HORSE WATER CONSUMPTION

Watering is of particular interest because in the herbivore that is the horse, water acts as a diluent for fibres and concentrates, which are always presented in dry form. This metabolic water content (extra and intracellular) is also subject to numerous variations due to the horse's perspiration during exercise (20 to 50 litres per day) in hot, humid conditions.
Water consumption can vary from 20 to 80 litres per day, depending on the type of feed and the horse's physiological condition (e.g. a lactating mare needs 15 to 30 litres more water than a horse in maintenance).
Dominance behaviour can be observed between horses around water points, so care must be taken to ensure that there are enough of them and that they are sufficiently far apart. Hierarchy is expressed by the establishment of social distances, with the distance between dominant and dominated horses varying on average from 3 to 50 metres. The number of watering holes and the areas where they are located should be determined by the behaviour of the horses, i.e. which horse is dominant and to what extent.