I need to get Halo a new water bucket, for winter. The one she has now, is great for summer, but it is thin. So I was thinking of getting a rubber black one for her...I can't have an electric one, where she is boarded, so I need to find one that won't freeze as bad. My husband goes and feeds her before work, and can start taking some hot/warm water, to break off any ice that would form, and then I can do the same, with the evening feeding, so I think we will be able, or hope to be able to keep her water from freezing solid. Anyway, do the rubber buckets work good for that? All I have ever seen around here is... rubber, plastic, or the electric. So I'm not sure I really have a choice, but was curious on what others use. I read on the web, that some people have taken of the lid to a ice cooler, and used that, as it is insulated, but I would think the rubber ones would be more durable, plus, being black, would absorb heat from any sun, that would be out, in winter, to help it from freezing. We have to keep the bucket, out from under her shelter. Due to the hose, doesn't reach that far. Not sure what this place does, if the hose freezes.
Rubber Buckets?
- Thread starter MyMiniGal
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targetsmom
Well-Known Member
Where you can't use a heated bucket and temps get down real low, I highly recommend insulated buckets. You can buy them, or make them yourself by putting a smaller bucket inside a larger one and adding foam insulation between them. Your think one might work fine for the inner bucket. We have one where we wedged a regular 8 quart flat back bucket inside one that goes over the fence (so no bale to get in the way) and it has worked fine for years this way and rarely gets more than a skim of ice on it.
chandab
Well-Known Member
The rubber buckets still freeze, but there are still my winter choice as most take a beating and still hold up. The good black rubber buckets you can just turn over beat on them, the ice falls out, and you refill (the plastic buckets tend to crack in winter). The do freeze a little less solid than the plastic buckets, but around here everything will freeze in winter.
Oh, that is a good idea, about putting one inside another one. Will have to check that out. Thank you. We can have mild winters, and cold ones...never know. Some winters, we only have a few nights under 32 degrees, then other winters, we can go all the way down to 12 degrees. Just never know.
I will definitely get a rubber one. Would that spray foam work as insulation, if I put two together? Whatever insulation, I use, it will have to not soak up water, due to our rain here, and not being able to have it under shelter.
Yup go rubber. I used to double bucket also before my new barn was built. At any rate, doing what you can to keep the water warm will help ensure your horse is drinking. There's heated hoses to but don't know how well the work.
What's the deal with the boarding stable not letting you keep your bucket under the shelter? Boo on them.
What's the deal with the boarding stable not letting you keep your bucket under the shelter? Boo on them.
They would let me put it under, but the hose won't reach, from the faucet area. It isn't them, saying I can't. They seem to let us do whatever we want, when it comes to our own horse.
It is just that the shelters, which are nice ones, are to the back of the paddock and the gate, and isle, between the paddocks, is out the front, and the faucet is down, from there. I have absolutely no complaints about the place. They have been nothing but nice to us.
Jenny
Well-Known Member
I only have rubber buckets. I like that they're really heavy duty. Although soon I'm getting my boy a heated bucket, as it usually gets to -25˚C at night here, so even in his insulated barn, his water will still freeze.
Minimor
Well-Known Member
I use rubber buckets for a couple of the horses here, but in our winter weather I still have to water the horses with warm water in the morning, then dump the pails and refill them when I do evening chores. If I were to leave the pail all day with water still in it, it would be frozen almost solid by the time I got home from work. Once the rubber pails freeze that hard I have to take them into the house to thaw (or turn them upside down & pour HOT water over them until the ice loosens and falls out in a block--can't chop out the ice when it's practically full and frozen solid.) I've had some rubber pails last for several winters, but too much pounding on them with too much ice in them & they soon start leaking. There is no point running a hose here in winter--cold water freezes too hard too quick and it's too much trouble to empty the hose after use... I carry/haul warm water for all of mine 2X a day. In your place, for just one horse, I would put the pail in a sheltered spot & then just take out warm water & carry it across to refill the bucket, don't worry about running the hose.
I hate winter...
I hate winter...
I would provide her with two buckets, one outside and one inside under the shelter. Your hubby could carry a gallon of warm water with him and pour it into the inside one when he feeds. The inside one would most likely have just a crust of ice and easily broken.
