Dehydration

Dehydration can be caused by weather, workouts, or illness. This condition occurs when your horse does not take in enough water and is very serious. We cannot change the weather, but our horses need extra support during hot months due to the amount the sweat and in cold months because horses tend to drink less. You can use water flavored with a small handful of sweet feed or Gatorade powder to help increase water consumption. When your horse works hard he sweats hard too. For this instance, keep allowing free access to water and flavor as needed to aid in your horse's workout recovery. Depending on how hard the workout was, your horse may need electrolytes to recover the body's natural salts that are lost through sweating. Illness is a tricky one for dehydration. There are many causes for a horse to stop drinking when illness is present. Pain makes horses not want to drink water. Illnesses are best discussed with your veterinarian as there are many causes for dehydration related to illness.