The Horsemanship Habit of Keen, Everyday Observation
By Courtney Carson
Every horse is different – from how quickly they eat their food to how much water they drink, and even how much they poo and what that looks like.
Every horse stands and sleeps a bit differently. Knowing what’s normal and noticing when something changes are very important. It can help you catch a problem early, when it can likely be addressed or solved with relative ease.
My horse has suddenly stopped drinking or is drinking less.
First, you need to know how much water is normal for your horse. Most horses will consume between 7 and 10 gallons of water a day. This may increase with a heavier workload, hot temperatures, or the addition of electrolytes. Some horses naturally drink more water than others. If you notice your horse is drinking less than usual, here’s some possibilities to consider:
• Are my horse’s water buckets clean? Horses should always have access to clean, fresh water. If you’re just going through the barn a couple of times a day and topping off water buckets, the water available to your horse is most likely stale and doesn’t taste very good.
Shavings, hay and other organic matter make barns dusty environments and those particles collect as a film atop your horse’s water bucket. Dump out the old water and scrub out the bucket at least once a day to guarantee fresh water.
• Has the weather been quite warm and the temperature dropped quickly? Horses are similar to humans in that they won’t naturally drink as much when the temperature cools off. If the temp drops suddenly (20+ degrees in less that several hours) you can soak their grain or add in a mash to help supplement water intake.
Also, some horses need electrolytes throughout the colder months to make sure they continue to drink enough water.
• Does the Water Taste Bad? Some horses are extremely picky about the water they receive, and they might find the water at a new location tastes bad. I have seen multiple horses go “off” their water when traveling to a horse show. We hit the grocery store for bottled water to give them throughout the show!
Changes in Eating
If your horse acutely goes off of their feed, check for other signs of colic. This is my first initial reaction - check heart and respiratory rates, listen for gut sounds, and immediately check for manure production. Learn how to check vital signs here.
If everything on that checklist is within normal limits, check your horse’s mouth for any foreign objects. For example, foxtails in hay are a common problem -- the seeds will embed themselves in the horse’s gums, causing very painful sores.
Dental problems could also be the cause.
Check the quality of the feed. If the feed has gone bad or is moldy, immediately remove it from the stall. Many people steam their horse’s hay as a preventative measure to ensure forage is consistently free of mould and low in dust and bacteria. Haygain steaming, by the way, can add up to 3X the moisture of dry hay, so it helps with hydration, too.
My horse is eating slower than normal. This can be a sign of developing ulcers or dental issues. When food becomes difficult to chew, horses will slow down their eating or leave grain behind depending on how uncomfortable they are.
My horse is not finishing their hay. This can happen with new loads of hay, hay that is from a different cutting, or even hay from a different field or farm. If the hay is dustier, or drier, than normal it can turn horses off wanting to finish it. This can also happen when traveling and buying hay from an outside source.
Some horses are just picky eaters. They may drag their hay around the stall and then decide that they don’t wish to continue eating it.
There are a couple of different ways to stimulate appetite. In grain, you can add something sweet like applesauce to entice your horse - this adds sweetness without having to put them on a grain high in molasses.
With hay, you can use a hay net or the Forager Slow Feeder. Either of these options will also allow you to soak or steam to minimize the dust. Haygain Hay Steaming is proven to retain hay’s nutrients and the Forager sits on the ground, encouraging horses to stretch their neck down in a natural grazing position. Whereas a hay net needs to be hung high enough on the wall so a horse cannot get their leg caught in it.
My horse is standing in a weird way and appears uncomfortable. These shifts in weight can be an early sign of injury. Always take pictures and consult your vet if you notice any of the following behaviours.
• Front legs parked out in front of him. It looks like they are trying to stretch, but for a continuous amount of time. Front legs will be stretched out in front of them, shoulders lower than when resting, and the croup is high. This can be a sign of trying to relieve pressure off of the front feet or ankles.
• One front leg pointed out. If this behaviour comes on suddenly you may want to have someone jog your horse while you watch him move. This is a sign of relieving pressure or weight off a front leg. This could be as simple as an abscess brewing or could be the first signs of something more serious.
• Resting one hind leg. Most horses will sleep standing up and will rest a hind leg to relax. I don’t usually worry about that. If you have your horse in the cross ties and they continue to rest the same leg even after being asked to stand square, it’s something to make note of. If this behaviour persists, mention it to your vet.
My horse seems to be lying down a lot more than usual. Have you started bedding your stall with more shavings? Is your horse now on a cushioned matted stall instead of something more abrasive or hard-packed dirt? Is your horse in a larger stall than they were before? Has your horse been traveling a lot and may be recovering? Has the temperature changed drastically? These can all factor into a horse wanting to sleep more.
If they appear to be uncomfortable or are getting up and down frequently, I’d call a veterinarian immediately.
Swelling, heat and obvious discomfort are all causes to call the vet.
I hope these tips from my years of grooming high-performance equine athletes help you gain that most excellent horsemanship habit of keen, everyday observation. Your horses will thank you for it!
About the Author
Courtney Carson is a lifelong horse person who has competed at the upper levels of three-day eventing and moved into grooming for U.S. Olympic eventer Doug Payne in 2016. Throughout her career she tended to top event horses and show jumpers, travelled the world for competitions, and was a part of the Tokyo Olympic team as groom for Vandiver.
Courtney prides herself on always advocating for the horses and good horsemanship. Since retiring as a full-time groom she works in a small animal veterinary hospital, serves on the board for the International Grooms Association, freelance grooms, and teaches grooming clinics.
