The following guide will help you to get your horse to drink more water during winter: Water is the most essential aspect of any horse’s diet. Without adequate water intake, horses will not survive.

An adult horse (1000 lbs.) in a cool, comfortable environment that is not working, or lactating, needs a minimum of seven to ten gallons of fresh, clean water every day.

The amount of water required is closely related to the amount of feed the horse has eaten. Most horses will drink 1.5 quarts of water per pound of dry feed intake. If a horse is consuming 20 pounds of dry hay per day, the horse would be expected to drink approximately 7.5 gallons of water each day. Although the water requirement is higher in certain cases. For example, if the horse is in training, nursing a foal, growing, pregnant or in a hot/humid environment. The best way to ensure adequate water intake is to always provide free access to fresh, clean water.

Issues associated with water intake during the winter months usually revolve around horses not drinking enough water. Water that has frozen or is near freezing will result in decreased intake. Water consumption reaches its maximum when the temperature is maintained between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Similarly, horses that must eat snow as their only water source, will not eat enough snow to satisfy their necessary water requirement completely. This decreased water intake can result in digestive upset or “colic.” Associated with feed material becoming impacted (stuck) in the digestive system. Therefore, the water source should be free-flowing or heated. This will prevent freezing and guarantee the horse is drinking enough water. When installing a heating device for water, be certain that any electrical unit is properly grounded to prevent electrical shock of the horse. Horses are very sensitive to electrical shock and will quit drinking to avoid shock.

Here are few easy tips to assist with increasing your horse’s water intake:

1. Wet your horse’s feed at a ratio of 2 parts feed to 1 part water. This can increase the hydration status of your horse.
2. Offer a wet mash, every day, of soaked beet pulp shreds or pellets, timothy forage pellets or alfalfa forage pellets. If you are concerned about adding too many calories to an overweight horse’s diet, try soaking and offering teff forage pellets. Soak these forage or fiber sources at a ratio of 2 parts water to 1 part forage.
3. Wetting down the long-stemmed hay you offer your horse can also boost water intake slightly.
4. Flavoring your horse’s water can also encourage water intake, especially if you are traveling and have a picky drinker.
5. Provide a salt block in your horse’s paddock or stall to help stimulate thirst.

Horses primarily eating hay will consume more water than those eating both hay and grain. Fiber increases the water holding capacity of the hindgut. Better quality hays, such as alfalfa, are typically higher in calories compared to grass hay. Other baled hay substitutes, such as forage cubes and pellets, can be fed to replace poor quality hay.

Standlee Premium Western Forage offers a wide variety of Alfalfa and Alfalfa mix products ranging from baled, long-stemmed forage, to cubes, pellets and chopped forage. Also available are Standlee Premium Smart Beet (beet pulp) shreds and pellets that increase the calorie content of the forage portion of the diet and are highly digestible.

If you have questions about how you can you to get your horse to drink more water during winter, please contact or visit Kissimmee Valley Feed today.

By Dr. Tania Cubitt
Standlee Nutritional Expert – Performance Horse Nutrition

It’s winter, and you’re likely doing one of two things with your cattle: feeding stored forages or grazing dormant forages. So, when it comes to winter forage for cattle, what are some best practices?

1. Evaluate forage inventory.

If you haven’t already, the first thing to look at during winter is your forage inventory – how much feed is on hand? What do you have available, and how many pounds do you have? Will it be enough to fulfill winter cattle requirements? Your nutritionist can help you work through the math and figure out if you need to fill a gap in your stores of winter forage for cattle.

2. Pay attention to cattle forage quality.

Forage quality encompasses nutrient and storage quality. Knowing storage quality means you know your risk for molds, yeasts, mycotoxins, and much more. It’s important to forage test to determine exactly what you have available. Results allow you to match pounds and quality of inventory to cattle requirements.

Avoid eyeballing forage quality for two reasons:

• First, if you purchase forage, quality is assumed or unknown until you test.
• Second, you’re at risk of not meeting cattle requirements. Without a test, you don’t know if you’re fulfilling cattle needs and you may lose performance as a result.

3. Fill the forage gap.

Create a cattle supplementation plan to match forage quantity and quality. If there is a gap, protein will often be the first limiting nutrient. A good cattle supplement, like Purina Accuration^® Supplements with Intake Modifying Technology^® will not only help fill the nutrient gap – it’ll also help optimize digestibility and intake of low-quality winter forage for cattle. Purina Accuration^® Supplements come in many forms and are a great way to ensure cattle have what they need through winter and beyond.

The bottom line? Know what you’re feeding your cattle and have a plan to fill any nutritional gaps, so you’re not forced to make a knee-jerk reaction when cattle performance drops.