Winter Water Buckets

It goes without saying that water is the single most important nutrient in your horse's life,. But with cold temperatures upon us, it bears repeating. Extreme heat of summer calls for extra diligence and so does the dead of winter. Horses need an ample amount of "drinkable" water at all times. A half-frozen water bucket doesn't cut it.

If you know your horses' water buckets are going to freeze overnight; then you need to do something about it. Imagine your efforts to be "life-saving" to your horse, because they are.

At a lot of barns, as soon as the temperature drops, hoses are disconnected to keep them from freezing. During the day and if it warms up, they can be reconnected and used, but for the most part, inevitably the watering is eventually done by the bucket load and takes extra commitment. Do not put cold water on top of a half frozen bucket of water, thinking it will thaw the rest. Yes, the temperature is higher than freezing, and in a perfect case scenario, in time it would thaw that block of ice, similar to thawing a frozen turkey in cold water. But, your horse is going to drink that fresh water, and very soon, that bucket will be back to being half frozen and maybe even thicker.

Bucket warmers can be used to keep the water above freezing. There are various designs of bucket warmers that come as one piece, some as adaptations for current water buckets. They work. And they are not expensive, when you spread the cost out over a period of three months. A heated water bucket can be purchased for approximately $35. That's about thirty-nine cents a day. Yes, it will take electricity, and that has to be figured into the cost. But with the average price of a veterinarian farm call for a horse that is impacted and colicky, again, it is worth the investment. There are also heating elements that can be purchased at the tack stores for warming water. Use them according to directions.

If, whether it is a financial issue or "electrical" safety issue and bucket warmers and heating elements can not be used - perhaps your boarding stable won't allow them. They aren't wired for them. They just don't want them. Then insist that the buckets be dumped daily and filled with fresh water. If hot water is available, whether at the pump area of the barns or the bathrooms, fill a container to top off the water buckets with the hot water. If hot water is not available in the barn, then bring hot water in plastic gallon jugs from home and top off the water in the buckets. One bucket or two, treat them both the same. Your horse will thank you, over and over. A healthy horse is a happy horse.