A pinch of prevention goes a long way.

When a horse is dehydrated, fresh water is the best cure.

Dehydration is a condition that humans and animals suffer from when the body doesn’t have enough water. Dehydration can be caused by fever or diarrhea. But the most common cause of dehydration is the loss of body fluid from sweating on a hot day or after a hard ride. Some of the more noticeable signs of dehydration from a horse are sunken eyes, red inner eyelids, dry nose, and a drawn flank. So what’s a horseman to do? In the following activity, a simple pinch and capillary refill test will be practiced on a live horse.

Objective: To observe and practice simple experiments to check for dehydration

Materials: Live horse

Follow these directions for checking for dehydration:

Gently pull (pinch) the skin from the tissue in the middle of the horse’s neck. If a horse is not dehydrated, the skill will quickly flatten back into place. If the horse is dehydrated, the skin may stay pulled up for around 10 seconds before relaxing. If this happens, the horse may already be in a severe state of dehydration and need attention right away.

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Another quick way to check for dehydration is to press your finger into the horse’s gum to check capillary refill time. The thumb pressure will keep the blood from the area. As soon as you lift your thumb from the gum, the blood and pink color should quickly return. In a dehydrated horse, the spot you pressed will stay pale and not return to a healthy pink color.

Now that you know what the signs of dehydration are and how you can check your horse for dehydration, what happens next? If your horse is dehydrated, allow him to drink water in small amounts. Electrolytes can be used, but check with your vet before giving your horse anything besides fresh water. Other vital signs, like heart rate and respiration, also should be checked.

Trevor Ashcraft
AQHA Youth Intern