Optional):
Sweeteners (Optional):If you need to add something sweet to encourage your horse to drink, you can add apple juice, apple slices, or a pinch of monk fruit powder.
Monk fruit has been used for centuries in China as a traditional medicine for both respiratory and digestive support. Because it does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels, monk fruit is safe for metabolic horses to consume.
Peppermint (Optional):
Peppermint (Optional):For added GI support, you can incorporate liquid peppermint extract (alcohol-free) or dried, crushed peppermint leaves. Bonus: horses love the taste!
This method of hydration encouragement should be given in addition to your horse’s regular feed and hay. It is best served in a bucket or ground feeder (so that your horse is eating with his head low/as if he were grazing).
Fast hydration & whole-body support
One of the quickest ways to increase hydration is with BioStar’s Alixir EQ™ paste, which offers the added benefit of systemic support.
Alixir EQ™ provides:
Barley grass and sea vegetables (Alaria esculenta): Supplies minerals and antioxidants.
Medical grade, micro-crystalized aloe: Provides gut lining support.
Camu camu (Amazon rainforest fruit): Supplies important antioxidants for recovery like flavonoids and vitamin C.
Rock sap extract: Adds the benefits of its high concentration of fulvic and humic acids. Rock sap extract has been used for over three thousand years in Ayurvedic medicine and is known as a rasayana or “rejuvenator.”
Administer one tube once or twice per day to help your horse stay hydrated during the winter months.
Alixir EQ™ uses the oral transmucosal pathway, providing fast delivery of the formula to the horse’s systemic circulatory system.
Click Here to Shop Alixir EQ™!
Frozen water buckets and outdoor troughs: an effective solution
Nothing says “winter” like breaking through a layer of ice in a water bucket or trough. With innovations like built-in stall bucket heaters, insulated water bucket covers, and effective barn insulation that keeps pipes from freezing (also, not to mention, the elusive heated barn), frozen water buckets inside the barn are becoming less of an issue.
However, outdoor troughs remain a challenge for many, and persistently frozen-over water troughs hinder our horses’ abilities to stay hydrated.
My farm manager came up with a solution for our outdoor troughs this past fall, and it has saved us from a winter full of hacking ice out with hammers/spades/crow bars and a string of swear words. His method:
HeatTrak® Heated Stair Mat. Photo courtesy of HeatTrak.com
Wrap the sides of the water troughs with insulated packing material (I had some left over from shipments of frozen dog food).
Place HeatTrak® heated snow and ice melting stair mats underneath the troughs.
Bury the heated stair mats’ lines.
Until the air temperature is below 10º F, those heated mats have kept the water from freezing. Once the temperature dips below 10º F, a thin layer of ice does form; however, it’s certainly preferable to the arctic chunks we’d normally be arguing with.
These mats have been a lifesaver!
Don’t forget your own hydration
About 75% of the brain is made up of water.
Muscle tissue is up to 79% water.
Many fitness experts have reported a 10% decrease in muscle strength and performance when the muscle is dehydrated by 3%.
So, while you’re out braving the brutal cold of this winter, remember to drink plenty of water.
Tip: Room temperature water is absorbed more quickly by the body than either cold or hot water.
About the Author: With over 30 years experience in the equine and human supplement industry, Tigger Montague knows nutrition from the synthetic side as well as the whole food side. She started BioStar US in 2006 with formulas she created in her kitchen. Before she started the company, she was an avid rider and competitor with eventing and show jumping, until she got hooked on dressage in the late 1980’s. She has competed on horses she’s owned and trained all the way from training level to Grand Prix.
