Hay Pillow®
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Online Store
    • Bulk & 501c3 Discounts
    • Delivery
    • Worldwide Shipping
    • Policies & Terms of Use
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • FAQ
    • FAQ Library
    • Choosing a Mesh Size
    • Product FAQs/Advisories
    • Mounting & Hanging Tips
    • Slow Feeder Comparison Chart
    • Slow Feed Solutions for Any Environment
    • Feeding Free Choice - An Action Plan
    • Why Feed from the Ground?
  • Testimonials
  • Gallery
    • Home Use
    • Travel Use
    • Barnyard Buddies
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Favorite Links
  • (888) 489-0022
The Hay Pillow Blog

Enhancing Equine Health

browse all posts by topic >

Why Does My Horse Drink So Much Water?

5/31/2021

0 Comments

 
By Monique Warren
Equines that drink excessive amounts of water have not developed a bad habit. They do so because of a health condition or as a coping mechanism. Horses rarely, if ever, do anything that doesn’t have a purpose.

Read on to learn about the possible causes of drinking too much water, associated health risks and  potential solutions.

Horse drinking water
What inspired me to write this article? A conversation with a customer of course! Her beloved miniature horse was on a “diet” with no attributable health conditions. She had been instructed to weigh and feed 1% of his body weight of hay per day, without addressing the actual diet itself. Her efforts to slow down his hay consumption still left this mini without forage for 16-18 hours a day.
​​
To complicate matters, he was drinking excessive amounts of water and licked his salt block frequently. She was instructed to remove his salt block, which was his only source of sodium.

Recall he had no health conditions that might explain his excessive thirst - such as Equine Cushings Disease (PPID), Insulin Resistance (IR), Diabetes Insipidus or kidney disease. His water consumption could have been a physical or mental coping mechanism, such as:
  • Neutralizing the gastric acid build up in his empty stomach
  • Filling his stomach with the only available resource (hunger/satiation)
  • Boredom
  • Stress
  • Confinement

But ​What About the Salt?

Was he drinking more because he was eating more salt? Or was he eating more salt because his excessive drinking caused his electrolytes to be severely diluted? Consider the difference of a teaspoon of salt dissolved in 5 gallons of water compared to one gallon of water. It's much more diluted - and deficient - in the 5 gallon example.

In this scenario, he was inherently compensating for the loss of electrolytes by licking his salt block. Salt is the only mineral horses have an identifiable craving for. 
​
Sodium is an electrolyte - and the most crucial mineral in the equine diet. Salt:

  • Helps to maintain optimum pH levels and body fluid equilibrium
  • Is necessary for proper nerve, digestion and muscle function (including the heart and intestines)​
​​
If your horse is drinking excessive amounts of water, his  electrolyte requirements 
(including sodium) increase proportionately.
All horses should be fed at least the minimum daily requirement of loose salt in supplements and provided with access to a white salt block and fresh clean water. Learn more about the importance of salt: Why Horses Need Salt & Why Salt Blocks Are Not Enough

What About the Forage Restriction?

​Feeding 1% of body weight in forage per day will rarely, if ever, satisfy a healthy equine's satiation. It’s just not enough volume to occupy or satisfy his inherent need for feed. As a grazing herbivore, your horse is physically and psychologically designed to forage the majority of his waking hours.

​Slow feeders are an effective tool for trickle feeding -  but not an end-all/be-all solution - especially if they cause stress or frustration. Stress increases gastric acid production. Please consider that horses fed meals are typically anxious when fed and tend to be far less patient with slow feeders. Patience level trumps ability when choosing an appropriate mesh size.

​If your beloved equine is without forage for periods of time, he or she may be drinking water in an attempt to neutralize gastric acid - combined with the need for satiation or as a mental coping mechanism. Satiation and environment are a big deal to herbivores.
 
​

​The Solution? Address His Environment & Diet

1)  Provide an appropriate environment for this mini to help satisfy his natural instincts (despite domestication) and to enrich and enhance him mentally and physically.

Four horses eating from slow feed hay bags on the ground
The Standard Hay Pillow encourages movement and promotes a natural grazing position

2)  Find an appropriate source of hay that is less palatable, low in digestible energy and 10% or less in NSCs (bland diet food) so she can be confident about feeding more or free choice. Offering a less palatable forage will naturally curb your equine's enthusiasm to eat as quickly as possible. Testing your hay is optimum.

​By feeding more volume you are providing:
  • Much needed chew time. Chewing and swallowing activate saliva production (an alkaline substance). Saliva buffers gastric acid by increasing the pH of the stomach. Horses, donkeys and mules produce gastric acid continuously in preparation for constant uptake.

  • Fiber/volume to satiate. This keeps your horse occupied while promoting healthy populations of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.  

It is important to note that increased hay/fiber consumption promotes increased water consumption in healthy horses.

3) Ensure the minimum sodium requirements are consumed daily in feed. Whether idle or working, free choice loose salt or white salt blocks should be available at all times to allow the horse to compensate for additional needs. 

​Remember to Supplement for Balance

Every hay-only diet requires supplementation. No hay is ever balanced to itself (optimum ratios), nor will it contain the National Research Council (NRC) minimum requirements of all vitamins and minerals. If you don’t test and balance your hay, feed a comprehensive concentrated vitamin/mineral supplement to promote optimum immune, hormone, neurological and thyroid function.
​
All hay only diets should include a healthy source of omegas with optimum 3-6-9 ratios (ground flaxseed or chia). Omegas are rapidly destroyed through the curing process and storage of hay.

