# Winter? Water or Snow?



## servinator (Oct 13, 2008)

OMG!!! Do those people know how much snow a horse would have to eat to get the water they require???? It's mostly air. We have had people lose their animals in this area because of ignorance like that. I'm with you on that one :evil:


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

my horse always gets water in the winter. Both BOs put pond de-icers in it (the weird circular things that you plug in) so it will heat up the water.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

It bothers me too...

We would always water our horses twice a day in the winter despite snow. We would dump about 5 gallons of water per horse in the morning and then at night. They had no problem drinking the water down...but too much water will only freeze and cause more work (dad wouldnt let me have tank heaters). I dont think snow can really give the horse the amount of water needed and without additional water it could cause dehydration

*"Water Requirements*

Without water, nothing in your horse's body will function. Horses will often reduce their water intake as temperatures fall. This reduced water intake, combined with increased forage consumption can lead to a greater incidence of impaction and colic. Ideally, water should be warmed so that the horse will consume adequate amounts. Water should be available at all times. Water should be maintained between 45 and 65 degrees F and any ice crystals should be removed. If you are in a area that has regular freezing, check the water supply twice daily as horses will drink eight to 12 gallons a day. 

A basketball or soccer ball floating in the water trough will keep it from completely freezing over. To help prevent freeze up in the water trough, place it in the sunniest spot available, and bank dirt around its sides to help insulate it. You might want to try covering part of the top with plywood, leaving a small area free for drinking. However, if you get very hard freezes you may want to invest in one of the various water heaters that are on the market. If you use float heaters, automatic waterers, or heated water buckets, be sure to check them to insure the heater is not shorting out and shocking the water. Allow plenty of space between water tanks and fences. If the whole herd drinks at the same time, there's often some scuffling and butting around the tank, and horses might be pushed through the fence. 
Some people believe horses can get by on snow. "Get by" they might, but horses require a lot of water to digest dry feed. Forcing a horse to produce moisture by eating snow is counterproductive. Six times as much snow must be eaten to provide an equal amount of water. Furthermore, calories are used to melt the snow that should be used for body warmth. Whenever possible, offer your horse warm water at a temperature of about 45-65° F. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that a horse's water intake in winter increases dramatically if he has access to warm water. Recent research has shown a 40 percent increase in water intake when horses are offered warm water on wintery days."

Winter Care for Your Horse

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/1007.htm


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

my guys get "extra water" in the winter (read "extra soupy bran mashes" )

how lazy can you be not to go out in water in the winter!?! :evil:


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## Painted Ride (Jun 30, 2008)

regular water year round here...i will bring warm water when its really cold.....

snow..these people r lucky that their horses survive till the spring. what jerks


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## aappyfan1 (Jun 28, 2008)

case in point.......My Xdaughter-in-law was asked to water our stud while we were away for a week. I filled his water tub up has a heater etc so it wouldn't freeze, but as he usually has it drank in about 4 days I asked her to check his water and fill his tank if necessary. Well we got home 7 days later and his water tank was empty. I was so mad.....Her excuse was, that she asked the neighbor if our horses needed to be fed and watered as much as they did and they told her, no that our horses we just spoiled. Well so much for those neighbors....


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## Painted Ride (Jun 30, 2008)

my 2 geldings said it best i think...you can't fix stupid! people never seise to amaze me!


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

People are idiots...all my horses have the pleasure of heated water buckets in the barn and a heated trough for turnout time, I know this is not a luxury of all horse properties, I was just so sick of breaking ice at the other places I have lived and owned horses that the plug ins for the buckets and trough heater was a definite must when I bought my own place and built my new barn. I actually worked out quite nicely the way we did it because the power cords are completely hidden from the horses and the buckets I buy even if they short out can not shock the horse as everything is made of plastic that the water touches. The one downside is that these are not the cheapest things to run in the winter, I know I only leave them plugged in once it gets about 20 degrees or lower because they eat electricity...even though they say they are energy efficient.
Yeah...sorry for the long rant there, it just makes me mad to think someone thinks an animal can live on snow! My question is what do they do when it freezing cold outside and they are to lazy to give water to these horses, but yet there is no snow. In Ohio, it may be cold as crap, but there is not always snow!


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

My horses have warm water in the winter and cool water in the summer. We have two automatic heater waters that keep the water at 10 Degrees Celcius and a trough with a heater in it that keeps it a touch warmer.


