Is Dam water acceptable for drinking? 10 points! ?

Question

I live in rural qld where tank water is the only available water for human consumption. Because of this i pump water from our dam to the water troughs for our horses. I have been doing this for only a few months now with seemingly no effect on the horses health. Recently our neighbour has had a go at me for doing this. She argued that if i couldnt afford to buy the water (as we have to for our drinking water) for the horses then i didnt deserve to have a horse. I have four horses and they readily acept the dam water and as i said it does not seem to be worrying them. After all wild horses and livestock on large propertys only ever have such water to drink. Is she wrong or am i? The vet that visits my aged gelding every 4 to 5 months has never said anything about it but then i havnt actually drawn his attention to it even though he has been there a number of times when iv been pumping the water into the troughs. What do you think?

Answer 1

I also live in rural qld and my horse only had dam water to drink and she was fine, as long as the dam is fairly clean like no algae and stuff it is perfectly fine i believe you deserve the paid water more than the horses they're horses they shouldn't be so spoilt as to be given tank water, jeez some people (your neighbour) just go over the top.

Answer 2

   Hi



i am sure you can only if it has been properly clean

                         Hope i answered your Question

                                                 Ashy

Answer 3

I would imagine if the water is in good shape it should not be a problem. IE not too much particulate matter in it (think dirt, sand etc), not having a large amount of insects in it.

Horses in the wild drink water from dams, rivers and streams. I would assume that if you horses are not showing ill effects it should be fine. Regular health care and worming should take care of ill effects.  

Answer 4

i think it would be fine if the water is clean. you can have it tested. i think that would be a good idea just to make sure it is clean for them to drink. but i don't see anyprobleme with it.

Answer 5

The dam water should be fine as long as its fairly clean! If your unsure just get it tested, but it shouldn't be any problem!  I have a small creek in the pasture by my horses and if i have a bucket of fresh hose water, they soemtimes prefer the creek water. juts make sure its not contaminated but if they have been doing great off of it for that long there shouldn't be a problem. My dad said when he was little they only hd a creek for the horses water and they were extremly healthy. Also in the wild they only drink creek and dam water.  

Answer 6

I'm in rural qld too & while I don't have a dam, I have bore water that is crystal clear with no smell & you'd think it would be fine for horses etc but it has arsenic in it & you'd never know, of course, I don't know the concentration level but I didn't want to take the risk so have run pipe down to the horses from our rainwater tanks from the house.  I used to wash my horses with the bore though until one vet suggested that might be the cause of one of my gelding's severely irritated sheath, from the minerals/salts drying the skin out.  We've washed the horses with tank water since.  We've had our water tested now with the local council to find out EXACTLY what's in it & they grade it for human consumption, irrigation etc, that might be an option if you're concerned or want to be sure it's safe?

Hope I helped :)

PS - My horses would readily drink the bore too - I've drunk it heaps of times, it tastes fine so you can't really tell what's in it (ie arsenic!) whether you're a horse or a human so I wouldn't gauge the safety on the water based on whether or not your horse readily drinks it personally...

PPS - We've not had to buy water yet *touch wood* so, so far our horses haven't impacted on our own supply.

Answer 7

I drink dam water.....

it's good for horses, that's all my horses drink, and they are fighting fit, although one is a hermaphrodite, not sure if that had anything to do with it...........well if it is the cause, then you're going to have some very cool convo topics!

tell your neighbour to go and mix some vodka into that crystal clear water of hers and lighten up.

Answer 8

i think it would be fine, like you said wild horses would be drinking dam water... just make sure its not polluted.

Answer 9

Pfft. I'm pretty sure you are right and your neighbour is wrong. Dam water is fine, as long as its not like the water when the dam is real low and is basically mud. But the water is fine. Water is water and since when has a little dirt worried a horse?

Answer 10

Depends on the cleanness of the water.

If it is clean and the animals are not reacting to it, it is fine.

make sure it is clear water.

If it is clean one day and kinda murkey the next don't give.

Answer 11

If the waters clean it should be fine. If you are worried by what she said though, get a sample tested, but if they actually are willing to drink it, it means it's okay. Horses wouldn't drink water unless they thought it smelled okay and was okay for them, so don't worry.

You are completely right about wild horses and livestock doing the same thing, and your horses will be fine with it too.

Your neighbour just sounds annoying! Horses drink a lot more than humans and it would be very costly for you to buy them water. Horses are a lot more resilient to people when it comes to bacteria and stuff, so they're okay to drink the dam water. Just tell her to mind her own business!  

Answer 12

no ikts harmless to them its the same as our water except ours is a little cleaner. but nothing in the water is harmfull to them we have done the same to ours for years

Answer 13

if the wild horses and livestock drink it and are fine your horses should be too. actually if the animals are ok humans should be too. but i know sometimes that water tastes "bad" to some people. i like it.

Answer 14

it matters how clean water

Answer 15

I live in NSW my horses drink dam water  if other stock can drink it i think they will be fine that lady doesn't no what she is saying!!!!