Dehydration
As horse owners we are all aware of the need our horses have for clean fresh water at all times. Dehydration in any horse is a serious matter but especially so in the competition horse where it can lead to loss of performance and even colic. Many horses do not drink much when they are away from home, added to this sweat lost through exercise and travelling can soon add up.
We all know the saying ‘you can take a horse to water , but you can’t make it drink’ which is very true and also very frustrating for the horse owner, so what can we do to make sure our horse is receiving adequate water? Using a feed such as Allen & Page’s Fast Fibre is an ideal way to ensure that your horse is receiving plenty of water whilst competing and travelling. Feeding a horse to ensure water intake may seem a little odd but high fibre feeds should have plenty of water added to them and can be fed ‘sloppy’ if needed to make sure the horse is drinking plenty. Fast Fibre soaks in under 1 minute and is ideal for using away from home as it so quick and convenient. Often using a feed like this will tempt even the most fussy horse to eat or rather drink, also electrolytes can be added too. Giving a sloppy feed like this also gets around the problem of horses refusing to drink strange water as the feed can be introduced to the horse beforehand so that they are accustomed to it. Fibre also acts as a ‘reservoir’ in the horse’s gut to ensure that fluid is replaced as the horse sweats and because you are just giving fibre it is safe for the horse to be worked afterwards.
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