Don't worry about it. Just keep on riding. With so many horses it takes
years of endurance riding before they start really drinking from the start
(while others seem to drink from their first ride, of which I have never been
lucky enough to own).
Thirst is something that needs to be conditioned much like conditioning the
muscles/heart/lungs/etc. If the horse never gets dehydrated past his point
of thirst, he will never seem to drink. You say that once he does drink, he
drinks a lot. This is typical of a horse that has not yet conditioned his
thirst response.
Continue riding as you have been, watching the hydration status but not
worrying about it, and eventually your horse will begin drinking better.
Sincerely,
Mike
"If you can lead him to water and make him drink, he's not a horse."
C. Mike Tomlinson, DVM
Tomlinson Consortium
501-D West Redlands Blvd.
Redlands, CA 92373-4642
EMail: CMikeT@AOL.com
or: Mike@Tomlinson.com
Desk: (909)307-2369
Fax: (909)307-2366
Recept: (909)798-3333