Water could be called the quintessential element of life. Nothing has greater influence on the overall well-being of a human—or a horse. Water consumption and absorption affects fluid balance, of course, but also temperature control, exercise tolerance, and digestion. Maximizing your horse’s water intake is imperative and can be a major factor in determining your horse’s health.
Water quality issues are important and cause for concern. If the quality of water is poor, it can affect consumption, cause toxicities, or serve as a carrier of disease.
Almost all sources of water contain contaminants. At issue is whether contaminants are present in toxic amounts and detrimental to human and animal health.
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Horse drinking water from tub
Horse drinking water
WATER SOURCES
How can we determine if water is safe? Public utilities provide extensive purification and filtration services and constantly monitor and regularly test for contaminants such as disease-causing bacteria or toxic chemicals. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean there’s no possibility of contamination.
Natural water sources, such as ponds, lakes, and streams, can provide horses with suitable water; however, they can collect harmful chemicals from runoff. Agricultural runoff and activities are the leading cause of water pollution in America’s streams and rivers.
“Blue-green algae” or cyanobacteria are true bacteria that function like algae and a natural part of ecosystems. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) part of the U.S. Department of Interior, some forms of cyanobacteria have potential to produce natural toxins called cyanotoxins which can be harmful to humans and animals. Cyanotoxins may cause health issues in humans and animals ranging from mild skin irritations, rashes, difficulty breathing, headaches or nausea to more extreme situations such as organ failure, paralysis or even death.
TOXIC COMPOUNDS
Toxic water contaminants include pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, nitrites/nitrates, industrial pollutants, and microorganisms. The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology reports there are few toxicities to horses from ingestion of natural constituents in drinking water. For example, horses are tolerant of high nitrates. Toxic levels for humans are in the 45ppm (parts per million) range while there is little concern for horses up to 450ppm.
In many situations, bacteria in water pose a greater threat than other water contaminants. Most infectious diseases can be transmitted via contaminated water.
CUMULATIVE EFFECT
It is generally assumed that minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, chloride, and sulfate at levels commonly found in water are not toxic to horses. However, the risk of adverse effects associated with any individual contaminant in the water should not be dismissed based exclusively on a perceived safe concentration in water.
The overall nutrient content of your horse’s diet that is present in hay, feed, and supplements, along with water contribution, needs to be evaluated on a cumulative basis. The quantity of minerals in forages can vary significantly. Knowing the nutrient content of your hay is a vital step in evaluating any health concerns.
There are several noteworthy components of the hay analysis report, depending on the health of your horse. For example, most forages already contain iron levels that are too high. If the horse’s drinking water also contains high levels, it could lead to iron overload and additional health issues, like insulin resistance and Cushing’s Disease. It may also interfere with the uptake of other nutrients such as zinc and copper. High levels of manganese have a similar effect. Insert Dr Kellon’s reference to Iron Overload Site Dr. Kellon’s article (http://forageplustalk.co.uk/iron-overload-in-horses-by-dr-kellon/
NRC = National Research Council 2007 “Nutrient Requirements of Horses”RDA= Minimum Recommended Daily Allowance
(Chart Caption)The following graph represents the mineral content of more than 25,000 samples of hay tested by Equi-Analytical Laboratories. Although individual samples can vary widely, this example illustrates why it is important to analyze forage in addition to water, and only add minerals as needed to achieve or come within tolerance to target ratios.
TESTING FOR CONTAMINANTS
Be sure to test annually if your water comes from a private well or spring. Local cooperative extension offices and county health offices are good resources. In general, water tests fall into three categories: biological contaminants, organic chemicals, and inorganic elements.
Biological contaminants are determined by testing for an indicator bacteria, or coliform. Elevated total coliform counts indicate the water is contaminated and other disease-carrying viruses, bacteria, and protozoa may be present.
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentration is a standard water quality test that is measures organic materials including pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), solvents, and industrial wastes and inorganic metals in water. Increases in TDS are a clear signal for further testing to identify specific problems. Water contaminated with calcium, magnesium, nitrate, nitrite, iron sulfate, copper, lead, or other material may show high TDS levels. Some of these materials cause serious health risks, others are considered nuisance factors. A TDS of 6,500 ppm constituting common mineral contaminants is generally considered the safe limit in water for horses.
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When to Test Your Water?
Horses’ drinking water should be tested periodically for various contaminants, even if the animals do not show any signs of disease or toxicity or when any of the following situations arise:
- Changes in color, odor, or taste of the water
- Heavy rains or flooding occuring near the water supply
- People or animals becoming sick from a suspected waterborne disease
- After maintenance on the water system.
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PREVENTATIVE SOLUTIONS
An effective water-management plan will help minimize the agricultural impact of horse farms on local streams, lakes, groundwater, and other water sources. In addition, installing a purification system on your farm can provide clean, healthy drinking water for horses in areas where the available water supply contains high levels of minerals or other undesirable contaminants. “I personally have seen better dorsal wall and heel angles in horses 'just' from filtering iron rich water. Members of my group page Balanced-Step.com on Facebook have reported this after they started filtering the water or use rain water, as some are able to do.” Ute Philippi
Monitor Contaminants — Check contaminant levels in any drinking water source. Many local municipalities or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices test water samples.
Move Manure Piles — Keep manure piles at least 500 to 1,000 feet away from any pond, stream, well head, or other water source.
Limit Chemical Use — Excess chemicals will leach into your groundwater and eventually end up in your home's drinking water. Follow use instructions for pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
Clean Waterers Often — Remove leaves, hay, insects, and other debris daily. Then refill your horse’s bucket with fresh, clean water. Scrub buckets with a bristle brush and vinegar.
Control Access to Natural Water Sources — Limit horses’ access to streams and riparian areas (land near streams) and install fencing to greatly reduce pollutant loads to surface and groundwater.
Maintain Wash Areas — Elevate or slope wash areas so water drains to a vegetated filter. Runoff from wash areas could transport soap, manure, or chemicals and pesticides from grooming and health products to surface or groundwater.
Prevent Water Runoff — Practice rotational grazing and harrowing in pastures to reduce over-grazing and polluted surface runoff.
Install Aeration System — Circulate the water and test it frequently if a pond is used as a primary water source.
Collect Rainwater — Harvest water from all roof surfaces on the facility. In addition, install gutters and downspouts with screens to filter debris into a rain barrel or cistern for later use.
Compare Options for Water Treatment — Compare water treatment solutions to help filter and/or treat water impurities.
(BOX OUT- Bullet Copy)Tips for Buying Water Filters
It’s important to understand that not all filters can reduce all contaminants. Advanced filtration systems such as ultraviolet and reverse osmosis may be needed. The type of filter you need can be determined once you know what contaminants are in your water. In addition to permanently installed filtration systems for your well or city water supply, there are several portable options that can be considered depending on your needs.
- Portable nano-filtration systems can be wheeled out to the barn, paddock or fields
- RV filters can be used at the tap or hose end and offer multiple filter selections
- Small garden-hose charcoal filters are great for removing chlorine, chloramines, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), and pesticides/herbicides.
Carolyn Crew is an award-winning freelance journalist and Equine Assisted Learning Practitioner. Her company, ECHO (Equine Connections Helping Others), holds experiential learning workshops for both personal and corporate leadership development. www.echoconnections.com