BTB: Hot soup for horses: Costs and benefits of warm water

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Hot soup for horses: Costs and benefits of warm water Posted: 10 Feb 2011 12:04 PM PST There is much to like about the barn where I board, and one thing that I LOVE is that in the winter they regularly provide warm water. It's a hassle, and I appreciate that they do it. Horses suck down that warm water as fast as you can fill their buckets (which is good), but in effect you have to fill their buckets twice each time you water. As a barn worker I know, it's annoying in that labor-of-love sort of way. Benefits As an owner I love that my boys get the horsie equivalent of "hot soup" in this wretched winter weather. There are health benefits as well: They'll drink lots more warm water than cold.  The extra water will offset the lack of moist grass; dry winter forage will be digested better. They'll be less prone to colic.   The water doesn't really have to be that warm, either. My vet told me 60 degree water is adequate.  Costs So what does it cost to offer warm water? Say you have a barn of twenty horses who each drink six gallons of water a day -- a  total of 120 gallons/day. Let's tweak this water consumption calculator a little to calculate the cost of heating 120 gallons water from 35 degrees to 90 degrees, using natural gas, in PA, for the going rate heating costs. My math skills are not stellar, but according to the calculator... The cost for giving twenty horses warm water  is $1.53/day, $45.73/month, or  $182.92 from November-February. If your horses drink eight gallons of water a day, the cost is more like $60/month. That doesn't look so bad, does it? But it you think hot/warm water is expensive, try colic surgery. She said smugly.

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