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That reminds me of a case of 3 sick horses at an endurance ride some
time ago.
The 3 where riding together back of the pack and all 3 horses drank alot
on trail (farming area between the fields) out of the same puddles. All
horses had to be treated at a hospital but got well within a few days.
Sorry dont know any details of symptoms. 
Later it was reveiled that the front runners of that ride saw the field
to be sprayed just when they got there. It was found out, the farmer was
using some herbicides there that day. Vets then sugested some of the
stuff might have been washed in those puddles and sort of poisoned the
horses that came along much later and drank there.

Hilga Höfkens



but my vet thought my mare might 
> have gotten sick from drinking out of puddles.  Interestingly, she
> loves to drink out of puddles, and sucked quite a few dry.  His 
> thought was that the rain washes animal feces down into the puddles, 
> then when the horses drink they get sick.  
Sounds farfetched to me. I was told that if you ever get desperate
enough to drink in the woods puddles were safer because you can *see*
what's in them whereas a stream may have a dead bloated coyote in it
just upstream. YUK!  I also was told that puddles on a gravel road
possibly had some calcium washed in them from gravel?? so horses may
crave puddle water more? I think my horses prefer puddle water because
it's warm. Kaboot was always a puddle drinker and only drank from
streams if necessary. Also, I can't remember him ever taking a dump in a
puddle, but 

Angie


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