Is it EVER ok for horses not to have access to H20?

[Rebmik]

I know how I feel, but didn't want to rush to conclusions.
I stopped at home of "Champion Mini's" to see the new foals.
Most are tied to trees (like 30+, probably total of 75+minis )
-0- water. No buckets that were just empty, but no access to any water.
I just know I feel bad if my horses water trough has pollen on the top, but never are they where they can get water.
Went by later in day and same horses tied, still no water.
You can see this from the road.
What would you do?

[Evalee Hunter]

Ask the owners what arrangement they have for watering the horses?

I think, legally, the horses probably have to have as much water as they want twice a day.

Good horsekeeping says horses should not be without water for more than 2 - 3 hours. I PREFER they have water at all times. Sometimes they are without water briefly.

[Queen Latisha]

My concern is why are these foals tied to trees?
Shouldn't foals be able to run around for bone and muscle growth?
Oh and to answer the question, horses should have access to water 24/7.:cool:

[Kate66]

It's possible that they do water the horses, just not when you went by. Leaving water buckets in front of tied horses can be a real pain if they drink them empty and then get them caught around their hooves etc. Personally I never have a horse tied that long. However, just like I don't drink all day every day, I don't think it would be too fussed if my horses had run out of water for a few hours - having said that, ours never do as we use large troughs topped every morning, but I do think people overly worry about the horses every comfort. Generally I would say if the horses looked to be in good condition then I wouldn't worry overly about it.

[Rebmik]

sorry, mammas and other horses are tied, foals are loose
there are soooo many that literally you would have to start watering them all and by the time you finished you would have to start again.
so if they give them water in am and then in evening they don't have to leave any with them all day? legally?

[greysandbays]

sorry, mammas and other horses are tied, foals are loose
there are soooo many that literally you would have to start watering them all and by the time you finished you would have to start again.
so if they give them water in am and then in evening they don't have to leave any with them all day? legally?

Before the convenience of running water, whole stables of horses were watered like that -- horses were led to the communal trough a couple times a day.

Once you get in a routine, it's not all that hard, or all that time consuming. When I was a kid, during a winter of " an awkward water situation" we could water 20 horses that way in about half an hour. With a better setup, we could have done twice that many horses in not much more time.

[trubandloki]

If the horses look healthy and happy then I think it falls into a MYOB category. They are obviously providing them with water at some point.

[Rebmik]

i guess we have gotten in such a habit of "babying" our horses now that it just seem unkind to not let them have water if and when they need it.
thanks for the different perspectives

[trubandloki]

Rebmik, do you stop every few minutes when you are riding to make sure your horse does not want water?

Though we are not talking about a few minutes here, it is basically the same thing. Horses can go some time with out water and then drink their fill. Just like most of our horses do when we take them out for a long ride and put them back in their stall/pasture.

[Thomas_1]

If the horses are tied all day without access to water, then that's totally unacceptable.

You have a choice dependent on the circumstances. Are these reasonable folks? If so you can maybe get chatting. Find out if they are indeed tied there all day. "nice horses, nice foals, what are they doing there? Then chatter on and ask what they do with them."

If they've access to water and/or are being regularly watered then no problem. If not, then wrong.

[Alagirl]

maybe they did just spring cleaning in the barn or fixed fence lines?

Sounds like a PITA to tie that many horses up to trees... :lol:

[charismaryllis]

well, but i think there was also a legal question there--it might be unlawful in virginia to leave any animal without access to water. i think in maryland the horse council suggests access at least twice a day, if not at all times, but i don't think it's an actual law.

[findeight]

We have no idea what goes on when OP was not there...and no proof they are tied long hours on eand with no water. They were tied when OP was there. And some still tie theirs during the day for various reasons.

You know, that reminds me of when we had some retirees in the front field. Somebody called Animal Control because of the "obvious abuse", skinny, rough coat etc.. Now, they were knee deep in Ky Bluegrass with ample shade from old oaks and the full water trough was in plain view along with the additional hay remnants right under the feed buckets where they got their Senior and supplements twice a day- and a mash for the one with few teeth left.

If they would have just driven in the open driveway with the "lessons and training" sign prominently posted and spoken directly with somebody about their concerns they would have been told the Ponies were about 38 and 40 and the trainer had owned the horse for 36 years and it was adult when she got it. They were just at the end of their golden years and starting to show it. They also would have seen the still active and younger horses in sparkling good health from similar good care, lots of good food and regular vet visits.

But calling animal control, while well intentioned, created alot of paperwork and wasted the time of the responding officer-who laughed when he saw the place and level of care. Unfortunately the owner was so embarassed they moved the oldsters out of that plush front field into the back that, while still very nice, was not quite as nice.

Hence I dislike jumping to any conclusions about the level of care any horse recieves unless you have direct knowledge it is lacking.

[cowgirljenn]

Legally, it depends on the state law. For example, Texas laws says "adequate food, water, shelter". And while I prefer my horses to have water in front of them when they're not being ridden/worked, they don't really HAVE to. Wild horses roam and graze and visit water maybe a few times per day. Before modern convenience, many horses were kept in tie stalls and lead out to water troughs or a stream or pond a few times per day.

If the horses are at a healthy weight, not lethargic, no rough coats, then I wouldn't worry about it. However, if they appear dehydrated, in poor condition, etc, then you may have a problem.

[sk_pacer]

FWIW, my horses, when out all day in summer, rarely drink more than twice a day - once when they go out, and just before they come in. They do get about 2/3 of a pailful hung in front of them at night when it is really hot but they are more inclined to spill it rather than drink it. In winter, they get by on twice daily watering as I have to tote it frmo the house.

[katarine]

Is it ever ok? Sure it is.


Chuck them into the arena for a couple of hours while I drag the field.

