Making water buckets in stall safer

[SonnysMom]

This is a boarding barn and owner is not made of money so we need to work within those parameters. (No construction in the stalls or lots of holes in stall. Not lots of work for groom to deal with filling/cleaning/emptying)

Horse uses 2 water buckets and a feed bucket in the stall. The feed bucket is not a corner feeder but it is not a standard water bucket shape either. The horse has cut his face a few times on the hooks on the water/feed bucket. Owner has tried to duct tape the hooks where they loop back on themselves. She has tried latex sealex (bit tape) also. He has removed both by the next morning.

He is one of those horses that has a chain on his stall since he can unlatch most types of stall doors. He is very oral. He has toys, gets plenty of turn out and is ridden hard 6 days a week.

I don’t think a muck bucket on the stall floor would work as he would likely flip it over. He likes to spill the water buckets as it is. If you can think of a solution that does not involve stall modification but would prevent him from flipping or spilling the muck tub thoughts on that would be appreciated.

I looked up those bucket holders that are rings that you place the buckets in. His feed bucket is not a shape that would fit in that style holder so that would be an additional expense and solution. They are $20-$29 each plus additional freight on top of that. For the one that did not require drilling holes in the wall it would be $84 for 2 bucket holders once I included the extra shipping. The ones that screw to the wall would be about $65 for the pair. Cha-ching.

Any thoughts on what to put on the bucket handles to keep him from cutting himself or pinching himself that he can’t easily remove? I know a new one comes with the rubber booty but he removes that pretty quickly.

Obviously we don’t want to use WrapLast or similar no chew products as we don’t want to risk getting it into the water or feed.

Anyone have any creative solutions?

[cnd8]

A $12 Fortiflex rubber feed pan would work on the ground. Nothing to cut him up. As for water, what about electrical tape maybe? Or, if they’d let you replace the hanging buckets with one small muck bucket for water, that would be safer as well as it sits on the ground. Again, minimal expense. Maybe $15 for one of those.

[DIR]

I have used electrical tape intended for outdoor use for wrapping bucket handles. Much thicker/more secure than original rubber protection but conforms just as well.
I feed all mine from tubs on ground though, and they adapt.

[trubandloki]

@cnd8

Or, if they’d let you replace the hanging buckets with one small muck bucket for water, that would be safer as well as it sits on the ground.

I think the OP covered that in their original post. A muck bucket for water would get tipped over.

I do like your rubber floor plan idea for the horse’s feed. That also leaves the horse with a toy to play with which might make him less likely to play with the water buckets.

@SonnysMom

I don’t think a muck bucket on the stall floor would work as he would likely flip it over. He likes to spill the water buckets as it is. If you can think of a solution that does not involve stall modification but would prevent him from flipping or spilling the muck tub thoughts on that would be appreciated.

[sing]

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So have you tried these and he is still boogering himself up? I am trying to picture where the hooks are?

[cnd8]

Thanks. I missed that muck bucket part. The last barn I boarded at had a standard size one in each stall that they filled about halfway. None of them tipped them over, but I suppsoe for a very busy body horse like this poster is describing, he just might flood his stall. LOL

[Simkie]

What sort of hooks? How are his buckets attached to the wall?

I pulled off tons of screw eyes and these things out of my stalls when we purchased, and went to basic rings tied up with paracord instead, and attach buckets with a double ended snap.

All of those metal pieces poking out at eye level just seemed risky to me.

If your buckets are attached with similar rings in the stall wall, you might try removing them for something more flush.

[Brown_Derby]

Just in case one does want to try a muck bucket - be sure to cut off the handles, which can allow them to get a good hold of the bucket. Or trap a hoof.

My barn uses one in the main stallion stall; and has never had one tipped, but it is right next to the wash stall and is thus always easily kept filled and therefore heavy.

[SonnysMom]

@sing
@Simkie
He is getting himself on the bucket handle itself. On the bucket handle where it doubles backs on itself next to the bucket it normally comes with a plastic cover over the end. Over time they seem to break off or he takes them off. This leaves a gap between the end and the main length of the handle. He is somehow pinching or cutting himself on that. I have read about horses pinching lips or eyelids in that gap and cutting themselves.

Owner is wrapping that end near the bucket with the duct tape or sealtex. I will suggest electric tape to see if that works better for the moment.

