BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Check the Hydration of a Horse

By eHow Pets Editor

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You can check the hydration of your horse in several ways: by measuring capillary refill time (CRT), checking skin turgor, and assessing eyes and gums.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Local Horse Magazines
National Horse Magazines
Horses
Horse Comb/brush Set

Measure Capillary Refill Time

Step1

Use both hands to part the horse's lips and expose the gums.

Step2

Press gently and briefly on the gum of the upper jaw with the index finger or thumb of one hand. This will force the blood from the capillaries, "blanching" the gum.

Step3

Watch and count how long it takes for the gum to return to its natural pink color after removing your finger. If the count is longer than 2 seconds, your horse may be dehydrated or have a circulatory problem.

Step4

Take this measurement regularly to get an idea of what's normal for your horse.

Check Skin Turgor

Step1

Pinch the skin on the horse's neck in front of the shoulder, using your thumb and forefinger.

Step2

Note whether the skin snaps back to its normal position quickly or responds slowly and remains "tented up." A slow response can indicate dehydration.

Step3

Check skin turgor regularly to get an idea of what's normal for your horse. Individuals can show variation in this test.

Assess Eyes and Gums

Step1

Learn what your horse's eyes and gums normally look like. They should appear moist and shiny, not dry.

Step2

Inspect your horse's gums and eyes frequently.

Tips & Warnings

An older horse may have less-elastic skin that returns slowly to its normal position even if the horse is well hydrated.

Comments

thehorsecoach said

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on 11/12/2007 The Gatorade idea is a good one - we use that pretty frequently. We also put electrolytes in our horse's feed twice daily.

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 My farrier taught me this one and it works great. Put powdered Powerade or Gatorade in the water the day before trailer hauling a long distance. It is high in electrolytes and horses love it- and it's cheap and easier to use than the molasses and beet combo!

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 To quickly rehydrate a horse after a long ride - put into a 4 gallon bucket, with tight fitting lid, about 1/2 scoop of Speedi Beet (or other dried sugar beet) plus 1/2 cup of molasses syrup, 2 level tablespoons of ordinary table salt and 2 tablespoons of Lo-Salt. Offer this to the horse immediately after the ride, then, when he's cooled down and been through the vetting, give him a little of the beet in a feed bucket - this is especially useful if your horse is sometimes a bit reluctant to drink, as they'll usually accept a little food and the beet (being really wet and sloppy) is putting much needed water back into their system. On a long ride your crew can carry this bucket and offer the drink to the horse at crewpoints.