Riley-The Newest Member of the Guzzle Muzzle Nation

Riley is a three-year-old gelding who arrived in the U.S. from Ireland only a few weeks ago.  It was a long journey (about 10 days) for such a young fellow, and so when he finally arrived, he was given a few days just to acclimate himself and get settled in.

On about the fourth or fifth day, he was presented with a bucket of Gallagher’s Water after a short riding session. Of course, he had never been exposed to it before, so this was a totally new concept to him. He was naturally curious as he definitely recognizes and knows full well that good things usually come in a bucket – like feed! His lips touched the foam and oh boy! Let’s play with this stuff! I’m going to blow in it and spook myself and slosh it back and forth because it is such a neat texture!

Of course the upper lip curled up and he went back in for a few sips and then? Done.  No more, thank you.

The bucket was then poured into his regular water bucket in his stall (after the regular water was emptied out so that it was not over diluted) and Riley went back into his stall and was then free to explore further without everyone standing around watching him and putting him on the spot.

A few hours later there was a stall check and guess what? The Gallagher’s Water was all gone!

A couple of days later, instead of presenting the bucket to him while he was in the cross ties, the mixture was again placed in his water bucket in his stall. Riley was led over to his stall and his halter was removed and he couldn’t get his snoot into that bucket fast enough! You didn’t have to tell him twice – he had discovered a new love!

Well, now that Riley has had a proper introduction to Gallagher’s Water, he will drink it almost any time and anywhere!  It’s a great tool to have in one’s belt when the situation arises and extra hydration is needed!

So the lesson to be learned from this GM Nation: don’t worry if your horse doesn’t slam down the entire two gallons on the first presentation – they are all different with different tastes, preferences and comfort levels. Some may just dive in without a second thought, others may take a few times, but it is absolutely worth the investment of time!