Water, the most essential nutrient required for life, is all too often the most overlooked nutrient. Considering that a horse will consume anywhere from 6 to 18 gallons a day, off-quality water has the potential to diminish performance.
Horses require access to clean, good-quality water at all times. Knowing what is in the water, in terms of nutrients and bacteria, will help horse owners deliver quality water for horse consumption.
To get a better handle on water quality, we offer two standard water analysis packages along with a range of options. Packages and services are described on the accompanying copy of the Water Sample Submission Form. The packages should be used as described below:
- Suitability – Provides common water quality and nutrition physiochemical properties for most classes of livestock.
- Complete – Provides same as suitability plus bacterial evaluation for coliform and E.coli.
All water samples must be received by the lab within 24 hours of sampling. Send by express service (FedEx, UPS, etc.) or drop off at your nearest Dairy One pick-up point. Find the nearest drop-off point here. Be sure to include a completed submission form with payment information.