Have You Checked Your Horses' Water Supply Today?
It's July. It's hot in most corners of the country. Have you checked your horses' water supply, TODAY, to make sure it's still available? In very hot weather, a horse can become fatally dehydrated within 24 hours.
I ask after reading and seeing the video with this news story about 11 Texas horses that died of thirst after their unchecked water supply gave out.
Special note:
In today's world, many of us horsekeepers rely on the convenience of automatic watering systems. (This is true at my place.) The trouble with this convenience is that it's all too easy to get complacent and just assume it's working.
This is your reminder to stay on top of your horse-water situation, whatever it might be!
posted by Juli Thorson @ 12:36 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I intentionally positioned my horse's pasture water very close to the back door to my house, so it's easy to check. But, I have a weirder water checker--Parker. My siberian thinks the 85 gallon water trough is his personal wading pool. There have been times when he doesn't come in wet from an afternoon playtime, so my first check is the trough. I need to get it up on a platform that's out of Parker's reach, but as it is, Beau is getting fresh water every third day.
I wish I had had my camera one day when Beau was taking a drink, and Parker popped in. Beau never quit drinking as Parker circled and dropped his tail deep into the water, but his eyes and ears were glued to Parker. Parker finally settled into a relaxed pant. So what does Beau do? He lifts his head, takes a step forward, and drools water all over Parker's head! Parker jumps out, irritated. Beau watches him trot away, goes in for another drink, and resumes grazing.
I tell ya, that was too cute!
It's a shame in this day and age that people just don't care. LAZY is all I can say.
April, love the story of Parker the Water Patrol Chief! Since I have two burros, there is never any danger of running out of water--if the tub is low, one of them will simply grab it and proceed to drag the thing around the pasture! I've learned to check that water daily, as it's MUCH easier than rounding up a stray water tub on 10 acres of pasture!
This is such a good reminder! I once went out to the pastures at my boarding barn in the middle of summer to find every trough empty. The barn manager had not stopped to check whether the troughs might have gone dry in the 85 degree Kentucky heat, and ten horses were standing around thirsty when I came back with the hose. As horse owners we need to stay diligent about these things, especially this time of year. Thanks for the post.
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