# getting horses to drink water at shows?



## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I have some very picky drinkers. I usually haul water with me, if gone too long for that I start adding gatorade powder to their water at home gradually for a week before and then it covers the flavor when we are away, has electrolytes too so that's a bonus.


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

would a bottle of it work? and i have a QH that will drink any water, at trails, shows, different stables, and ponds, but the youngers like the home water best.


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## jumpingrules92 (Aug 2, 2011)

LOL You can lead a horse to water but you can't make em drink!

Offer the water, and maybe put some salt in his feed. Horses will drink when they are thirsty and eat when they are hungry. Is he dehydrated? Can you see tenting of the skin?


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

he is drinking now, but for the summer at shows. the 2 boys dont like some waters but will drink ours at home.


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## lubylol (Aug 8, 2011)

I pour gatorade straight in. I was going on a long trail ride one day and didn't want Cowboy to be thirsty, so I poured about half of a little bottle in. He found it so tasty and drank pretty much the whole bucket (it was about an 8qt bucket, usually called a foal bucket) and then filled it up with normal water and he drank about half of that. I let him sit it out for a while before we went but it made him drink.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Horses normally drink twice daily, often early morning and again late afternoon. You need to be sure he's had his morning drink. Often if a horse misses his usual time by an hour or so he won't drink but will wait until the later time. You can start him now by adding a small cut up apple or carrots which flavor the water. Horses often prefer the taste of the actual apple rather than juice. Besides, if he drinks the water there's a reward.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

haul water with you, give him a few gallons of home water morning and evening. Free choice local water at other times.
Do not give your horse electrolytes if he isnt drinking. They will dehydrate him much worse.


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## countercanter (May 18, 2011)

One of my trainer's clients has to haul water from home for her picky TB. She gets those big buckets with lids you can get at Home Depot or Lowes and fills them at home with her water. She has no recently been able to mix half home water and half "away" water for him and he will drink it. I have done the Gatorade thing as well at hot South Florida summer shows just to make sure my horses drink enough.


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## feistymomma (Apr 15, 2010)

I always put strawberry gaterade or a packet of unsweetened strawberry koolaid in my horse's water at shows. He was always picky about his water, and this always made him drink.


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## Idlepastures (Sep 5, 2011)

We use the gatoraide/koolaid trick for our show steers. You can haul your own water, but it never works for us, lol. So when we first start working with our steers, we'll bucket up home water, sprinkle in koolaid or gatoraid a few times a week. Then we do the same at shows. 

Another thing I've learned is that it may have to do with what they are use to drinking out of. If your horse is use to drinking out of a trough, he/she may have a problem with drinking out of a bucket.


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## kcscott85 (Jul 28, 2010)

I double the amount of electrolytes in Charlie's grain because he tends not to drink at all when he's nervous, and kool-aid packets for Jester because he will suck down an entire bucket if it's flavored. When we're away from home, both horses get their feed wet down to make sure they get water that way as well. 

We also tote around our himalayan salt licks around because they tend to lick them more when they're bored in the stall and in the trailer.


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## Cas (Jan 16, 2012)

We take apple juice with us camping, since sometimes the water is not great, adding that will always get them to drink it.


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## Cheydako (Jan 6, 2012)

If you dip their bit or a pasture mate's bit in the water it may help them to drink because some of the saliva comes off and makes the water smell familiar.

I also heard of using peppermints. You can start dropping one in the water a few days before the show to get him comfortable with it.


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## VanillaBean (Oct 19, 2008)

My mare.wont drink unless she's untied. Maybe try that if you haven't.


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

At the show I was holding on to him he was only tied when I saddled him right away otherwise I held on to him or was riding. They mostly will be in a stall or in my hand
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

Try Karo syrup or another sweetener


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## goodhrs (Dec 30, 2009)

We carry water from home with us, and use electrolytes daily at home to insure hydration.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

A lot of horses won't drink form other places; We have a couple big jugs we haul with us. Also will pour gatorade into it. I always have gatorade with me at shows because I drink it like mad, its the only thing that really keeps me up to the whole day with the gazillion events I seem to like to do throughout the day (particularly at breed shows, ouch)

I'd get one of those big cases with a whole bunchton of the 12oz bottles. My horses absolutely love the lemon/lime flavors. Except Bailey, she won't drink that. Only drinks grape. Picky little rat.


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

I am sure someone has already said this but I do not feel like ready thru all the comments so here goes.

First thing you want to start doing it bringing water from home.
You might not be able to taste, smell, or see anything different about the water at a show but dang it if your horse can't.

Second, try adding a gatorade or a powerade to your horses water at home and away from home. This worked for my mare, who did not like to drink water away from home, once i started doing this its like she could not tell. It is mainly the taste or the smell that does it so adding something as cheap and easy is really nice.

other then that, not much else you can do


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