Ice bucket hack or fail

[Rosem]

I have head that putting styrofoam in water buckets allows the horse to drink in freezing condidtions.

Does this keep ice from forming? let the horse push through the ice easier? or is it an epic fail urban legend?

Can someone in a colder latitude try this and report back what happens?

[tangledweb]

For at least half the horses here I’m pretty sure it would lead to styrofoam getting eaten so I think I’ll let you do your own science there.

[PlanB]

[QUOTE=Rosem;7898272]
I have head that putting styrofoam in water buckets allows the horse to drink in freezing condidtions.

Does this keep ice from forming? let the horse push through the ice easier? or is it an epic fail urban legend?

Can someone in a colder latitude try this and report back what happens?[/QUOTE]

I have found everything other than a heated bucket is an epic fail. And heated buckets, in full barns, still get ice in them sometimes.

Sincerely,
Where it gets to -40

[Rosem]

[QUOTE=tangledweb;7898372]
For at least half the horses here I’m pretty sure it would lead to styrofoam getting eaten so I think I’ll let you do your own science there.[/QUOTE]

Ohh didn’t even consider that.

Plan B, you are tougher than I am, I hope you stay warm.

[Doctracy]

[QUOTE=Rosem;7898272]
I have head that putting styrofoam in water buckets allows the horse to drink in freezing condidtions.

Does this keep ice from forming? let the horse push through the ice easier? or is it an epic fail urban legend?

Can someone in a colder latitude try this and report back what happens?[/QUOTE]

Do you have electricity to the horse area? I love the electric water buckets. I used them all winter in OK. As soon as I get a new barn with electric and water, I’ll be getting them for each stall.

[Beverley]

Well, for water troughs without an electric option, dropping a basketball or soccer ball in there will at least facilitate easier breaking of ice for the horses. Plus it gives them a ball to play with which is more rugged than styrofoam. For a stable bucket, I don’t know, I might amuse myself by experimenting with a little block of wood to see what that does (in the second bucket, since I do have one heated bucket hanging for that horse).

[myrna]

i went to the hardware store and picked up a small roll of the silver insulating stuff.it’s about 24" wide.wrapped it around the water buckets in the stalls and duct taped them.the buckets got a small skiff of ice on top,but were definitely not frozen the way they normally would have been in a cold snap!these are in/out stalls with the doors open all the time unless it is blizzarding out.i read about it somewhere on FB and thought it was worth a try.It was!!