Dehydration in Horses, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products

A variety of factors can cause horses to become dehydrated. Find out what you can do to keep them drinking.

Horses generate a tremendous amount of heat in their bodies when they exercise or when they are stressed. This can lead to excess sweating. Sweat is made up of fluid and electrolytes: phosphorus, salt, calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, potassium. When horses sweat they lose both water and minerals.

Shipping and other stressful situations cause reduced water intake and sweating. Dehydration leads to changes within the horse’s body that signal his system to begin shutting down.

To make matters worse, dehydration actually decreases the thirst response, so horses stop drinking. Maintaining proper hydration is extremely important not only to optimal performance but to the overall well-being of your horse.

You can get a downloadable version of this infographic here.

About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC:

Skin problems?  Let Contribute™ omega-3 fatty acids help.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been proven to reduce skin inflammation and mitigate allergic response. Contribute delivers both plant and marine sources of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Feed one to two ounces per day, depending on severity of the allergy.

The horse that matters to you matters to us®. KPPusa.com

In honor of our 25th anniversary we’ve released a limited-edition sticker that gives you a chance to win all year long! Click here to find out more.