Trough in question is a 100 gallon Rubbermaid livestock tank. One of the horses has decided that the only appropriate way to drink is to put both front legs in the trough and paw first. In addition to making the water gross fast, he has already broken one tank while doing this. Any suggestions to keep him out? It is an outdoor area that can have high winds if that hinders any solutions.
I have a swimmer. I took out the middle board of a three board fence and put the tank outside the field. They reach through to drink, and that has 100% put an end to that awful, annoying behavior. Highly recommend!
1 Like
Raise it up on blocks…high enough that he can’t insert his feet. If you feel the wind might blow it over when the water level is down, figure out how to anchor it to a post.
Simkie’s solution wouldn’t have worked for me as the fence was hot wire. My horse shared a tank with my friend’s draft mare and she was a swimmer too. She would stick her very big feet in and yeah, water got gross and often the tank ended up (dumped) in her pen. We just put it up and cinder blocks and it was high enough that she couldn’t make a dive with her big tootsies.
Susan
I have all of mine up on cement blocks and attached to the fence with bailing twine.
Hahahahaha! Put my water trough on a stand!
The fence where it is is no climb, but otherwise that sounds great. I’ll try cement blocks. Do you do a solid layer under the trough or just corners?
