We love them but they do break easily and horses have gone through a lot of them. Like any bucket, a horse can get their head caught so view this as a safety feature!
I have one that I use at shows and like it very much. Since it’s only a “show” bucket, I can’t speak to the durability. IMO, it’s a tad safer as the horse seems less likely to snag his face on the bails. I use those Schneider Dura-Tech Safeguards on every bucket I own. Just bought a few more for my barn manager after her horse snagged his blanket on the bail and wrecked both blanket and bucket.
I actually recently started using a smaller one for my 30+ year old certified OLD FART who is a serial bucket abuser. He’ll beat the living daylights out of a round bucket, but for some reason he doesn’t or can’t beat the Better Bucket into submission. As far as me liking it, it’s fine, but they are pretty tippy when you have it set out to wash or fill with grain.
I got one a year or so ago for my (now) 35 yo who likes to spill most of his grain on the floor.
It seems that some of the early versions were prone to breakage, but they seem to have fixed that problem, and it has not been damaged.
He still spills some, but much less, and he can more easily get the last bit out.
If I need to get new buckets for the others, I might get more of them.
I would think they would be more-trouble-than-they-are-worth for holding water.
I have three that are going strong on 18 months of use. I’m very happy with them.
I bought them for my horses, I thought they would hang better, which they do but they won’t eat out of them.
My horse has one due to a bump on the lower part of his jaw that prevents him from using a normal bucket. It works great!! He also had the same issue with the steep sides on plastic corner feeders, so I found this for him
http://www.countrymfgstore.com/caalcofe.html
Now he can eat and drink without damaging his face more than it is.
[QUOTE=trubandloki;7654552]
They work great for my pony who does not like to stick her head into a normal bucket.
They have lived thru being a scratching device with the same amount of deformity as any other bucket gets.[/QUOTE]
My two buckets are still going strong.
My horse has one due to a bump on the lower part of his jaw that prevents him from using a normal bucket. It works great!! He also had the same issue with the steep sides on plastic corner feeders, so I found this for him
http://www.countrymfgstore.com/caalcofe.html
Now he can eat and drink without damaging his face more than it is.
I bought one for a big headed draft mare at the barn I work at that is a big time feed slinger/paw-er at mealtime. I got tired of replacing every manner and material of feed pan or water tank (used for meals, not water) that she had destroyed. The Better Bucket is ONLY in her stall/paddock during meal time, and ALWAYS hung up. She eats quietly, doesn’t sling, and is able to clean every bit out of the bottom. I am beyond happy with the bucket, and hope to prolong it’s life by not leaving it accessible 24/7 to be played with.
I use the larger size for all four of my geldings, three of whom have ginormous heads with big jaws. It’s gotten harder to find the bigger ones and I feel like I need to stock up now when I find them, just in case. I agree with the others who said they’re a little harder to dump due to the shape but I love them.
The only one I’ve had any personal experience with lasted roughly 1 1/2 weeks as a feeder for an 11 and pony who is apparently very hard on buckets. It is completely mangled and unusable. In the bucket’s defense, this pony is Godzilla on buckets… He also has broken some normal ones. But a week and a half is a pretty short lifespan.
I’ve had these buckets for I guess two years now. I’m on my second one with a pony that is quite hard on any bucket. I’m happy with the longevity and her access, and I think for her particular size and grain amount that I will probably stick with this design.
It is tippy and somewhat less convenient to carry if I were trying to carry say three or four at a time. The tippy nature means I wouldn’t be inclined to use it for water and it can’t do dual duty well as a Place For Stuff. But I think they’ll have a place in my barn for a while.
I have one and only use it with the one who is such a pig in his stall that I can’t leave a ground pan in it!! I find it fine for feeding but unstable when not hanging up. I prefer ground pans for feeding.
I’ve got a couple of those and they have lsted for years but they don’t normally use them for eating.
I feed my horses grain out of a big muck tubs on the floors of their stalls (muck tubs are only for food!!!). They have big stalls so the size is not an issue. I am not sure they would want to eat out of buckets but I suppose in some situations that could be necessary.
