Question

How much water does an average horse drink? My retired gelding has access to water at all times, yet it seems as though he rarely drinks from the buckets in his stall. He spends an equal measure of time in a stall and at pasture.

Answer

The amount of water consumed by horses and ponies varies. Horsemen often use an old rule of thumb to determine water intake: one gallon for every 100 pounds of body weight. Using this as a guide, an average 1,200- pound gelding would consume 12 gallons of water per day. Research indicates this estimate may be slightly exaggerated. For those horses that do little to no work and consume primarily dry forage such as hay, water intake was measured at .3 to .8 gallons per day per 100 pounds of body weight.

Various factors affect thirst including diet, degree of work, climate, and general health of the horse. If your horse has access to lush pasture, which may contain 60- 80% moisture, for half the day, he is likely receiving adequate water from the grass. This may account for his lack of interest in the water available to him in his stall. Ease your fears about your gelding’s water consumption by ensuring he has access to fresh water at all times. As long as water is available to him, he will drink sufficiently.