​Closing Thoughts

Always explore possible health conditions for excessive thirst. Also consider it can be an attempt to compensate for satiation, physical discomfort (gastric acid build up or ulcers), boredom, confinement or stress.

By determining the cause, you can devise a solution!

​Helpful Resources

  • Can Horses Eat More Hay Without Weight Gain?   The Surprising Factors
  • Are You a Prisoner of Feeding? Here's How I Broke Free
  • How & Where to Test Your Horse's Hay & Interpret Results
  • ​How to Introduce & Incorporate Free-Choice Forage: An Action Plan​
  • 9 Benefits of Slow Feeding Horses - Get Slow Feed Savvy
  • ​Equine Gastric Acid - 12 Facts You May Not Know​​
  • ​Equine Gut Health - The Need for Feed 
  • Why Horses Need Salt & Why Salt Blocks Are Not Enough
  • ​A Safer Always Have Hay Source – Mature Grass Hay​​
  • Sugar Content of Pasture & Hay: Q & A with Katy Watts, Founder of Safergrass.org
shop now

​Stay Connected

Follow us on Facebook  for educational daily posts Pinterest & Instagram!

​​Want to Hear About $ales, Nutrition Tips & Giveaways?

Be the first to know by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.
subscribe

About the Author:
Monique Warren invented the Hay Pillow® slow feeder and is the owner of Hay Pillow Inc.
​Warren has been an equine guardian for over forty years and slow-feed advocate for over 10 years. She contributes equine nutrition and digestive and hoof health articles to publications such as Equine Wellness, The Journal, The Naturally Healthy Horse,  Natural Horse Magazine, Nicker News, Horse Back Magazine, The Horse's Hoof, and  Miniature Horse World Magazine. Equine nutrition and horses feet are her passions. She resides in Southern California.

References
Greco, D. (2019, August). Diabetes Insipidus in Animals. Retrieved from https://www.merckvetmanual.com/endocrine-system/the-pituitary-gland/diabetes-insipidus-in-animals
 
Waldridge, B. (2016, July 8). Polyuria and Polydipsia. Retrieved from https://veteriankey.com/polyuria-and-polydipsia/

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Shop Now:

    Standard Ground Pillow
    Mini Ground Pillow
    ​Hanging Pillow
    ​Manger Hay Pillow
    ​Bale Nets
    Grazing Muzzles
    ​Accessories
    ​Slow Feed Toys & More
    Safety & Emergency ID
    ​Books

    Horses eating from a Hay Pillow

    Newsletter

    Sign Me Up
    Sign up for the Monthly Hay Pillow® Newsletter for $ales, News, Coupon Vouchers & more! ​

    Connect with Us

    Hay Pillow on Facebook
    The Hay Pillow is on You Tube.
    The Hay Pillow on Instagram
    The Hay Pillow is on Pinterest.

    Categories

    All
    Behavior
    Giveaways
    Gut Health
    Hay & Diet
    Health & Safety
    Minis & Farm Animals
    Musings
    Slow Feeding

    RSS Feed

    Hay Pillow Slow Feeder Inventor, Monique Warren.

    Monique
    Warren

    Monique Warren invented the Hay Pillow® slow feeder and is the owner of Hay Pillow Inc.
    ​
    Warren has been an equine guardian for over forty years and slow-feed advocate for over 10 years. She contributes articles on equine nutrition and digestive  health to publications such as Equine Wellness Magazine, The Naturally Healthy Horse, The Journal,  Natural Horse Magazine, Nicker News, Horse Back Magazine, The Horse's Hoof, and  Miniature Horse World Magazine. Equine nutrition and horses feet are her passions. She resides in Southern California.

​Store Information

​​Hay Pillow® Inc.
1444 Main St. #2977
Ramona, CA 92065
​Toll Free:  888-489-0022 
Contact Us
Privacy Policy

Ready to Buy?

​Online Store
Bulk & 501c3 Discounts
Delivery Methods
Worldwide Shipping
Hay Pillow® Policies/Terms of Use
Frequently Asked Questions
​

Why Choose Us?

​About Us
​Testimonials
Gallery

​Made in the USA!

Learning Center

​Blog: Enhancing Equine Health
FAQ Library
​Why Feed Horses from the Ground?
7 Slow Feed Do’s and Don’ts for Horses
Feeding Free Choice - An Action Plan
Slow Feed Solutions for Any Environment

Covered by 3 or more US patents.​ Hay Pillow® is a registered Trademark.
​Copyright © 2022 Hay Pillow® Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Hay Pillow on Facebook
Hay Pillow Inc on Instagram
Hay Pillow on You Tube
Hay Pillow on Pinterest
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Online Store
    • Bulk & 501c3 Discounts
    • Delivery
    • Worldwide Shipping
    • Policies & Terms of Use
    • Newsletter Sign Up
  • FAQ
    • FAQ Library
    • Choosing a Mesh Size
    • Product FAQs/Advisories
    • Mounting & Hanging Tips
    • Slow Feeder Comparison Chart
    • Slow Feed Solutions for Any Environment
    • Feeding Free Choice - An Action Plan
    • Why Feed from the Ground?
  • Testimonials
  • Gallery
    • Home Use
    • Travel Use
    • Barnyard Buddies
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Favorite Links
  • (888) 489-0022