What about those waterers where the horse has to push a ball down with his nose to get to the water? Certainly wouldn’t be able to get in there and splash.
see the Mirafount models on this page: http://www.showstopperequipment.com/livestock-water-systems
(under Miraco Energy-efficient waterers)
I had one of these too. It was maddening from a time perspective, a waste perspective but most of all because she’d get in there and splash and dump everything and if I didn’t catch it quick enough, the other mares were without water because of her stupidity
The ONLY thing I found that worked was switching to a garbage can, elevated off the ground, with bungees through the handles securing it to a corner post. The top opening was too small for her to really get splashing in there and with being elevated, it was difficult / impossible for her to do as well
Absolute PITA and even more so in the colder months when I had to use the 100 gallon normal trough with the plug in heater at the bottom - she wrecked so many heaters on me sticking her damned feet in there and pawing and switching to the blue, 20 gallon ones wasn’t much better - she whacked them so hard she cracked them. I was so glad to see that one sold and gone …
You aren’t getting the message. They want a swimming pool, nice walk in pool for the summer. Be nice to your ponies….
walkers - You’re not too far away (I’m in Middle Tennessee). Do you want to drive your bulldozer over and build me a seement pond?
StG
We’ve got a splasher too. To keep her out of the trough, we drilled holes in the ends of a 2 X 6 board, placed it lengthwise across the middle of the trough (oval), and wired/tied it to the trough. Make sure the horse(s) have room to drink.
We have electric fencing, but chose not to use any solution involving electricity and water, for safety reasons. Our water troughs (“boarded” or not) are well away from the electric fence.
Sigh.
I have just inherited a trough splasher. It was a remotely tolerable vice until yesterday, when the big dufus got front shoes on. He came to me with pancake neglected feet, and looks much better after a good farrier visit. However, I can’t have him splashing getting his feet soaked and soft, only to rip shoes off and destroy his hooves even more.
It’s worse on hot days, but EVERY day the first thing he does when I turn him out is go play in the tank. I chase him out time and again. I must look like a mad woman to the neighbors, as I run out of the barn (was cleaning stalls, where I can see him clearly in the nearby paddock) screaming like a banshee, brandishing a pitchfork and hurling sticks at him. He scrambles out of the tank with an innocent, “Who, me?!” look on his face.
The problem is that he’s 16.3, very leggy, and stepping into a 100 gal rubbermaid tank is like a kiddie pool for him. I don’t know how to elevate the tank without him tipping it in his attempt to splash. I don’t know how to cover the tank, leaving a drinking hole, without him getting a foot caught somewhere. He paws alternately with both feet. Luckily he’s out by himself, so no other horses are subjected to his water torture.
Auto waterer is not an option. He has a full hay net and a jolly ball. Help?!
Trough with lid?
I’m having the same issue. Tried setting up higher on cinder blocks but he can still get legs in to paw. Barn owner says he can’t raise any higher cause other horses can’t drink if higher. Someone suggested a trough with a lid but no idea where to get one. Have searched internet but no luck. Anyone know where to get one? I think it may be by Rubbermaid and supposedly has a lid with a hole just big enough to get there nose in to drink.
How about a plywood top with a hole just big enough to drink out of.
Was hoping to find one to purchase. I’m not very handy and don’t have proper equipment/tools to measure, saw, attach to trough, etc…a friend said she saw one online somewhere but now we can’t find.
I do what others have suggested. Raise it up. As suggest build a platform out of 2X4 and plywood. Or just us cinder blocks. I have found 2 courses/2 blocks high is high enough to keep them out of a large 75 gallon (?) Rubbermaid tank.
The weight of the water keeps it in place. Make sure to level the ground pretty good to place the blocks on so as not to get a “wobble” when setting the set course of blocks on top.
[QUOTE=Christa P;8450294]
How about a plywood top with a hole just big enough to drink out of.[/QUOTE]
The problem with using a plywood top with a hole cut in it is the fact you have to keep the water level high enough for horses to get to it.
When it drops just out of their reach they are stilling going to try and get to it. Most likely scrapping up their “face”.
Making the hole big enough to let them get their whole head through it kind of defeats the purpose. And you still run the risk of them getting hurt if they quickly pull their head out if “spooked”.
I installed one of these;
http://www.equuspring.com/DesktopDefault.aspx
Going into my 3 winter using. Love the design, did have to replace the fill valve because it got clogged with sentiment in our well water. The company sent me a new one for free it was only a year old at the time. Suggested putting a sentiment filter on the water line.
I use in it in a field that has had as many as 15+ broodmares. Several of which were chronic tank splashers.
The water level can easily be set to fill up to 30 gallons at a time. So several horses drinking at the same time won’t empty it. It’s water pressure sensitive so it will refill as the water level drops with horses drinking out of it.
The winterized version has a small 250 watt heater so it is not expensive to run. I set the water level lower in the winter so I don’t pay to keep a lot of water ice free. MUCH cheaper to run than a 50+gallon un-insulated tank and a 1500 watt tank heater.
Depending on one’s winter temps and electricity cost it can pay for itself in one season.
The company could could clean up it customer service though.
I have heard that some use big hay bale rings, with vertical bars, around the tank.
The horse can stick it’s head to drink, but can’t get the shoulders over the tank to stick feet in.
A horse my husband used to own was a trough slasher too. He solved it by putting a beach ball in the trough; he’d drink but stopped climbing in. Of course yours might think cool! Mom bought me pool toys!
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