Water conservation

[dressager]

As many of you know, California is in the midst of an extreme drought. Many wells have dried up and farms are being forced to truck in water. What are some water saving techniques that you have tried?

What about bathing horses for clipping? I’ve got the body clipper coming this weekend to do two horses (which in the long run will help with water usage as they will need less washing) but aside from vacuuming them and currying them, I am out of ideas.

For daily washing after exercise we have been using sponges and towels and are considering purchasing a small perimeter sprayer to wet the horses down and then rub them (eliminating the water from sponging that inevitably falls).

We use buckets which obviously need to scrubbed. It pains me to dump them out (21 buckets x 5 gallons each is over 100 gallons wasted)… I’ve been waiting until one gets low and then scrubbing that one, transferring water from the next one and so on- not sharing between horses but trying to eliminate dumping decent water. We aren’t watering the landscaping so using them to water the plants isn’t possible.

We wash our feed buckets and then use that water to soak the beet pulp or pellets.

The arena is very dusty- I read some posts on MgCl but saw that it may not work well in dry climates and our humidity levels have been in the teens and single digits in the last few weeks.

We are trying to be crazy with the water saving without compromising the horses. The dusty arenas worry me but so far the horses have been okay. Obviously veterinarian directed washing of wounds or skin conditions is okay with me but I use a nozzle and use the water extremely judiciously.

I’m looking for any and all ideas on water saving!!!

[sorrelfilly721]

I’m in socal too and I’m doing the same thing - waiting for them to drink the water down before scrubbing and using dirty water from the buckets to “water” dusty areas. I only hose the ponies where they’re sweaty and if they need to be clean, I brush and then wipe down with a damp cloth. Then I pray for rain!

[poltroon]

I grew up at a barn with a limited water supply. We generally couldn’t bathe all summer; horses were sponged down with a vetrolin bucket, and generally a batch of vetrolin was used for quite a few horses. You can actually get a horse quite clean this way and I actually came to prefer it to hosing after exercise. I can do this using only a gallon, maybe two, per horse.

You can eliminate some of your dumping dilemma by having two buckets in with each horse. Then, you can pour one into the other and never worry about having too little water as you wait for the horses to drink it down. The water can potentially be poured into another use, like watering trees or used for dust control.

[PeteyPie]

I hate dumping buckets and wasting the water too. My plan is to have a concrete basin, about 4’ x 8’, to set the water tubs in/on. The basin will have a drain which will recycle the water. I haven’t got it all designed so I am not sure if the water will drain into a grey water tank or just have a hose or pipe which will direct the water to a garden area (or a few trees, shrubs, or maybe even a few planters). It will all be a gravity system, so the water tubs and the basin will be set up in a higher area of the paddock.

My plan is to have the basin be just a few inches deep but designed so that I can tip over my tubs and scrub them out, and not have the water slosh out all over the ground. I could also just attach a hose to the drain on the aluminum water tanks, but that would not allow me to really scrub them out with a hose without the water just draining, wasted, into the ground in the paddock. Also, some of my tubs are the big rubber type which do not have drains.

If you really wanted to, you could collect all of this grey water and put it through a sand and gravel filtration system to re-use for the horses.

[PeteyPie]

I hate dumping buckets and wasting the water too. My plan is to have a concrete basin, about 4’ x 8’, to set the water tubs in/on. The basin will have a drain which will recycle the water. I haven’t got it all designed so I am not sure if the water will drain into a grey water tank or just have a hose or pipe which will direct the water to a garden area (or a few trees, shrubs, or maybe even a few planters). It will all be a gravity system, so the water tubs and the basin will be set up in a higher area of the paddock.

My plan is to have the basin be just a few inches deep but designed so that I can tip over my tubs and scrub them out, and not have the water slosh out all over the ground. I could also just attach a hose to the drain on the aluminum water tanks, but that would not allow me to really scrub them out with a hose without the water just draining, wasted, into the ground in the paddock. Also, some of my tubs are the big rubber type which do not have drains.

If you really wanted to, you could collect all of this grey water and put it through a sand and gravel filtration system to re-use for the horses.

