How often should you feed your horse and give water for him to drink?

: How often should you feed your horse and give water for him to drink?
My dad has a horse we keep in our backyard inside a stable. He insists on putting a bucket of water in front of him in the morning to allow him to drink until he stops, then puts his food out and brings the bucket back in. We used to leave the bucket in the stall but our horse kicks it down and causes a nasty mess everywhere. At night we do the same thing. Water at first, then food. I just wanted to confirm with someone who knows better that this is the right thing to do to maintain a livestock horse. Thank you

Answers and Views:

Answer by aussie mom
horse should have access to water at all times… he should also be ALLOWED OUTSIDE DAILY.. hang the water bucket on the wall .. that way he won’t tip it over..

feed him morning and night.

PUT HIM OUTSIDE and he should also be exercised daily

Answer by Theresa B
I believe that a horse needs constant access to water maybe you should get a larger water container so he will not knock it over and cause a mess but only having water twice a day doesn’t seem right. But I am no expert at all I grew up around horses though.

Answer by Tucker
A horse should have water 24/7 this will help prevent colic, and many other problems, hay should be down all the time horse in a pasture will walk 10 miles a day and gaze. If work load is large then grain should be given, also a salt/mineral block should be provided 24/7. Put the bucket up on a hook so he can’t knock it over. And I would keep at least 10 gals out at a time not just one 5 gal a day, some days they will only drink 5 but up to 12 depending on heat, work, and just how thirty they are and breed. Best of luck to the horse:)

Answer by oregano13
Horses need access to water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Find a better way to fasten the bucket in the stall or get a trough that can’t be easily tipped. Horses are generally fed twice a day, morning and night. Sometimes more often depending on activity level, but at least twice a day.

Answer by truecowgirlcarissa
well for the most part you are doing a great job because horses can store water for a long time so a bucket of water every morning and night is the perfect amount for the horse but trust me you’ll get really sick of constantly watering it so i would recommend an automatic water dispenser you can buy at a local farm store and a horse in the winter should have a 1/2 a bail of hay in the morning and evening because horses need a constant supply of food in there stomachs but during the summer and if you have some pasture allowed to it just feed it a 1/4 a bail in the morning and night and when it comes to grain you should only feed the horse a full scoop of grain if ur vet has said that your horse is too skinny because grain is meant to hell plump your horse out and supply it with the nutrients it cant get from the hay but if not just feed it half a scoop and try to not feed your horse alfalfa because its very green and can cause them to get diarea so try getting timothy but if you have both thats great cause feed them a little bit of both each day…. if you have any more questions feel free to ask me

Answer by gtrgirl96
it needs to be fed and watered daily and let outside daily or it will get cramped up go on this site and make a free acount and ask someone on chat

www.avirtualhorse.com

Answer by Louise
he needs unlimited access to water 24/7. He also needs time turned out in a field or large pen. He should also have access to forage of some sort 24/7 – either grass or hay of some sort. The diet should be mainly forage with only a little hard feed. If you only feed the horse twice a day then he will get an ulcer.
If the horse kicks the buckets around then screw them to the wall or tie them to a fence post so he can’t. He probably throws a tantrum cause he has no turnout time – horses are nomadic creatures – they need open spaces to walk around in. A general rule is 2 acres for the first horse then at least 1 more acre per extra horse, but thats a minimum size of field.