That's an idea...would have to find some sort of closed container to take the water in, as a bucket, in our car's wouldn't be too good. One thing, is we are rarely under 32 degrees during the day time. So it freezing at time would be very minimum. It would be during the night, it most likely would happen. But then, I am new to where she is being boarded and they may be in a cold pocket. So, will just have to see what happens. As many area's in our valley are different, even when they really aren't that far apart in distance.
chandab
Well-Known Member
I use empty kitty litter containers to haul water. My favorites are the bucket style with a lid, but they might leak in a vehicle (I only haul across our yard); I'm sure the jug style would work too. [And, if you have kitties, you have a ready, free supply of water haulers. If you don't have a kitty, perhaps a friend does and would save a couple empties for you. I do wash them out, to be sure to get rid of the litter residue.]
Minimor
Well-Known Member
I use the 10 litre water jugs to take water to the shows--easy to carry, no spills. They work well and they are cheap enough to buy. They are no good for me to haul water here at home (too small!) but if you need water for just one mini they would be perfect.
I have a kitty, but the litter we get comes in 40 # bags.
I am sure I will be able to find something, with a lid, and have my husband haul it, in the mornings, if we find it is needed. Which, I am thinking a couple times, it will be.
susanne
dB
By the time you drive to the barn, your warm water will be cold. Instead, start out with as hot as you can without damaging the container so that it is still warm when you get there. Here at home, instead of hauling a large amount of warm water, I top off the trough with boiling water from our electric tea kettle. With the large muck tubs we use, it's enough to melt a thin layer of ice, but doesn't make the water too hot to drink. Is there electricity where you board? These kettles heat up very quickly.
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When I have to carry water in a car I use a gallon milk jug and I place it in a sturdy bucket on the floor board to keep it upright. I take gallon milk jugs with hot water out to the barn all the time to wet down my old horses' feed. Easy to carry handle.
Rhondaalaska
Well-Known Member
Milk jugs and 2 liter soda bottles would work as well to haul water if you needed to. You could put them in an ice chest to keep warm while you drive.. I would make the water as hot as I could so that they are still warm when you get there.
Yes, that sounds good too. For the other horses they have self waterers, so I don't know what they do for them, if the pipes would happen to freeze. Halo isn't tall enough to use those. Way over her head..
There is no kitchen or any area like that, we can warm up water...the only thing we can try and do, is put hot water in a container, of some sort and hope it stays warm enough. We are only around 8 mins. away from where she is boarded, so we aren't that far away.
paintponylvr
Well-Known Member
Even in NC, about 3 hours from the coast, we get enough freezing weather that hoses freeze, frost free water spigots will freeze if you leave a hose hooked up. Any water buckets left in "protected spots" or in most barns or sheds will freeze solid - sometimes even when you have 32* (doesn't have to drop into the teens).
11 January 2011
10 Dec 2010
Two liter bottles make excellent, closable, re-usable water carriers. I have used up to 15/20 at a time to haul out hot water to feed with in the winter. Our family drinks a TON of soda ... plus we have bonfires we invite others to. Soda bottles stay at our place - and often get reused. I used them a lot when I was having to haul in a vehicle. You have to be careful how hot you make the water - you will soon notice that a bottle that's been used several times and a brand "new" bottle are very different in size as they become "shrinky-dink" bottles.
Our ponies love their hot soup every frosty fall/winter morning! I use a broken shovel to break the ice and remove it from the tanks - have had it as much as 4" thick - scoop it out of the tanks and fill with hot water from there.
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That's an idea...would have to find some sort of closed container to take the water in, as a bucket, in our car's wouldn't be too good. One thing, is we are rarely under 32 degrees during the day time. So it freezing at time would be very minimum. It would be during the night, it most likely would happen. But then, I am new to where she is being boarded and they may be in a cold pocket. So, will just have to see what happens. As many area's in our valley are different, even when they really aren't that far apart in distance.
Two liter bottles make excellent, closable, re-usable water carriers. I have used up to 15/20 at a time to haul out hot water to feed with in the winter. Our family drinks a TON of soda ... plus we have bonfires we invite others to. Soda bottles stay at our place - and often get reused. I used them a lot when I was having to haul in a vehicle. You have to be careful how hot you make the water - you will soon notice that a bottle that's been used several times and a brand "new" bottle are very different in size as they become "shrinky-dink" bottles.
Our ponies love their hot soup every frosty fall/winter morning! I use a broken shovel to break the ice and remove it from the tanks - have had it as much as 4" thick - scoop it out of the tanks and fill with hot water from there.
**********
That's an idea...would have to find some sort of closed container to take the water in, as a bucket, in our car's wouldn't be too good. One thing, is we are rarely under 32 degrees during the day time. So it freezing at time would be very minimum. It would be during the night, it most likely would happen. But then, I am new to where she is being boarded and they may be in a cold pocket. So, will just have to see what happens. As many area's in our valley are different, even when they really aren't that far apart in distance.
