The Importance of Water in Equine Nutrition
The Importance of Water in Equine Nutrition
Drinking after the 2 Day Event
Water is the most important part of any diet and a performance horse can lose many litres during a competition or while training. A fluid loss of only 2% can affect the performance of your horse so keeping him hydrated is paramount. The horse relies on sweating to control body temperature during exercise and it is generally accepted that 90% of a horse's weight loss after exercise is due to sweating. Fluid loss also occurs during travelling therefore it is important to consider re-hydration on arrival at your competition venue to ensure that your horse does not start a competition dehydrated.
It is also essential to encourage the horse to drink during the competition itself. Horses appear to find water at 20°C (normal room temperature) more palatable than chilled water or water at 30°C (e.g. water that has been left in a lorry or car on a hot day). Sugar beet water or water flavoured with apple juice will also encourage drinking. Foods with high water content, such as grass and soaked sugar beet, can also help increase fluid intake during the competition.
Common practice is to wait to your horse cools down before offering water, however recent research and practices suggest that it is more beneficial to offer water as soon as possible as long as the water is not chilled. Offering water straight after the X country phase when the horses thirst reflex is highest is advantageous to rehydrating your horse, once your horse has cooled down the thirst reflex is lower and you horse may be less likely to drink; think how you would feel if you had run a marathon and you were told you couldn’t drink until you had cooled down.
In summary ensuring your horse remains hydrated before and during competition is essential for health and performance, finding strategies that suit you and your horse before you arrive at your competition are essential and this may even mean practicing at home after normal work. For information on electrolyte replenishment please refer to a previous article on salt.
If you would like any more information on how to manage your competition horse contact the SPILLERS® Care-line on 01908 226626 or care-line@spillers-feeds.com