Autmoatic Waterers:Install or not to install?

[Skhosu]

Ok, so parents are getting a quote for having autmoatic drinkers put into our 5 stables. We currently have huge trugs and a very messy/wet yard! Would you go for it? Stables are about 7/8ft concrete walls so thinking run piping over the top of the walls and down?
Do you have problems with yours? Do they get dirty? You can get them with individual stop cocks can't you? HOw much will it cost realistically? Any ideas?
Thanks!
Oh, and where would you put them? Front/back, over sawdust etc.?

 

[peapod]

We have automatic waterers - they are BRILLIANT! Honestly, they just make life so much easier - the only thing I would say is to get ones with plugs at the bottom, they are a LOT easier to clean that way - some of ours don't have these so we have to scoop all the water out every time we want to clean them.

 

[CastleMouse]

We have them at the yard, they make life so much easier!

 

[madgirl]

yup we have them means in the col winter you dont spill water all over yourself!!! loe then we have the ones with plus they are fab!

 

[Jemayni]

I keep my horse at livery, so don't know hoe much they cost. But I've never had a problem with them, they save loads of time, don't really get dirty as long as your using them, can have stop cocks, and back of stable (used to have them at front in old stable, didnt make any difference really but if it got icy, and they spilled it on floor, used to make ice inside stable - not good!)

 

[icestationzebra]

They are easier but I like to know how much my horse is drinking.........

 

[MissDeMeena]

I voted no, on both counts!!
I'm not dead against drinkers in big yards (say 10+ horses).. but i'd never have them.. for the main reason being, you can't tell if/how much your horse is drinking.. ie if you get back late ish from a show, i like my horses to have a drink before i feed them.. with drinkers, you can't tell if they have or not!!

 

[RunToEarth]

We have them up at the top yard (which, thank god I dont have to use atm)
I hated them, we really didnt agree. I have a hosepipe and I love it dearly, it is my best friend.
I always used to get bits of straw, dregs of hay, and sometimes shite in it, they were near impossible to empty and srub in summer, withour plugging that floating orange thing up with your dandy brush, now there is an art to that, it took me years to master. Now, its ok emtying and scrubbing in summer, but in winter, with a scoop and freezing fingers? I hated those damned troughs so much and they had growth on them, Im one of those people that likes to clean buckets every day! depends what you go for though, ours were built in manger type things, took up LOTS of bedding space and just generally caused me grief, so when we had the bottom yard built we said no more

 

[Skhosu]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Really helping as still dithering as always like my clean buckets!

But you can stop them if you want so if concerned, I could still use the buckets?
If you get the ones with plugs, they seem easier to clean?

 

[Cobland]

We have some stables in the livery yard that has them, they are wonderful. There are 2 that dont have them and the horse owners are always moaning about having to fill the water buckets.

Personally i like them right now as i have hurt my back, and having to walk about with buckets would hurt too much

 

[luane1]

We have always had them wherever we have been and yes you have to watch them and naught y horses(such as ours) can pull the pipes off and then they leak but as for cleaning them dont find it a problem there is a knack to most kinds and 1 horse we had used to poo in it regularly so we used to clean out most days

 

[conniegirl]

we have large automatic waterers, weve got them at the back of the stable away from the hay so no floating hay. We have individual valves above each one so you can monitor how much they drink by turning one valve, they have a plug in the bottom that screws in (our arab enjoys pulling plugs out of newly filled water troughs so they have to be screw in). To clean we simply turn the valve, stick a bucket underneath and pull the plug, give it a good scrub with a small water brush, replace plug and turn valve back on. No ice on the yard, no slipping ponies and no constant filling of water buckets.

 

[k9h]

Have stop cocks on mine to so after hunting or events I can turn them off & but in 2 buckets of warm water with electrolytes. That way can check on how much drinking & can also do it if horse sick. <ake life alot easier that dragging big full buckets everywhere!

 

[PeterNatt]

I have the large plastic corner unit water troughs in my stables. Each one has a drain plug and a tap to turn it off when cleaning it ot (I do it once a week). Would not be without them. They are easy to install oneself.

 

[k9h]

Forgot to say that ours the horses have to fill themselves by pushing a nozzle thingy if that makes sense?? So always fresh water & makes clearing out easy!