[Alagirl]

Water the horses a few times a day.
They don’t drink 24/7 anyhow.
That way you only use the water they are drinking, can monitor it better yet, and they don’t play and dirty up the buckets. No gunky buckets, no scrubbing.

Now this is going into winter…the temps cooling off, minimize the bathing and hosing. I can see to wash a horse down to aid in the cooling process, but having water for life’s essentials is more important to me than baths! (you can bet your bottom dollar, I’d revive the sponge bath method to conserve water)

When the wells run dry, you are past the critical stage, and even the gardens are at the bottom of the must have list!

If you simply cannot see your horse without a bucket in front of it every second of every day, get automatic waterers that only need a quick rinse.
http://www.boesken.de/installation/traenkebecken-beissnippel/suevia-traenkebecken-und-fittings/traenkebecken-fuer-rinder-pferde/1098/suevia-traenkebecken-mod.-12-p-ms-1/2-art.-nr.-100.0120-aus-kunststoff-messing-rohrventil?c=3325&sCoreId=619sfu2jn2ina6620u9jejtdh1

[Antaeus]

Nothing to add, but, as another Californian, I applaud all of your efforts to conserve water!

[SharonA]

I would not advise only watering a few times a day. I’m firmly in the camp of fresh clean water available 24/7. In my part of the country, horses go months without being bathed (it’s too cold) but seem to emerge just as clean after the first bath in the Spring. But limiting water to a few times a day? That is not going to happen in my horse’s world.

I guess I am not clear on why one needs to wash their horse daily, especially if there is a drought going on. Even if they are sweaty, could one not wait until they dry off and then give a good grooming?

Could you wipe the empty feed or water buckets clean with a dry or damp barn towel every other day, in lieu of washing them every day?

Regardless, I also commend you for trying to conserve water, and I get how hard it is to keep horses in any kind of weather extreme.

[dressager]

Sharon- I am completely with you on the watering. IMHO that is a recipe for colic and my vet certainly would not be for that sort of practice. I would go buy bottled water for my horses before limiting their water intake- and don’t think I haven’t thought of buying some as backup!
I don’t think they need to be washed daily- not great for their coats and a huge waste. Sometimes they get sweaty enough and need to have their sensitive areas washed so some sort of spray is helpful, especially on the kickers (lol). I think the wiping down of the buckets is a great idea!

[Bicoastal]

For using the dirty water as arena dust control, are you guys chucking the water out onto the footing or is there some fancier method?

Also, what can be done at home? I was just visiting family in CA who have a spring and are carefully conserving water. These are some of the things they are doing:

• mellow yellow, brown down
• hand washing dishes above a big bowl in the sink and reusing that caught water. I would never have thought of this!
• low flow shower heads and short cold showers (takes a while for the water to warm up)
• turning off the water while brushing teeth, washing hands/face
• that almost empty glass of water from the nightstand isn't poured down the drain, it is going to the chickens or dogs

[poltroon]

Dishwashers are often more efficient water users than hand washing them. Some dishwashers (and clothes washers) use a lot less water than others.

You can collect water in the shower and use it for watering plants.

[Horseychick87]

1. Yup, as suggested reuse the old water from the buckets for dust control in the arena, filter out any gunk and if you can get one, or already have it, get a tank you can mount on a ATV, tractor, etc, and water the arena this way once it’s full enough.

2. Also as suggested try a rub down with something like a liniment instead of water, or even use a little of the water from the water buckets.

3. All of the things Bicoastal suggested for in home work well and I use many of them. I’d like a dishwasher, but that’ll have to wait until other parts of my home are renovated first.

4. If you do get any rain what-so-ever put out buckets, trash cans, etc to collect run off from the roofs, this can be used, once filtered, for watering the arena and even washing the horses if they are particularly gunky.

5. Look into a dirty/ grey water filtration system for your toilets.

Good luck, and I hope you get a good rainstorm soon.

[sorrelfilly721]

[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7795369]
For using the dirty water as arena dust control, are you guys chucking the water out onto the footing or is there some fancier method?[/QUOTE]

I use a small bucket to toss it onto areas needing dustdown.

