Re: RC: training in the heat & nasty water

[RunRoskoRun@aol.com]

In a message dated 05/26/2001 6:18:57 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
michrowe@redwrench.com writes:

<< Last of all, is there some water that's too rank to let your horse drink
 from?  We were in an area that's very alkaline, and she wouldn't touch the
 only stagnant pond that was along the way - though my friend's gelding drank
 a few sips.  The pond smelled bad, I wondered if I should even offer such
 crappy water to her.  I think perhaps sheep have been drinking from it and
 it was chock full of tiny but visible critters.  Are horses susceptible to
 water-born organisms? >>
Ummmm, not sure this would apply in your area, but the June issue of Equus 
has an article on Potomac Horse Fever, (Shasta River Crud & Ditch Fever).  
According to the article they think that maybe the horses get it from 
drinking the water that this snail lives in and as the weather heats up, they 
release the bad scoobies.  Its a fluke.  Anyway, get the magazine and read it 
yourself, I'm sure my translation has and will miss something important.   : )

As a side note......  My family were sheep ranchers.  We used to deer hunt on 
the range land the sheep used.  We were taught from early on not to drink 
from the ponds or streams where the sheep grazed and not to eat the livers of 
the deer we shot because they were all infected with liver fluke.  Not sure 
if horses are susceptible (it may be one of those infections only split 
hoofed animals can get).  Either way, I just remember being about 12 and 
hearing my uncle holler at us not to let the horses drink from the sheep 
trough or else.  Yikes!  Still makes me cringe.

Abigail Madden