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Discussion on Cold water brrrr | |
Author | Message |
Member: paardex |
Posted on Monday, Dec 17, 2007 - 6:39 am: My horses have always acces to drinking water one tank with rainwater [which they prefer] and automatic waterers in the boxes. The boxes are open 24/7 so they can go in and out as they wish. As it has been freezing a little bit during the night I crash the layer of ice on the rainwater each morning. Should I add hot water to get it on a warmer temperature? They drink well and do not work[if you don't count being pregnant]Thanks Jos |
Member: canter |
Posted on Monday, Dec 17, 2007 - 7:19 am: Jos, If they are drinking well, it's not likely you need to worry about it, although I have heard horses prefer slightly warmer water vs. ice cold. I do spoil my mare a bit on cold nights. She has 2 buckets in her stall, a normal, unheated one and a heated one, which doesn't freeze. After a ride at night, I will add hot water to the unheated bucket to get the chill off. Neccessary? Nope...she has the other bucket. Do I feel better about being a good horse Mom? Yep. Does she care? Probably not |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Monday, Dec 17, 2007 - 11:38 am: WE discuss this subject in detail in the article on Water, Water Quality, and Watering Horses which you can reach by clicking it off the navigation bar at the top.DrO |
Member: paardex |
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007 - 3:45 am: Thanks Dr.O, I've read the articles and everything is clear to me.Yes Fran I am the same [stupid?]horse Mom and always busy with hot water during winter,just after my post the Normandy weather solved the 'problem' It know freezes so hard I NEED hot water to keep enough water instead of ice![Unheard of in Normandy] I also blanketed my big mare[acces to boxes with loads of hay and a thick bed of woodshavings and a coat which makes me jealous] this night for the same reason and she looked content. I suppose it is more an: how can we let her work as hard as possible for us, then scientific necessity. Jos |
Member: canter |
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007 - 7:20 am: There is no doubt in my mind, Jos, that horses have a very subtle sense of humor and you got it right: "let's make Mom work as hard as possible, even though it's really not neccessary and when she's not looking, we will giggle our tails off at all the extra effort she's putting in." |
Member: muffi |
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007 - 9:19 pm: Where we live all last winter we took a crow bar and chocked the ice off the outdoor water cause the horses were too dumb to drink out of the Heated waterers in the barn (not... the horses weren't too dumb the OWNER was just too dumb to figure out how to make them drink out of the little one in the corner of the stall)BUT.... This year we are in fat city - Yea it's cold - Jos Below freezing EVERY NITE like 10 - 20 degrees below freezing - for those in the us about 10 - 20 degrees regular. BUT... again that but. we stuck in a floating heater and WOW.... No more Crow Bar, no more hauling ice back and forth. out outdoor tank is about 100 galleons or more (must be more size of a Bath Tub at least and taller) and this thing plugs in to an outlet in the barn and heats the water to about 40 degrees not hot by any means but NOT FROZEN. YAY... I am retiring my Crowbar and Falling in love with this plug in heater - you can get them from all the online Horse Suppliers Jos - you should think about it. Muffi some where deep in the Northern New Mexico Mountains - buried in snow. by the way those Heated Corner Waterers are just hay catchers now - the horses totally ignore them... |
Member: paardex |
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007 - 4:35 am: The heated corner waterers [very expensive] were the things they totally ignored in Holland, they threatened to get all colicky if I didn't put warm water in their outside 'bathtub' because there ofcourse they would drink to much cold water [if I used a crowbar] after a whole night with hay in there stables.Which made me wonder if they could drink that cold water with acces 24/7 like they have over here.[Dr.O enlightened me but alas didn't change my habits] As frost is rather rare over here it seem like good exercise for me to carry hot water, if it stays like this for longer then 10 days the plug heater will have to come.I do think your climate asks for the real countryside spirit! Jos |