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## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

aappyfan1 said:


> The last question about her horse not drinking enough water got me wondering? How many water their horses in the winter or do you let them eat Snow.


You know, as a warmblooded animal this is likely to make that horse need more food. If they eat snow for their water they are going to have to raise the temp of the snow to body temperature or they will become hypothermic. That means they'll need more calories in their diet. So...this laziness is likely to be more expensive than giving your horse adequate water.


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## Ryle (Jul 13, 2007)

That's a wonderful way to end up with colics. Horses are going to take in less water if they have to eat snow to get it and that will greatly increase the risk of impaction colic especially when you are talking about horses who are eating a forage that is dried and thus has little moisture content of it's own.

Sheer unadulterated stupidity abounds in this world.


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

> Sheer unadulterated stupidity abounds in this world.


:lol: true that!


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

Horses will eat a ton more if they are just eating snow. It takes so many calories to warm the snow to body temp. Poor horses. I've seen horses nearly starved from not having water in the winter. Even if you feed them free choice hay they still get skinny when they don't have water.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

My horses when I lived out of town had heated waterers. The water was actually heated from heat that would come out of the ground and we had heaters installed inside the actual watering system. I would only turn that on when it got below 15 celcius.

During the summer the water would stay cool.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I was just going to say what Ryle said. I have to lug warm water down to my barn in the winter for one of my horses. I have the copper heating coils in my troughs so they don't freeze but one of my older geldings will stop drinking what he should because he doesnt like to drink cold water. He inevitably will colic. It's funny because year after year I would call the vet out, the minute he would show signs and he never mentioned the water. Then after I switched vets, that was the first thing my new vet said was... Give him warm water to drink, and plenty of it because that is his problem... and she was right, that was about 3 years ago... I don't know if he didnt mention it becuase the thought never crossed his mind or if he assumed it was common sense... it wasnt. Water was available to my horses, I thought they were fine... the others were, but Pistol.... He's special!


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## equineangel91 (Oct 8, 2008)

snow wont cut it. We leave a big trough out in the winter...they break the ice up in the morning and it melts from sun during the day....it never freezes all the way through. They break it up in the morning and check it during the day and once right before bedtime. Make sure your horses ALWAYS have access to fresh water


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## Gimme A Dream (Aug 21, 2008)

This may sound ridiculous but I never even considered snow as water for horses. I lug out buckets of warm "tea" for my horses a couple times a day and roll out the hose a couple times a day. The "tea" could be anything that helps encourage them to take in fluids, mild preventative medications, or just because they love molasses and/or peppermint and I want to give them a treat.


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## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

We always give our horses water in the winter. Actually all of our animals.. We lug out big buckets of hot water twice a day, break out the ice and put the hot water mixed with cold water in for them. Lasts for a few hours and they know to drink right away. They do just fine that way  

I would never make them just have snow.


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## Ryle (Jul 13, 2007)

I had my husband install a hot water heater in our shop/feed room. Now I want a really long water hose so I don't have to lug big buckets of hot water in the winter.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Yeah, snow just won't work. LOL! Silly people these days...I always give water as well.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Ryle said:


> I had my husband install a hot water heater in our shop/feed room. Now I want a really long water hose so I don't have to lug big buckets of hot water in the winter.


Can I borrow him? Just for a minute? My husband rolled 600 feet of hose down to my barn.... that's what I got....


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## Ryle (Jul 13, 2007)

farmpony84 said:


> Can I borrow him? Just for a minute? My husband rolled 600 feet of hose down to my barn.... that's what I got....


Nope, I don't loan him out--waited 13 years to get him and now he is all mine! Mine mine mine! He spoils me rotten but if I loaned him out he might get tired of all the work


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## AKPaintLover (May 26, 2007)

That's insane...I have honestly never heard of people making their horses eat snow in the winter!! We have large stock tanks with heaters, and we fill them with hoses once or twice a week (the field has more horses, so gets filled twice).


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Ryle said:


> Nope, I don't loan him out--waited 13 years to get him and now he is all mine! Mine mine mine! He spoils me rotten but if I loaned him out he might get tired of all the work


 
Meanie head....:wink: I think that's what happened to mine... My brothers are "lazy" so my dad uses him instead... that old man can put someone to work now!


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