any tips that you use to stop water turning into an ice cube

put a ball in the tough/bucked.
Big enough so they wont eat it.
Atleast there will be a hole that will make it easier to break the rest of the ice.

Trouble is like yesterday, the water was totally solid in the bucket, not just a layer on top!
 
Is it possible to add a bit of salt to it? Don't know how much you'd have to add to make an impact, but I add a bit to the sugarbeet water in this weather, on the grounds it won't do any harm if I don't go mad...
 
No magical way I've found unfortunatly. Hot water in the water (in a thermous from home if you don't have any at the yard) and expect to break the ice and add hot water at each visit to the yard. If you can pack straw around the base of the buckets then they should last a little longer too.
 
vhf said:
Is it possible to add a bit of salt to it? Don't know how much you'd have to add to make an impact, but I add a bit to the sugarbeet water in this weather, on the grounds it won't do any harm if I don't go mad...
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Please DON'T add salt to your water. It can make them MORE thirsty and if access to water is restricted (my huge trough has been refreezing during the day, then they could be at risk of dehydration.

My tubtrugs in the stable are inside plastic feed bags stuffed with straw.
 
Lag your buckets and troughs with insulating material. You could use bubble wrap or old carpet or gardners fleece. A couple of balls floating in the water will keep it moving and it will freeze more slowly. Add hot water whenever you can.

In the field don't worry too much as the horses can get moisture from the grass and snow, but obviously in the stable it is more important to keep a supply of water available constantly.
 
my horse has a massive bed in his stable now and it goes right up to the door which means i can 'wrap' the straw around his water bucket. it only froze yesterday but that was because i did a quick job on his bed the night before.

i also put apples in the water or a ball. anything like that is worth a try if it keeps it from freezing over!
 
Get a plastic bottle and half fill it with water and add salt and float the bottle in the trough. Alternatively use alcohol.

Either way the bottle will float which will help to stop ice forming, and the liquid in the bottle doesn't freeze so will help to keep the ice from forming too thick around the bottle.
 
The other half was out and about at the weekend. The farm he visited have a tap on a stand pipe (which is lagged) but apparently if you leave the tap dripping the movement of the water keeps it from freezing but there was a splendid stalegmite (spelling???) underneath it - but it worked! I said I expected that the yard around it was like an ice rink - it was - but only because the health and whatsit people insisted that it was concreted over! (It was next to a 'chiller' - outdoor fridge). Me I am just chipping away at the troughs twice daily. Not so many horses this winter so more water in the troughs (for now). I don't have a tap in the yard - only a trough, but luckily when things get bad (or worse) the farm building across the road has a bucket level hot water tap. Last time things froze they threatened to make me a yoke so I could carry two buckets - yeah right! No snow here at the moment but I am not holding my breath! Though we are in that triangle that appeared to not be affected as shown on the weather news on the TV late last night. Here's hoping.
 
my water out in the field is a big round tank (loft tank) that is sat inside a tractor tyre stuffed with straw (inside tyre & under trough) apart from this morning when the temp was still -4 at 10 am it hasnt frozen thickly, there has been a thin skin of ice on it mornings but this morning there was about an inches worth.
 
jenbleep said:
Does that really work? We have a huge roll of it at work and I'm sure I could get some :)
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Bubble wrap is a good insulator, due to all the little air pockets.

Wrapping anything around your buckets and troughs will help reduce the rate at which they loose heat and therefore keep the amount of ice down (obviously it will also depend upon how cold it gets). No reason why it wouldn't work. A tall thin bucket would be even better as there would be less surface area exposed to the cold area, but obviously it needs to be big enough for the horse to drink from.
 
Even my big water container - the one my gutters drain into...is frozen solid through like a giant ice-cube:eek:

Im taking water carriers full of hot water down on a morning to put in the trough- it melts whatevers frozen. Buckets in the stables aren't too bad- they are stood in big/thick tyres so I guess thats helping.
 
fill a hot water bottle or two, put them in the water bucket/trough while wrapped in a plastic bag and leave them to melt the ice. you do have to keep an eye on the horses though (because of rubber and plastic bag) i normally feed up or ride while they are in there and leave it to melt. then once they have finished eating/being ridden ext take wb's out. long term i would say a rubber mat on floor with a tyre ontop filled with straw and a football . works wonders! and gives them something to play with when they get bored!
 
I smash the troughs twice a day and sieve out the ice with a metal shavings fork, then bring mine in for a bucket (sometimes with a litte warm water) of water with a great new product called Horse Quencher, had it in the summer to help with hydration at shows in the heat, it is equally as good in the winter, one way of ensuring at least a full bucket of water per day..I am so worried about impaction colic, especially with snow on the way even in the south!
 
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