Re: [RC] methods to encourage drinking in ridecamp - DarkHorseGoddess
>>ideas of how to encourage my horse to drink in camp so he's got a full tank on race day
You can give him a salt slurry, it's really easy to do. Take a 60cc syringe, fill it with 20cc of salt, and the rest with water. Shake until the salt is dissolved. Squirt the mixture into your horse's mouth, it's not important to get the mixture "into" him, you just need to make sure you get the mixture into his mouth. He will end up spitting most of it out, that's okay.
The mixture will make him thirsty, just like when we get something salty, like chips or peanuts. This encourages him to drink more water.
When squirting the salt slurry into your horse please take great care NOT to get any salt slurry mixture into your eyes~!!!!!!
Anywho, this is a trick I learned from the Vet techs at MI State U Vet Hospital. It's works great, most horses drink within 20 minutes. Raven