This unique course was developed by veterinarians at the world-renowned University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. The course will address horsemanship from a welfare perspective, within the context of “The Five Freedoms” of animal welfare. We’ll explore equine physiology, behavior and basic needs including housing, nutrition, hygiene and disease management. You’ll learn how to perform basic tasks to assess the overall condition of the horse and identify problem areas. We’ll also examine the specialized needs of the equine athlete and the major responsibilities we as owners, handlers or competitors must assume in order to ensure the health and welfare of our equine companions. Finally, we’ll look several special topics in equine welfare including disaster planning and the international welfare efforts now in place to protect working horses and other equids in key industries such as racing, international competition, tourism and even mining. By the conclusion of the course, you will be well equipped to develop a comprehensive welfare plan for any horses in your care.
The Importance of Hydration
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Equine Welfare and Management
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Maintaining Good Hydration and Nutrition
In this module, you will be able to discuss the water needs of a the horse. You will be able to manage and meet those needs in a variety of situations. You will be able to discuss dehydration and be able to test for a horse's level of hydration. You will be able to properly assess hydration status and will have some knowledge of ways to prevent and react to dehydration. You will be able to identify essential parts of a horse's digestive system. You will be able to discuss the characteristics of a horse's digestive system and be able to develop a nutritional plan suitable for your horse. You will be able to successfully communicate with your veterinarian about your horse's water and nutrition needs.
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Claudia Sonder, DVMEmeriti Director of Equine Outreach
Center for Equine Health
Welcome back. In this lesson,
we'll talk about the vital importance of water to the horse's welfare.
Water is the most essential nutrient for all living creatures.
A horse's body is approximately 65 percent water as
compared to the average human body which is roughly 50-60 percent water.
A horse's digestion is especially dependent on having
plenty of water because they eat a high-fiber diet.
When water consumption is diminished,
the horse quickly shows negative effects such as lethargy,
decreased manure output, and abdominal pain or colic.
Horses should have ample quantities of clean,
fresh water at all times.
Ideally, the horse will have free access to a continual supply of water.
There is one exception to this free access rule.
Horses should be cooled down prior to access to water after intense exercise.
With each gulp of water,
a horse will swallow about half of a pint.
You will notice the horse's ears move slightly forward with each swallow.
The horse uses his tongue to force the water to the back of his mouth.
An average 1,000-pound horse will drink
10-12 gallons of water during the course of a day.
The horse's stomach can hold three to four gallons of water at a time.
This is the maximum amount most horses can drink at any one time.
So you can see,
it is important for a horse to have access to water
continually or be offered water at least three times a day.
A more specific rule of thumb for a horse at rest in a cool environment,
expect consumption of about 0.3-0.8 gallons of water per 100 pounds of body weight.
Consumption of water will vary with weather.
It will increase especially at temperatures above 75 degrees.
Other factors that can cause variations in
water consumption include the amount of exercise,
the level of sweating,
types of feed that they have consumed,
and pregnancy or lactation.
High-fiber dry hay means higher water consumption,
whereas, moist, fresh grass pasture means lower water consumption.
Hot weather or sweat or lactation can double your horse's water needs.
There are a number of ways to provide water to horses,
including individual buckets, group water troughs,
or a non-stagnant natural water source.
The containers are usually clipped to the stall wall or paddock fence.
Some stables provide water with automatic waterers,
which work by the horse pressing a flap which
releases water into a small drinking reservoir.
If you use a freestanding container,
you should take precautions to make sure the container does not tip over.
Water containers should be inspected daily and cleaned weekly with
a stiff brush and can be sanitized as needed with diluted bleach and then well rinsed.
In warm weather, be especially sure to check for algae growth.
In cold climates, make sure the water is not frozen.
Some barns even have heated water buckets.
Not only do you need to make sure there is enough volume of water available to the horse,
you must continually make sure the horse has free access to
the water and that he or she is actually drinking.
It may seem obvious as you hear this,
but it is not uncommon to miss important clues that
the horse may not be taking in as much water as he or she should.
Water consumption should be checked a minimum of twice a day.
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself about water.
Is the bucket being refilled as needed?
Is the water clean and free from debris,
insects, rodents, or manure?
Yes, some horses have a habit of pooping in their water buckets.
Can the horse easily get his or her mouth to all levels in the bucket?
If you are using an automatic waterer,
is it functioning properly?
Does it work when there's no electricity?
If you live in a cold climate and use a heated bucket,
is there stray voltage shocking the horse?
Is there a bully horse keeping your horse from using a communal trough?
We'll learn more about this in a later lesson.
But for now, please note that not all horses get along with each other in groups.
A horse's health may be impacted by contaminants in the water.
Some may be obvious,
like a floating dead bird,
but others may be hidden,
like arsenic in the water supply.
If the horse is not drinking well,
it may be due to a change in the routine or water source.
Some horses are picky and want their usual water.
Changing the water container can also cause a horse to reduce water intake.
Some horses don't know how to use an automatic waterer,
and a bucket or container should always be placed with those horses.
Water that is too cold is a common problem for horses in colder climates.
One final reason a horse may stop drinking is a blocked esophagus.
This is a condition called, choke,
and can be caused by a bolus of food becoming lodged in the esophagus.
This requires veterinary intervention.
You may notice excessive salivation,
head tossing, or feed or water coming from the nostrils.
Let's talk for a moment about dehydration,
which can be a very serious condition.
Dehydration occurs when a horse is losing water faster than he or she can replace it,
or when they are not consuming enough water.
Causes can be related to not having access to
a water source or diminished intake because they do not feel well enough to drink.
