The relentless tedium of lugging hoses and scrubbing troughs can make automatic waterers seem like an attractive addition to horse stables and paddocks. Before you replace those buckets, however, consider the cons as well as the pros of automatic watering systems.
On the pro side, automatic waterers:
free you from bucket/trough-filling and -cleaning duties
prevent playful horses from tipping buckets and soaking stalls
assure horses constant access to water, assuming the system is functioning properlyOn the downside, automatic waterers:
get clogged with dirt, hay and manure if not regularly cleaned
make it impossible to monitor a horse's water intake unless you install a monitored system
can freeze, depriving your horse of water without your being aware of it
may malfunction and allow water to flood stalls or paddocks
In short, the time and hose-lugging labor automatic waterers save need to be reinvested in vigilant attention to the automatic devices to make sure they are working properly. Each day, test the refilling mechanism and cleanliness of automatic waterers and, if the waterers' reliability is questionable, hang buckets of water as a backup supply.
This article first appeared in the June 2000 issue of EQUUS magazine.
In the TB racing Industry we use only buckets and have buckets that are only used for one horse. We use two buckets per horse that are cleaned everyday. It is important to make sure that our horses are drinking enough water plus it is the first sign that something isn’t right. If we find that a horse isn’t drinking enough water we take a closer look right away. When you are taking care of race horses nothing is left to chance.
In the TB racing Industry we use only buckets and have buckets that are only used for one horse. We use two buckets per horse that are cleaned everyday. It is important to make sure that our horses are drinking enough water plus it is the first sign that something isn’t right. If we find that a horse isn’t drinking enough water we take a closer look right away. When you are taking care of race horses nothing is left to chance.