18/10/2026
WATER AND YOUR HORSE: THE BASICS
When a new customer wants a HTMA test I always ask where does the water for the horse come from and what is the water in. This important information is required so that I can work out if the water and or the container is suitable for horses and if the water contains minerals or toxic metals. With summer fast approaching check your horse's water supply and troughs.
Horses drink approx 20-30 litres water daily, pregnant and lactating mares often more than this. THE WATER NEEDS TO BE PALATABLE AND free from toxins, excesses of minerals and toxic metals. If water is not palatable the horse will drink less which creates a whole range of health issues. IF WATER NOT SUITABLE FOR HUMANS NOT SUITABLE FOR HORSES! If you are told the water is safe for stock - horses are not stock they are monogastric and cannot cope with excesses of minerals and toxic metals.
If the water is ground water - bore spring or well that water will contain minerals. Those mineral levels are never stable as water mineral concentrations fluctuate seasonally. In a drought mineral concentrations are usually higher. In a flood mineral concentrations are often diluted but pollutants and heavy metals are often present. Dam water will often reflect the soil type that is on the property. If soil high in iron so will the dam water be high in iron. River/creek water is exposed to contamination and run off from farms and other acitivities. Town water and rain water have the least amount of minerals and heavy metals.
The water in OLD IRON/METAL BATHS ABSORBS THE MINERALS AND HEAVY METALS THAT THE BATH IS MADE FROM. The metals, minerals and heavy metals leach into the water. This happens due to corrosion of the bath and the enamel coating. So around 1990 manufacturers stopped putting LEAD based enamel, solders etc on baths.
There are also other metals in old metal baths such as nickel, iron, copper, zinc and brass. These metals some of which are minerals will also leach into the water.
When I get the HTMA results back and there are odd results or an anomaly in the results, I need to dig further to determine the cause otherwise the problem will continue. Looking at the water source often supplies the answers - more so with bore water and river water which are unreliable in terms of minerals. Old metal baths are also a problem when there is a level of lead, nickel or excess zinc that cannot be explained. It is safer to use a concrete trough or a food grade plastic tub specifically made for water storage. Fibreglass troughs needs to have a safe resin.
Seriously, consider your horse's water source as not that many horse owners do. If not using rainwater or town water you really need to know what is in your horse's water supply. Look at the trough. If using an old metal bath time to get rid of it. Taste the water yourself if it's metallic or salty chances are your horse is not drinking enough. Test it if need be. Plenty of labs can do that. HTMA can also determine how safe the water is for your horse as it has to be considered in specialsed feeding plans based on nutritional testing.
Kerry Marsh BAgrSC Htma.com.au
References: Tushar Kanti Das, Albert Poater. Review on the Use of Heavy Metal Deposits from Water Treatment Waste Towards Catalytic Chemical Syntheses. International Journal of Molecualr Sciences Dec 2021
Lars Friberg et al. Handbook On The Toxicology of Metals Vol 2 1986