Riding.

Hauling.

Learning to tie.

Standing tied.

While I'm grooming them.

etc etc etc


If they all looked in good flesh, it's a total MYOB situation.

[pAin't_Misbehavin']

What would I do?

I'd look around and decide if the horses are always tied to trees or not. Look for rope marks on trees, see if horses are standing in or near big piles of manure, determine if the ground looks like horses are always tied there.

I'd also look at the condition of the horses. Are their feet long? Coats rough? Wormy bellies?

If the answer to many of those questions is "yes" - then I'd call whoever's in charge of these things and make sure something gets done about it.

We used to have a wonderful horsey magistrate who'd sentence horse-neglectors to jail terms.:) Then he'd suspend the sentence for two weeks and vacate it entirely if the owner showed up with proof of the remedial measures he'd ordered.:lol:

[JackSprats Mom]

P'Aint has it right. look at the whole picture and what does it tell you? That said, horses may look fine and still be dehydrated and have insufficient access to water. If you're comfortable talk to the owner and ask BUT be aware you may not get an honest answer.

If in doubt call your local animal control and have them take a look.

But calling animal control, while well intentioned, created alot of paperwork and wasted the time of the responding officer-

No call is EVER a wasted call IMO, even when it isn't valid. I've been out on enough calls where you think its going to be nothing and lo' and behold its something.

Honestly, if in doubt call.

[Proud To Be Spotted]

I agree with pAin't, but I would add that nursing mares need more water than average, even mini's

[county]

Depends on how long they go with out it. I've had 100's that drink twice a day and do great theres really no logical reason it needs to be in front of them 24/7

[Griffyn]

A friend has a great turnout space across the road from her place. So she lets them out during the day w/out water, and brings them back in evenings, so for 12 hrs they have none. seems weird to me, but the horses are fine, and its a select few.

[JoZ]

During very cold spells at my old barn in Massachusetts, horses were offered water twice a day. They could drink their fill during that time (about an hour). The buckets were refilled (topped off) too. But then they were dumped and left upside down until the next watering. Horses were fine. This only lasted for about a week each winter.

Now, I turn out horses in the indoor arena for several hours (up to 8) without water. I've never seen a horse rush to his/her bucket when returned to the stall. We have had a trough in the indoor arena in the past but the horses tended to either ignore it or play in it, and due to the location it is hard to dump or drag.

I'm more curious about the whole concept of tying to trees. Not that it's necessarily bad, just weird. What was that accomplishing? Was it where the minis lived? Was it in lieu of turnout? Just seems a bit odd!

[Fairview Horse Center]

When I worked for one ot the top dressage barns in Virginia, the turnout fields for the boarders horses were a distance from the barn, and there was no way to keep water out for the horses, in the winter. They had water in their stalls, but when turned out at 8 AM, they would have no water until 4 PM when brought back in. We watered first, then watered again, to make sure all horses had their fill. Then watered again later for the night. In the summer, hoses could be run the distance, so there was troughs filled then. The people boarding there were taking twice weekly lessons from Robert Dover, and we had a past president of the American Hanoverian Soviety boarding there, so not your back yard barn.

[fleur de duc]

I like my horses to have access when they want it. However, I do not panic if I get there and the trough is empty. I am there atleast 2x a day, so a few hours without water (on a normal .. not outrageously hot) day will not kill them. For example, my pony is currently in an outdoor stall I built for his stall rest. I tied a bucket up with a clip and some twine and all was well for a few hours, until he figured out if he pushed on it, the water spilled out onto his butt. then in 5 minutes he had emptied it out onto himself. I filled it back up, and moved it down some so he couldnt push it over in that manner. Well I come back 4 hours later and the bucket is demolished and thrown outside of the stall. So I grab another one and rehang. Within 10 minutes I hear loud banging noise and go running over to see him kicking the bucket around on the floor. So now pony gets no water bucket hung up. He gets watered before going out and once during the day, then at night he comes inside to his real stall where there are no issues. Im not too worried about him. As long as the temps do not get too high, he can go the few hours with no bucket.

[Sansena]

Conditionally, it's okay for them to be without water.

In preparation for medical procedures, for example. Or unavoidable circumstances. Otherwise one's simply pushing their luck to knowingly keep a horse from water for more than 6 - 10 hours. And during those circumstances, the horse is well hydrated and under observation. IMHO, habitually omitting water for 12 hours or more is inviting impaction and colic.

[Seven-up]

There's a guy around here who does not have water in the stalls. No buckets, no waterline, nothing. He has one big trough in the aisle, and when he brings the horses out to ride them, he takes them over to the trough and lets them slurp for as long as they want to (which is a while.) I don't know how many times a day he brings them out to drink.

I've never seen anyone do it this way, and I don't know why he can't hang up a bucket and drag a hose like everyone else in the world, but he doesn't. His horses seem fine. It might work for him, but I'll keep 2 buckets in my stalls, thank you very much.

[greysandbays]

One common diet theory for people who want to lose weight by reducing their food consumption is that one should have several small meals per day instead of the usual three big meals.

If that same concept applies to horses drinking water, having water in front of them all the time is probably the worst thing for encouraging/increasing water consuption.

[SmokenMirrors]

My horses, 3 of them, have a 100gal tank that we clean once a week and keep filled all the time. What I worry about is right now, our temperatures in VA are up in the 90's and it is humid and hot. I don't care where you are, horses need water to stay hydrated and not colic or become ill or sick. Water is a basic necessity. If the mini farm has that many animals, why don't they have troughs? They aren't that expensive and if your going to have that many animals, then your responsible for them. Maybe call the local animal control, you can do so anonymously and ask. Won't hurt. And I have never heard of tying the mares to the trees, sounds suspicious to me.