[sascha]

If you mean that the horse is cutting himself on the handle of the bucket where it loops back on itself after passing through the eye of the bucket, try Horsemens Pride buckets. A horse would really have to work hard to hurt themselves on the handle because the design sort of sets the end back a bit so it doesn’t stick out. https://www.bigdweb.com/product/water+bucket+20+qt+rolled+lip.do They are not cheap buckets, but they last for many years and bonus if you live in a cold climate, they will not break when you smash the ever-loving shizzle out of them to get ice out of them.

The HP feed tubs are also the bomb.

If you mean that the horse is cutting himself on the hardware that attaches the bucket handles to the stall wall, try different hardware. For a mouthy beast, I’d use cheap double end snaps attached to twine or a screw eye which is set deep into the wood so the one “raw” edge of the screw eye is actually slightly embedded in the wood.

The other thing I’d check into would be the why of it. If the horse is not bored, and has enough forage in his stall, and enough social interraction (can see other horses close by), then I’d look into gut issues. If that checks out then make forage a better game with a small hole net or hay ball or something to occupy him longer while eating and satisfy the play urge at the same time.

[Simkie]

Oh, they actually make little guards for that space:

https://www.sstack.com/dura-tech-safeguards-one-pair/p/08448/

If he’s pulling off duct tape, not sure if they’ll work, but it might be worth a shot.

Or, screw a couple milk crates to the wall, and take the handle entirely off the bucket. Bucket sits in crate.

[trubandloki]

@Simkie

Oh, they actually make little guards for that space:

https://www.sstack.com/dura-tech-safeguards-one-pair/p/08448/

Oh these are neat. And the OP can probably put chew stop of some sort on them.

[sascha]

My horse sliced an eyelid on the edge of the velcro on her turnout boots while turned out, so my vote would be a “hard no” for those little protectors for a face rubber.

Took us about half an hour of scouring her legs and those of her turnout buddies before we figured out that the blood all over her boot was from her own face.

[cnd8]

Hay Chix sells buckets with guards, but I’ve never seen them in person or used them.

[SonnysMom]

He appears to be cutting himself on the handle of the bucket not on the eyehooks or on the double ended snaps.

He is rarely out of hay. However he is bedded on straw and sometimes will eat his straw instead of his hay. Hay is high quality. So it isn’t like he doesn’t have something to eat at all times. Some of the bales of straw is more yummy than others and even the other horses will suddenly eat their bedding. I can normally tell when I break open one of those bales that they will be eating that bale. They just look different.

The stalls have a yoke set up so he can hang his head in the aisle and he can see other horses.

I will check out the Horseman’s Pride buckets. The way they bend their handle is different and may be a good solution.

He has always been a bit of a busy horse and the buckets are just one more thing to play with.
He is a bit of a character. He loves to be scratched and will direct you to exactly where to scratch him. Servant- scratch here, now here, don’t stop. He may be rubbing on them more than playing with them. He is kept pretty clean and is groomed regularly so I don’t know how to prevent that.

[SonnysMom]

Apparently they can hurt themselves on anything. Bubble wrap on everything I say. Oh wait they would probably eat it and then colic. Rotten buggers.

[sascha]

@SonnysMom

He loves to be scratched and will direct you to exactly where to scratch him. Servant- scratch here, now here, don’t stop. He may be rubbing on them more than playing with them. He is kept pretty clean and is groomed regularly so I don’t know how to prevent that.

Haha! My horse has the kid in the barn trained to scratch the insides of her ears if I’m not handy to do it for her. I’ve done allergy shots and she’s currently on antihistamines (which seem to be helping with her IAD) but nothing has really put paid to her itchiness. At least she is not bad enough to self-mutilate.

[sascha]

@SonnysMom

Apparently they can hurt themselves on anything. Bubble wrap on everything I say. Oh wait they would probably eat it and then colic. Rotten buggers.

This may be the only reason I have not got a whole assortment of bubble wrap onesies for my horse.

[candyappy]

Vet wrap? It would ( maybe) be harder for him to pull off but would be easy to get on the hooks themselves. Come in a variety of colors too

[Libby2563]

I’d try the milk crate idea to start. It’s cheap and would allow you to remove the handles from the buckets. Although if he’s that oral maybe the bucket needs to be secured somehow so he doesn’t try to pull the whole thing out and dump it?