Winter horse care nutrition...HELP! Winter watering?

[barrel85]

So I am boarding some horses in a pen this year without a shelter, and was udner the assumption they would be watered all winter, however, the owner tells me he will bring them in to another pen beside theirs...twice per day for water. Is this enough water for 4 horses?
They have unlimited food...round bales.

I am seriously considering pulling them and moving them somewhere where they will get water all day and forked hay. Any feedback on this... from knowledgable horse people.......... would help tremendously.

[karlaw]

Do you trust the fact that he will actually be out there twice a day to let them in? Why couldnt he just leave them in that pen? I would consider moving them. Go with your gutt if you are questioning it there is a reason.

[weder]

No, I do not believe that watering twice a day while they are eating on a round bale is sufficient. Remember that not having enough water can lead to numerous complications, including colic. I would not settle for that and would be looking for another place to board.

Oh, and if he tries to tell you that eating snow between waterings will make up for not having water, call bull, because a horse has to eat A LOT of snow to equate to the amount of water they will drink. Take an ice cream pale of snow and melt it down and see how much water you get

[rope-2-win]

From what I learned in 4-H about winter feeding, always let your horse have access to water. If he is thirsty he will eat snow lowering his body temp, and during a -35 cold snap with no shelter that is probably the last thing you want your horse to do.

[lmf]

yeah I wouldn't keep my horses anywhere without shelter and free access to warm water. i find horses tend to drink more frequently but in smaller amounts when it is cold. I would be very worried about colic. Good luck~

[darceejean]

Regarding watering:

If you are feeding horses hay, they need to have access to unlimited water. Not doing so, you run the risk of them becoming impacted with dry material in the gut and colicking.

As for horses not getting enough water from snow, that is somewhat inaccurate. We used to board 30-40 head of horses every winter on 4 sections of stubble and grassland after harvest. They would drink out of puddles, sloughs and dams all fall but always had access to the corrals and heated waterers. Once it froze up, I found it interesting is that they would seldom come up for water. They would range all the sections, digging for grass and grain but seldom came up to the corrals for shelter or feed. In a blizzard, they would be at the bottom of a coulee.

We never lost a horse in all those years, they always had good feet and came out of winter fit. As for my dry penned horses, that doesn't always apply.

Darcee Jean

[dream_chaser]

My 2 cents (for what it's worth) if that was my situation I would be moving. MY horses are on water full access 24/7 summer or winter! I know I have dealt with different siutaions of dry lotted in the winter and also out on stubble for the winter, with access to water 24/7. What I found when they were out on stubble they only came home once a day (same time each day) to drink I could set my clock to it! When they were dry lotted I never took observation of when and how frequent, but always made sure the waterers were working! Water is a critical part of a horses diet....best of luck!

[weder]

Regarding watering:

If you are feeding horses hay, they need to have access to unlimited water. Not doing so, you run the risk of them becoming impacted with dry material in the gut and colicking.

As for horses not getting enough water from snow, that is somewhat inaccurate. We used to board 30-40 head of horses every winter on 4 sections of stubble and grassland after harvest. They would drink out of puddles, sloughs and dams all fall but always had access to the corrals and heated waterers. Once it froze up, I found it interesting is that they would seldom come up for water. They would range all the sections, digging for grass and grain but seldom came up to the corrals for shelter or feed. In a blizzard, they would be at the bottom of a coulee.

We never lost a horse in all those years, they always had good feet and came out of winter fit. As for my dry penned horses, that doesn't always apply.

Darcee Jean

I guess I should have clarified about the snow....if they are out foraging, they are getting mouthfulls of snow in every bite, so it can be sufficient. But in the posters' situation, where they are eating off a round bale and have no free choice water, eating snow won't cut it for them because they won't be eating as much snow as if they were out on pasture grazing.