 

[Patchwork]

Yes and yes - they save so much time! Ours have plugs in the bottom so it's incredibly easy to clean them out, just the same as a bucket really. Each one can be turned off individually if needed for any reason (i.e. to determine how much an ill horse or one which has been out competing has drunk).

 

[Halfpass]

I hate them!! Really sorry but had them at my last yard and I was forever getting to yard in the morning to find either that they were full of shavings or that horse had rolled and knocked them off wall, water everywhere and a soaked bed. Back to buckets for me!! I also like to know how much my horses are drinking and obviously with automatics you can't tell.

 

[_jetset_]

I love having automatic waterers... but the stable Hannah has been in for the past few months is the only one on the yard without. I have missed having a waterer so much, both time wise and back wise

Make sure they are not somewhere you know your horse likes to rub... otherwise it will get knocked off. I would recommend putting them as close to the corner as possible as a few horses at our yard have knocked theirs off and flooded their stables

 

[spotty_pony]

hi, We have automatic drinkers at our yard and we've never had any problems with them. They are cleaned out with a bucket and sponge every few days and the horses don't mind drinking from them. It also saves time carrying buckets around!

Ours are at the back of the stable out of the way and that seems to be the ideal place (on one of the side walls)

 

[kerrylou123]

I hate water drinkers, and would never use them myself! In winter the pipes freeze, etc etc so you end up using water buckets anyway, and you can never monitor how much your horse is drinking! Plus they get very dirty (the ones we had at the yard i worked at collected dead rats and rat [****], and i seemed to be the only one cleaning them out!).

Althought i dont have automatic water drinkers, i am very lucky, as the hose pipe reaches to my stables, and so far, the tap has never frozen over winter!

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I have one in my stable, initially I didnt want one, worried about it clogging etc, but I kinda had it forced upon me.

Much rather one than getting my leg soaked trying to fill up the trug. If it gets clogged it's usually with hay, and they're pretty easy to clean, stick a rubber glove on and scoop out the mess, and hey presto. The pipes on mine are lagged to prevent them freezing.

 

[Bossanova]

Fantastic things!!
They need cleaning once a week, more if your horse rolls and gets bedding in etc but it's quick and easy to do. We have ours at the back and they're best away from the bedding if possible

 

[vicijp]

Go for it!
We wouldnt be without ours. With 30 stables we find it saves about 1 1/2 hours per day. Only froze up 1 day last year.

 

[MillionDollar]

For my yard im getting ones with a valve, so you can see how much the horse is drinking and a plug at the bottom to make cleaning out easy!

 

[Lou2006]

Ours are at the back of the stables. They get dirty when not used. Mine rusted over the summer and I can't get some of the rust off but it doesn't come off when he's drinking and I just clean it out every day as bits of feed etc get in it.

Lou.x

 

[Skhosu]

thanks guys. I think on balance I will try them, after all, we can always turn them off!
Next question is which are the best ones to use?

 

[magic104]

I would not be without mine, the pipes have never frozen, not sure if this is because thick blue plastic piping was used & they are well lagged. It also save a lot of water wastage, no worries about buckets splitting, tipping over, food, dung etc getting in there. I have 2 that need to be nudged great if you can get your horse to use them! also there is no standing water. The other stable has an automatic filling unit which is fine just need to keep an eye on it (Bailey had a habit of dropping feed into it).

No more filling buckets (which can be a pain when the taps freeze) (though the managers never have). No more frozen water in the buckets & fresh water whenever they need it. Saves me loads of time as well, because I dont have to clean the buckets out!

 

[rcm_73]

We have them they're great, cleaning is no big deal, a sponge does the job quite easily. Do make sure the height is right tho as our YO had to have some made higher after a couple of the horses managed to use them as a loo!

 

[barkinghorse]

We have water feeders on our yard, but William won't drink out of them.
No great shakes though, i use it to fill my water bucket, i just pull the float up and let it overflow into the bucket!!
No more dragging big buckets across the yard and don't get "wellie slop" either!!
So go for it !
Jo

 

[Tia]

I have automatic heated waterers. They are absolutely fantastic - couldn't live in these sorts of temperatures without them to be perfectly honest. The water remains at a constant temperature all year round - we have them outside in all the fields and inside the stables. They stay clean as they are only individual feeders not huge troughs.

The water comes up to the feeders from the water pipes 8ft underground so absolutely no chance of the pipes freezing ever.