Hi,
I live in a rural area in MN and own horses, we have a personal well, the water is VERY hard.... alot of iron plus hardness, and it also has tannins in it, but is tested safe for humans...
I recently was told from a man who raises cows that it is not reccomended to give high iron well water to ones you will breed because it causes troubles conceiving, as well as holding a pregnancy, and then when they do calve they may have milk producion issues. I know horses and cows are very different but I am wondering if there is any truth to this or any other concerns with horses?
I had a mare foal 2 years ago, it took 2 years to get her in foal, and then when she did the foal had tendon issues, and she had lack of milk, she had to be given oxytocin to let down the milk several times over 6 weeks... this mare had NEVER had a problem getting pregnant, holding a pregnancy or any issues with milk prior to this, but this was her first and only pregnancy since we moved to where we currently live. I have a mare I will be breeding in May, and I am wondering if there is anything I should be concerned about as far as well water and iron goes.

Also, can high minerals in our water cause horses to become obese? Every horse I bring here becomes excessively fat! they get very little grain in the winter months, from december to mid april and grass hay, the rest of the year (may,june, july aug,sept,oct,nov)it is strictly pasture and no grain or hay, but yet they all gain weight year round.... when they come here they may be skinny or fit, but soon after they are fat, and when they leave here they lose weight... could this have anything to do with iron or my water?
Your help is greatly appreciated, I dont want to have the problems when I breed my mare this year that I had in the past with the other mare.....
THANK YOU!

Where are you from? Milaca, MN

How did you locate this forum? from equine reproduction bulletin board someone posted it there....

Hi Kris,

High iron in your water is a definite concern for your horses because iron is already plentiful in pasture and hay. So, getting too much can cause problems. While I am not aware, per se, of fertility issues with high iron, I have seen depressed immune function and an increase in laminitis when too much iron is in the diet.

I would not be surprised, however, if conception were an issue with too much of this mineral because too much iron interacts with other minerals that are important to pregnancy such as copper, zinc, and manganese.

Obesity? No -- not related to minerals. I would have your pasture tested for sugar and starch levels, since they may be high.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

It interacts with the other minerals you listed? So how does it affect those and what do they affect? Will it cause dry skin and brittle mane/tail and hooves?
So should I offer two tanks of water, one with softened water (salt) and one with the regular water and let them decide?
Our water was tested with an iron level of 7 and a hardness of 18, which I was told is VERY high in iron and hardness, not sure if that makes any sense to you in relation to nutrition, but if it does is that too much?

Or pasture is just canary grass in the swamp, timothy, orchard and brome grasses in the main part of the pasture where they spend their time and whatever wild grasses grow in the wooded areas. Our hay is the same as the pasture (timothy, orchard and brome grasses)

another question for you, maybe you can answer or maybe not, I have a 6 yr old QH who has not been with her foal or any other foal for 14 months, she is still bagged up and I can still easily express skim milk.... when will this dry up and what can I do to help it to dry up?
Thank you so much for your SPEEDY response... :)

Where are you from? Milaca, MN

Hi Kris,

All minerals interact with each other and too much of one often times creates a deficiency in the other, as with the case of iron. Yes, all parts of the body can be affected.

Softening the water will not remove the iron, it will only lessen the calcium deposits on the side of your water tank. To remove iron, you will need to install a filter, that is designed to remove this mineral, on to your water system.

I would suggest that you speak with your vet and have your mare's bloodwork done for high iron levels. This will give you a better idea how she's doing.

Regarding her bagging up after all this time, this, too, would be a question for your vet. It certainly is not a healthy situation for her to still be producing milk after 14 months.

After you have bloodwork done, you may want to consider a phone consultation to go over any imbalances and ways to improve your mare's overall condition (e.g., dry skin, poor hooves). This way I can get the big picture and offer suggestions on how to customize her diet.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

P.S. I am leaving town in the morning, so any questions that you may post on this forum will be answered when I return.

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO