Watch your water buckets

[Candice]

I am so mad at myself. Just 3 nights ago while I was filling water buckets I noticed the little plastic end pieces were missing off of Rose's bucket handles. I thought to myself "Have hubby crimp those ends" and got busy and forgot all about it. OH!

Now today she's paying the price. She was fine when I walked into the barn. She's right in the first stall to greet me. I set out filling the water tubs and putting out hay and when I came back her face was covered with blood. She caught the top of her left nostril in that little gap where the handle wraps around the bucket (the place that collects all the mane and tail hairs) and ripped it open. Her perfect little face!!! (she has an amazingly beautiful head). I cleaned her up and Doc had me put vaseline on it until he can get here this afternoon to stitch her up. Its such a jagged tear. I'm praying she won't scar. Could something like this ruin her potential show future?

I'm just mad at myself for being so careless.

 

[Laura]

[SIZE=12pt]This is a case of "if a horse can find a way to get hurt, it wll do it". You didn't do anything wrong. It *is* a good idea to wrap those in duct tape if you notice, but horses look for ways to hurt themselves I swear!

I bet I don't have a bucket out there that still has those caps! Let us know how teh suturing goes. [/SIZE]

Some vets can work magic with a needle! I had one filly rip her eyelid 9/10ths of the way off 10 days before we left for the Area Champ. Show. I stopped at the vet ON THE WAY TO THE SHOW ( that was Thursday & she showed on Sunday) and had the sutures removed and she showed beautifully!

 

[Brandi*]

I can't picture what part of the bucket you are talking about OH! Maybe someone can post a pic later. I hope it doesn't leave a nasty scar on her. Poor babies

 

[Charlotte]

Yes, those buckets can be a danger! We had that happen with a show stallion one year. He didn't 'tear' his nostril, but poked the hook through and Frank found him standing there like a fish on a hook. Now we keep all those ends taped up with electrical tape and crimped as closed as we can make them.

I bet your girl heals up just fine. Oh, by the way, that stallion here went on to a World Top Ten a few months later.

Good luck with your girl and please let us know how your vet treats her and how she comes along.

Charlotte

 

[Alex]

Wow how tragic! Im soo sorry!

Hope she heals ok,

 

[nootka]

We wrapped ours with tape, but then again, I've heard of some persistent little troublemakers who tear it off and eat it.

It's hard to hedge every bet, but the part she's probably referring to is the "hook" part where the handle attaches to the bucket. It forms a "U" though the top of the "U" is pushed together, they do catch tail hairs, and I've heard of more than one instance where a horse has cut their nose or eye on that part.

*sigh* I hope she's all better. I think she will likely heal quite well. I've seen some truly grotesque injuries heal to almost completely unnoticeable. It should not affect her show career, all other things being equal.

Best wishes...

Liz

 

[GMAMINIS]

I TO HAVE PAID THE PRICE FOR THAT. I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT. LOOKED THE STALL OVER FOR HOURS TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WOULD DO SUCH DAMAGE AND COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS THE LITTLE PLASTIC THING MISSING

FOR MY POOR BOY IT WAS HIS UPPER EYELID. AWEFULL MESS AND STILL HAS A NICE SCAR TO SHOW FOR IT.WISH I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THEN OH!

 

[faithfarm]

You not only have to worry about the bucket but also how you attach it. We use a double ended brass snap to attach the water buckets to the stall and had a mare rip her top eyelid almost completely off last year on the part where your thumb slids the release. The vet waited 2 weeks until she foaled to suture the eyelid back on with me treating it everyday to prevent it from drying up or getting infected. He didn't want to put her under while pregnant. Anyway it healed up nicely with only a small V missing on the inner edge. I now make sure to turn the snaps facing the stall so the horses can't get to them.

Thanks for the reminder though, I should go check my water buckets to make sure the snaps are turned the right way. The same mare is in the barn and due any day, maybe I should tape up the handles also.

 

[ruffian]

If there's a way to hurt themselves, horses will do it. I think you could put them in a absolutely round padded room with nothing sticking out ANYWHERE and they would find something to hurt themselves on.

