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  Discussion on Natural Water Sources
Author Message
New Member:
jaynew

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 19, 2010 - 1:53 pm:

Hello,
I have recently moved my horses to a farm where they do not have any water troughs set out for the horses to drink from. The only water source is lake water. There is a larger lake that is MAYBE an acre large, and that one overflows down into what they call the pond, which is about half the size of the larger lake. They tell me that it is constantly turning itself over, but I don't see how that would work since there has not been very much rain. Since I didn't feel comfortable, I insisted that I be able to put out a trough for mine to drink clean water from, and that has been done.
At first I thought my 24 yo Arabian would be too finicky to drink the lake water but I actually see him drink it regularly. The trough I put out is up closer to the barn and they don't tend to come up and drink out of that one unless they are up there for feeding.
I was concerned about them drinking only the lake water, and not having free access to clean water, because of all the bacteria and organisms I imagine in the lake water. Not to mention urine and feces from other animals...and whatever other organic matter may be in there. The owners of the property have been there for 19 years and have said that they have never had any problems whatsoever from the horses only having access to lake water. They told me that there are certain times of the year that they get a red algae coating on the water and I have noticed a green algae that was coating the water around the banks a month or so ago.
My questions is...is access only to lake water dangerous, or unhealthy, to the horses? And what exactly are some problems that may arise from drinking only lake water? I know I need to have a water sample done. But, provided all the numbers come out that they are in a "healthy" range, should I be concerned. For my own peace of mind I will keep the trough available to my horses but I wonder if I should make it more prominent in the pasture so they may tend to drink out of it more than they do since it is up by the barn, and somewhat closed off from the 30 acre pasture.

Thanks,
Jayne
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 19, 2010 - 7:30 pm:

Welcome Jayne,
There are no simple answer to your questions. Yes there are potential problems, leptospirosis for instance, but then again my horses regularly drink from streams and lakes when we trail ride and horses have been drinking lake and stream water for millions of years (or at least they and their ancestors). Turn over rate from fresh streams and the source of the water for those streams is an important factor on safety. The more turn over the cleaner the water.

30 years and no identifiable problems is a pretty good testament but perhaps talking with the barn's veterinarians may be the best source of information about any water problems that may have occurred.
DrO
Member:
lhenning

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 20, 2010 - 10:02 am:

Having the water tested seems like a good idea. Contact your county health department and see if they do water testing. I don't think it's very expensive if you go through them, but they are normally testing human drinking water. Otherwise you can find commercial labs that test water but that will cost more. Where I work we have water tested every year and it costs $100. Perhaps that is money well spent if it gives you peace of mind.
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