Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Farm has horrible water

From: Allen

Dear Jessica, I hope you can advise us on what to do about the water at our farm. My wife and I retired two years ago. We put most of our belongings in storage, bought an RV, and traveled around the country for a year, seeing the sights and trying to decide where we wanted to live for the rest of our lives. During our careers (we are both ex-military) we always planned how we would buy a farm and have horses when we retired. We decided that of all the places we visited, we liked Colorado best, and we bought a very small farm in a fancy area (I don't want to be more specific about the location). We love our farm, our neighbors are nice, and we have five horses and two on the way (yes, we're doing some horse breeding). Everything is great except for one thing: THE WATER.

We have two wells on the property, one for us and one for the livestock. The water is the same. Ours (at the house) is filtered and we can just about drink it, if we have to. In an emergency, we could drink it, but even with filters, it's pretty bad. But the water for the livestock isn't filtered. We looked into doing that, but can't really afford the setup. The water is full of stuff, if you fill a glass and hold it up, it looks like things are swimming in there, and it's full of white stuff that swirls around. We've had both wells tested three times, once before we bought the farm and twice since then. The first time was just to be sure that the water was safe (it is). The other two times were to find out what is going on with it and why it tastes so bad. The answer was the same both times. "It's full of minerals."

Three of our horses already lived here when we bought the place, so they are used to the water. The other two are still getting used to it, after almost four months they still aren't real happy about drinking it, and we worry that maybe they aren't drinking enough to keep healthy. We are also worried about the two foals that we will hopefully have on the place next year. Can you think of anything we can do to encourage the horses to drink, or anything we can do to make our water less horrible? It's the only thing that is wrong with this farm, and if we're going to be here for the next thirty or forty years (that's our plan), we need to deal with it some way.

I'm asking you because some of our neighbors have been here so long that the water (their wells are just the same as ours) seems "normal" to them, and I don't know of anybody who has managed to improve the water. Everyone else's horses seem to drink it, but mine weren't born here, and they know that there's better water in the world. I'm afraid that they'll hold out for "good water" and die of thirst because they won't drink what's here. You might know some tricks that my neighbours don't know. Can you help us? Allen

Hi Allen! I wish I could suggest some way of improving your water, but apart from the obvious method of filtering it, I really don't know of anything else. What I can do, perhaps, is set your mind at ease about your horses.

Think of your neighbours who have been in the area so long that this water seems "normal" to them. Their horses and other livestock obviously drink the water, and drink enough of it to stay healthy. Think of what you told me about your own horses: the two you brought with you are, after four months, drinking the water. They're drinking it reluctantly, and they may not be drinking as much as you would like them to drink, but they're alread adapting, and I'm sure that by the time they've been there a year, you'll be reassured that they ARE drinking the amounts that they need. Just be patient, be sure that they have full-time access to water and salt, and then be patient some more. And, just by the way, there are other horses, even near you, who also know that there is better water in the world.

I think I may know your area of Colorado, and I'm going to tell you about someone else I know who lives quite near you. She told me, many years ago, that her farm's water was - well, exactly as you've described it here: horrible. She moved there with all of her horses, and it took them the better part of a year to begin drinking what she considered to be adequate amounts. Eventually, they all gave up, gave in, and drank the water that was available. That was many years ago, and her horses are still alive and healthy.

She finally discovered a genuine ADVANTAGE to her "horrible" water: since moving to that farm, she has never had to worry about any horse of hers refusing to drink the water at a show and becoming dehydrated. This can be a real problem for horses and horse owners, but it's no problem for her. Her horses will happily drink their fill of anybody's water, anywhere (and she takes them to competitions in several states), because everyone else's water is invariable much more palatable than the water they drink at home! If you intend to take any of your horses away from home for long trail rides, shows, or competitions, that thought should give you a little comfort. ;-)

Jessica

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