 

[targetsmom]

We have 2 minis that are accident prone (the 2 that we don't trust with heated buckets) and we found a brand of 8 qt flat back bucket that does not seem to have this problem. Instead of the little black things that go over the sharp ends (and then fall off) these buckets have squared off things that cover the end and also attach to the other side of the bucket bail. Hard to describe but think "Sponge-Bob" for the shape. None of the ends have come off in constant use for several years. Sorry that I don't know the brand.

To attach our buckets for these 2, we use either an actual carabiner, or the pseudo-carabiners that you can get in any hardware store. They have no edges to catch body parts on and we put the side that opens against the wall. They also are a lot less likely to freeze in the winter than double ended snaps.

 

[dannigirl]

I can't picture what part of the bucket you are talking about OH! Maybe someone can post a pic later. I hope it doesn't leave a nasty scar on her. Poor babies

Not sure if this will help because I don't have a picture. Next to where the handle connects to the bucket is where the handle makes a loop. Most buckets come with little plastic caps on those ends, but with our little beggers, those little plastic thingies last about 10 seconds. We wrap all of these pieces with several rounds of duck tape and watch all of them.

Hope this helps you some

 

[Brandi*]

Got cha

Thanks for painting it out for me

I can't picture what part of the bucket you are talking about OH! Maybe someone can post a pic later. I hope it doesn't leave a nasty scar on her. Poor babies

Not sure if this will help because I don't have a picture. Next to where the handle connects to the bucket is where the handle makes a loop. Most buckets come with little plastic caps on those ends, but with our little beggers, those little plastic thingies last about 10 seconds. We wrap all of these pieces with several rounds of duck tape and watch all of them.

Hope this helps you some

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

I have the buckets that Target's Mom described. I bought them from Jackie @ Supreme Equine Design. I love them. No problems, have been using them for years. I don't know if she still carries them.

 

[minih]

You would be amazed at what the vets can do, we have a white/gray stallion that we were getting ready for his first show of the season and wouldn't you know it on the same little part on the bucket he caught his eyelid and tore it almost completely off. We caught it right when it happened, called the vet, he stitched it right up and our little guy went to his first show that weekend with blue stitches on his eyelid. He did great coming in first in color if I remember correctly.

Hopefully all is well with your little horse and the vet was able to do wonders.

 

[Candice]

Rose is all stitched up. Doc did a great job!!! The cut was much worse than it appeared. She cut way up into the mucous membranes and required 10 stitches up in there and then another 5 externally. Being that she is black he said the world will never know.

My vet showed up and didn't have anything small enough to suture her with so we had to haul her to another vet. Poor Rose had a "bad day".

I honestly considered putting duct tape on the bucket but was afraid she'd eat it as I'm fairly certain that is where the caps went in the first place. (she'll eat anything that won't eat her first).

Thankyou for all the responses. I'll try to get a picture of her up soon.

 

[Candice]

This is Rose http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/cef/100_3981.jpg

 

[Fred]

I have a good friend who is a vet and this happens so often its scary. One horse she had almost ripped out a main facial artery! She took a picture of it to show her other clients the dangers of buckets and hooks. Glad your girl is well they heal really good and she probably won't even have a scar. Linda

 

[Brandi*]

Rose is a cutie! Hope her nose heals up really fast

 

[hhpminis]

I am so sorry for your little Rose but she will be fine. You need to not kick yourself so hard. But I know how you feel.

Here is what has worked for us for years. We always drop the handle towards the back of the bucket. Then we have a piece of smaller PVC pipe that runs down into the bucket attached to the wall with clamps used for conduit, they are U shaped. Keeps the bucket in place and the handle is tucked back out of the way. The PVC double as a protector for the cord of the bucket heaters as well.

We also have a lot of buckets from the bakery at our grocery store. They get eggs, shortening, frosting, etc in 4 and 5 gallon buckets. These have plastic handles.

 

[wildoak]

Unfortunately all too common. I also had a colt nearly rip his eyelid off that way....twice. Had it sutured, and it was just about healed when he ripped it again. OH! When I found him the first time, his front leg was all bloody - I went down on my knees, running my hands up and down his leg looking for the wound I knew must be there and happened to look up right in his face....and nearly passed out LOL when I saw his eye! He had, of course, been rubbing it on his leg and spreading the blood.

Alls well that ends well I guess, he healed with barely a scar. Hope yours mends just fine.

Jan