I have gone through another summer with trying to keep water in the buckets for my yearling colts who are stalled. Either they rip the bucket off the wall or else dump the water out. Then the water soaks up in the bedding in not only the stall of the offender but in the adjacent stall as well. So I guess it is time to think about installing automatic waterers.
I've looked at the Nelson adds. Can anyone that has automatic waterers give some advice on what to avoid? Any drawbacks? Any tips on installing them so that the horse doesn't damage the waterer or himself? Which model to buy? I'll be doing a barn renovation this winter so it will be several months yet before I can get started.
Automatic waterers
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster, madelyn
Gosh I hope you have better luck with the automatic waterers...
We don't have them, not because I don't love the idea of the convenience.. but time and money balance plus I still like to monitor the water intake.
Especially for yearlings, I would AVOID the bowl kind that the horse has to press the lever to get water. Horses will play with those and overflow them. I saw the Nelson line at Equine Affaire last fall and it looks really nice. This winter, my solution is to run water lines to each stall with a faucet, and to get wall mounted bucket racks, which are much more secure than a snap and an eyescrew on the bail.
Good luck with your search. In the meantime, you could try distracting your yearlings with stall toys
We don't have them, not because I don't love the idea of the convenience.. but time and money balance plus I still like to monitor the water intake.
Especially for yearlings, I would AVOID the bowl kind that the horse has to press the lever to get water. Horses will play with those and overflow them. I saw the Nelson line at Equine Affaire last fall and it looks really nice. This winter, my solution is to run water lines to each stall with a faucet, and to get wall mounted bucket racks, which are much more secure than a snap and an eyescrew on the bail.
Good luck with your search. In the meantime, you could try distracting your yearlings with stall toys
So Run for the Roses, as fast as you can.....
The Nelsons have a stainless bowl that is easily removed for cleaning/sanitizing. You can also get heaters and a water monitor so you know how much they are drinking. It is your choice as to how cost-effective all of that is. And if they poop in it, that's that until you arrive to clean it.
We use two buckets, but the yearlings aren't as destructive (this year).
We use two buckets, but the yearlings aren't as destructive (this year).
And thou fly without wings, and conquer without any sword. Oh, horse. - The Qur'an
Most vets hate automatic waterers.
There is no way to measure how much a horse is drinking, and when they fail then you have serious health problems in a very, very short amount of time.
This said, vets only see the results of the failures (e.i. the sick, colicing horses that have not been drinking for days and the caretakers have no way of knowing, or the ones whose waters malfuntion), not the normal population of horses that do fine with them and the waterers that are reliable.
There is no way to measure how much a horse is drinking, and when they fail then you have serious health problems in a very, very short amount of time.
This said, vets only see the results of the failures (e.i. the sick, colicing horses that have not been drinking for days and the caretakers have no way of knowing, or the ones whose waters malfuntion), not the normal population of horses that do fine with them and the waterers that are reliable.
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Intrinsic Worth
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TBLADY
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I have a friend with a large barn and each stall has a nelson unit///what a PITA! In order to clean then you have to remove the top ring then remove the bowl then clean and put back together...seems simple until its about 10 degrees below 0 and you have 38 to clean! She likes the no ice in buckets idea but hates all of the work to keep water clean.
I have been using AW for 4 years now and would never give them up. Have never had a sick horse from not drinking. If a horse is off color, I see signs before water consumption stops, although I have not seen that in my horses and I have a wide variety at diffrent time of the year. I honestly couldn't cope without them. We have metal ones, which I wouldn't get again. The big plastic ones they have out now are better. Ours have a metal flap with a ball cock in the back which keeps them from overflowing. No pushing down. It's also easy for cleaning as you can flip the back part up and clean the bowl in no time. You can do it in 2mins every day. When I first came to this place they were allready in and thought I wouldn't want them as I couldn't see how much they were drinking. It just wasn't the case.
Terri
Terri