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  Discussion on How do you teach a horse to drink from buckets??
Author Message
Member:
Leec

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 - 12:17 pm:

So, it is true... 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make 'em drink'... How does one teach a horse to drink out of a bucket??? My yearling Appendix filly won’t drink out of a bucket even though she knows it has water in it – I splash it, she splashes it, I pretend to drink it, I hold water up to her nose and she licks it out of my hand etc. Her turn-out area is not connected to her main paddock where her water tank is, so I have been putting a bucket of water in her turn-out area when she’s in there. For the first few days I thought she was drinking some, but then I saw her banging the bucket (it’s hanging on a fence) and just spilling some of the water. Her water tank is white (it is actually an old deep freeze with the lid removed), so I tried putting a white bucket out. No way, she says – buckets are for grain, lidless deep freezes are for water. We still have winter, but are planning to change our fencing around in the spring to connect the two areas, so it does not make sense to set up another 'deep freeze' and water heater in her turn-out area. I have tried taking the actual water out of her tank as well, in case it has a specific taste... I hang the bucket in the sun, so it stays about the same temp as her tank water. We don’t feed her treats, such as carrots or apples, so when I put those in it, she gets really suspicious. I have been told she’ll drink if she gets thirsty enough, but sometimes she’s out for 5 hours, so that concerns me. It is not pasture at the moment; it is mostly snow, so I do put hay out for her – I’m sure eating snow is not adequate, or could it be?? When I bring her in, it’s 50/50 as to whether she goes to her beloved water tank for a big drink. At some point in her life she is going to have to learn to drink out of a bucket and perhaps various other things – won’t be much fun packing a deep freeze to horse shows and on trail rides...
Lee C
Member:
Leilani

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 - 1:58 pm:

Hi Lee,

My mares always have a small bucket of water next to their buckets of cubes. They are both good water drinkers, where ever we go. Leilani
Member:
Stina

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 - 2:08 pm:

I can assure you that your mare could very well be amply hydrated from eating snow. I have two horses in a large pasture with a water trough and neither one have touched the trough because they are too lazy to walk through the drifted snow to get to it. They are both just eating snow. There was a study done and commented on here, where they did a hydration study of horses with access only to snow, no water. It found them all to be adequately hydrated. While I wouldn't deny my horses access to troughs, I now have proof that snow alone is sufficient.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 - 4:27 pm:

I think if she is thirsty she will drink out of the bucket assuming the water and bucket are clean. If you really are concerned, though, you could try about an inch of water that is flavored with something she likes, then make the flavored water a little deeper next time you offer it to her.
Member:
Leec

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 - 9:54 pm:

Thanks for all your thoughts/ideas. I had a water bucket in her run-in shelter, where she eats her grain and hay when she's not turned out - she ignored it and choose to go outside, even during blizzards, to drink out of her water trough. Your post was reassuring Stina - that your horses are willing to eat snow over drinking water even though they have a choice. I did read the article about horses maintaining hydration on snow alone and felt a bit better about it. However, I would still like her to learn to drink from a bucket at some point, so I am going to try your idea Sara - perhaps some apple juice will interest her to start (she likes the apple flavoured lick-its in her boredom breaker ball). Will let you know how it goes!
Lee C
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 - 7:03 am:

Hello Lee,
If you want her to learn to drink from a bucket empty the water trough, she will drink from the bucket when she gets thirsty.
DrO
Member:
Leec

Posted on Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 - 12:11 pm:

Thanks Dr O. That's a great idea - it would leave her with no choice, as there is very little snow in the paddock that her water trough is in. I think I will have to wait until it warms up a bit though. If she can hold off for 5 hours at night, her bucket of water will be pretty much frozen, which would defeat the purpose...
Lee C
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