RE: [RC] Question regarding impactions, cause there of - Ranelle Rubin
What I do
with my mare who has the same habit is to fill a large muck bucket ½ way full
of water and put her hay into the water. She loves it! I do it on a smaller
scale after training rides so she is used to it. I just put her hay into a
small bucket hanging on the trailer. I started this at home on hot days in mid
afternoon. I know she is getting a lot more water by the amount of water left
in the bucket (not much)!
Good luck!
Ranelle
-----Original
Message----- From:
ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Carol Suggs Sent: Friday, October 14, 2005
8:51 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Question regarding
impactions, cause there of
After
a work out one of my mares will not drink water, especially at an
event. (I even bring water from home and she turns her nose up at
it) She will, however eat hay. Although she doesn't seem to be in
distress and I have never had her colic or tie up, I always am worried that
without having a lot of water in her system that she will someday end up
getting an impaction. During the summer months I did add some powdered
electrolye to her pellets (I feed wheat hay in the night and alfalfa in the am
and Purina's Natures Choice: Mare Maintenance pellets). That seemed to
help encourage her to drink water. Now that the weather has cooled I quit
the electrolytes, but she has fallen back into the routine of not drinking
after a work out. She does eat her salt block (which I know doesn't give
all the stuff they need that is why I feed the MM), should I continue
giving the electolyes thru the cooler months to encourage her to drink more?
I don't
endurance ride, but I do cattle working events and a lot of arena and
trail work. We normally spend 3 hours in our work outs about 4
times a week, which I know doesn't seem, very long to a lot of you folks, but
for what I do it is considered hard.
She
just started this not drinking thing about a year ago. She is 9 year old
paint mare (more TB looking than QH looking) about 1100 pounds and in excellant
health.