Dehydration can also occur with increased loss of body fluids such as with diarrhea,
bleeding, or in rare cases, hypersalivation.
Other causes include increased need for water,
such as in certain kidney malfunction or metabolic abnormalities.
Systemic infections and toxins can also affect water need.
The general signs of dehydration include loss of
appetite and loss of interest in drinking,
decreased urine output, which can be manifested as a stall being drier than normal,
lethargy or a lack of activity,
and in severe cases, muscle twitching.
When a dehydrated horse is not treated,
it can lead to digestive abnormalities,
such as constipation or impaction or even diarrhea.
We can also see colic,
muscle spasms, severe lethargy,
incoordination, kidney failure, cardiac arrhythmias,
and even death in advanced cases of dehydration.
Unlike other species, horses can progress to dehydration very quickly.
Now let's talk about capillary refill time and gum color.
Those indices on a horse can tell us about the horse's circulation,
their hydration status, and give us
some idea of any metabolic conditions that can be going on.
In order to get capillary refill time and a look at gum color,
we need to approach the horse with the same practices of letting them know we're here,
making sure they have a receptive attitude towards us.
We're going to take one hand,
and we're going to study their head.
And again, when I do this,
I'm careful not to grip the holder, but just to hold it.
With the second hand,
I put my hand on their face to make sure they're receptive.
And then, I'm going to go ahead and lift his gum with my thumb,
and I'm going to go ahead and press on the gum just above
the tooth for one second and then let it go.
And I'm watching the skin blanch out,
and then the color come back.
And that color should come back within a second of you pushing on it.
Within one to two seconds is considered normal.
I'm also looking at the gum color.
The gum should be nice and bubblegum pink,
and it should be moist.
I should be able to slide my thumb across it without any resistance.
When I see a nice bubblegum pink color and a good capillary refill time,
that is one indicator that tells me that Joe's hydration status is appropriate.
The next finding that I will look for is jugular fill.
The horse has a nice large jugular vein that sits in a groove here on its neck.
And if I take my hand and I put pressure over both sides of the jugular vein,
you will see that the jugular vein rises immediately.
And when I let go, it falls.
That is called jugular fill.
And that is a second indicator that we use to assess hydration.
A normal horse will fill instantly and fall instantly when you let go.
A third indicator that I will use is skin trigger on the horse.
And when I'm assessing skin trigger,
I want to stay right over the shoulder blade where the skin is taut.
Some people are inclined to use this area up here,
but this can be a false indicator in a full oral horse who has extra skin.
So, I come right over the shoulder blade,
I pinch skin, and I let go.
And you can see that the skin falls immediately flat upon my releasing it.
Another indicator that I use which is actually one of the most sensitive is gut motility.
Horses have normal gurgling within their abdomen,
and that gurgling occurs every few seconds.
And we have found through research that gut motility is one of
the first things to change when we have a horse that's becoming dehydrated.
So if you have a stethoscope,
you're going to use the same practices.
You're going to make sure that your hand is on your side.
You're going to put your ear buds in facing forward,
and you're going to listen to the horse's abdomen.
And a normal horse is going to gurgle within seconds of you placing your stethoscope.
And I usually listen to the left upper,
left lower side and then eventually,
right upper and right lower.
So those four parameters will give you
a very good indication of the hydration of your horse.
Heart rate, we do use,
but we don't use it in our top four because
it can vary on excitement and on other ambient conditions.
And remember, the attitude of the horse is also an important indicator.
Like humans, a depressed horse is often a dehydrated horse.
A bright alert horse that's wanting to eat is usually not dehydrated.
So, these are the parameters of a normal horse.
We know that when we watch their respiratory rate,
it should be somewhere between eight and 18,
heart rate should be somewhere between 30 and 45,
and our temperature should be somewhere between 99 and 100.5.
Further examination of the dehydrated horse may show
these signs: pale and/or dry mucous membranes,
a slow capillary refill time that is greater than two seconds,
slow jugular fill time, not immediate,
poor skin tent, meaning the skin takes time to flatten over the shoulder blade,
and decreased gut motility, decreased activity.
Any condition that makes a horse feel bad or affects their oral comfort,
can impact the amount of water they consume.
Horses that are dehydrated may also show signs of colic.
More about this later.
Another reason for dehydration could be
any condition that prevents a horse from accessing water.
This can include a sore neck,
difficulty raising their head to water,
or any musculoskeletal condition that prevents them from walking to water.
If you are able to determine that your horse is dehydrated,
what can you do to correct the situation?
First, do your detective work to identify the possible cause of the dehydration,
which may guide the next steps that you take.
This is a time where knowing what is normal for your horse is important.
Does the horse have a fever?
Is he or she walking normally,
and can they move their head, neck?
Is there increased salivation or decreased manure output?
Remove of the horse from heat or sunlight.
Provide small sips of room temperature water in a quiet place.
If the dehydration is significant,
capillary refill time greater than
two seconds or your skin pinch is greater than two seconds,
and you have dry or discolored gums,
then you should contact the veterinarian to help you find out why
the horse is dehydrated and how to best correct the condition.
Sometimes, when a horse doesn't feel well enough to drink or is
so dehydrated that oral water does not remedy the situation,
the horse may need to have a nasogastric tube
passed into the stomach to provide him or her with water,
or sometimes, a veterinarian will provide intravenous fluids.
Often, the liquids provided by the veterinarian are not simply water.
They have a specific balance of electrolytes based on the requirements of the case.
Now that we've explored the importance of water to the horse's well-being,
in our next lesson,
we'll look at basic nutrition and explore how the horse processes and digests food.
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