[wildlifer]

This aquatic biologist who is from SoCal thanks you!!!

Reuse of greywater and rain-barrels are fantastic.

If you are not familiar with this site, they have a LOT of great information, both about water quantity & quality.

[dressager]

[QUOTE=wildlifer;7796841]

If you are not familiar with this site, they have a LOT of great information, both about water quantity & quality. :D[/QUOTE]

What site?

[wildlifer]

Derp. http://www.horsesforcleanwater.com

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=Horseychick87;7795709]

5. Look into a dirty/ grey water filtration system for your toilets.
   :-)[/QUOTE]

What is this? When I first walked into my aunt & uncle’s bathroom, I looked down at the toilet, pivoted on my heels and walked right back out saying, “I think something’s wrong with the…” My aunt walked me back into the bathroom and asked what I was talking about.

I looked down the toilet again. “Oh. Um. Nothing…nevermind.”

The bottom of the toilet bowl -what you see when looking from above down into the basin- was black. I was expecting to see water and white. On a second look, I realized the bottom was black with some irregular streaks and circumference, as if naturally accumulated.

Was that a really dirty toilet? My toilet gets a faint ring around the water’s edge, further up the bowl, when it is overdue a cleaning. I’ve never seen any color or residue form at the bottom.

Is this a grey water thing?

Back on the East Coast, I am more aware of my water consumption. I am watering my plants with the dog’s water before I change it, using the water from the dehumidifier to water outdoor plants or flush the toilet, trying to use less water when washing dishes, etc. I still flush the toilet after every use. Sorry, mellow yellow is not for me!

[Horseychick87]

[QUOTE=Bicoastal;7803796]
What is this? When I first walked into my aunt & uncle’s bathroom, I looked down at the toilet, pivoted on my heels and walked right back out saying, “I think something’s wrong with the…” My aunt walked me back into the bathroom and asked what I was talking about.

I looked down the toilet again. “Oh. Um. Nothing…nevermind.”

The bottom of the toilet bowl -what you see when looking from above down into the basin- was black. I was expecting to see water and white. On a second look, I realized the bottom was black with some irregular streaks and circumference, as if naturally accumulated.

Was that a really dirty toilet? My toilet gets a faint ring around the water’s edge, further up the bowl, when it is overdue a cleaning. I’ve never seen any color or residue form at the bottom.

Is this a grey water thing?

Back on the East Coast, I am more aware of my water consumption. I am watering my plants with the dog’s water before I change it, using the water from the dehumidifier to water outdoor plants or flush the toilet, trying to use less water when washing dishes, etc. I still flush the toilet after every use. Sorry, mellow yellow is not for me![/QUOTE]

LOL,’ grey water’ is a term for re-used water. It’s neither dirty nor clean, hence the ‘grey’ term.

I think your aunts toilet just needed a good cleaning honestly. If she is on well water she could even be pulling sediment up into the toilet. I’m on a well and it does this as it’s actually getting close to the bottom of the well and I need a new one dug.

You can find filters online that can be installed, when you flush they filter out the waste and then put the ‘grey’ water back into the toilet tank. Just don’t forget it’s not 100% clean and try to scoop a cupful from the tank for use elsewhere. (I know someone who did that when her power went out to rinse the shampoo out of her hair…when she realized what she’d done she totally flipped out. No it wasn’t me, but I got a good laugh and a very dirty look from her when I had to bring her some water to use, LOL.)

[dotneko]

We installed automatic waterers and figure we save, in our 29 stall barn, over 50,000 gallons a year. If each stall has 2 buckets and an average of 5 gallons is dumped a day X29 X365 gives you 59000 gallons

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=Horseychick87;7804497]
I think your aunts toilet just needed a good cleaning honestly. If she is on well water she could even be pulling sediment up into the toilet. I’m on a well and it does this as it’s actually getting close to the bottom of the well and I need a new one dug.[/QUOTE]

I’ve never seen a dirty toilet bowl look like that. She is on a spring. Maybe it was sediment. I grew up on wells and the bottom of the toilet bowls never got black! (nor were we kids diligent about cleaning them :D)