Automatic drinkers- getting horses to use them/monitoring

[JessPickle]

Our yard has just installed automatic drinkers, now I do like the idea in theory but am not that happy leaving pickle without normal buckets. He will stick his head in it if I put an apple in it! he isn't scared he just would rather drink from a bucket. I left him for an hour with it after out lesson (when he always drinks) and he definetly didn't drink water was still completely clean!! while when offered bucket of water he drunk immediatly.

Also I don't like the idea of not being able to monitor how much he has drunk, apart from drink sure (not sure YO would allow us to take apart newly installed piping!) is there anything else that allows you to monitor

Sorry for long rant! its lateish and I am tired!

 

[thedunthing]

i once worked at a yard with my freind (re schooling/ dealer) that had automatic drinkers, there was no way of seeing how much they were drinking but all the horses were OK with it there were a few that were not too keen with them when they first arrived but after a few days with it they were fine, we didnt give them water buckets, just left them.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

The last yard I was at installed automatic waterers to save staff time but staff never used to check if the damn things were working properly and several times horses on full livery (no DIYs allowed) went without water for a couple of days until their behaviour, or observant owners, identified the problem. I hate them. Horses do eventually get used to them but, as you say, you can never check how much or how little your horse is drinking. The mechanisms get stuck, the water gets slimy and the whole kit and kaboodle can freeze solid in the winter. All these things mean no water for neds. Give me a bucket any day.

 

[dun_in]

Watch out in case they freeze in cold weather and no water comes through/a tiny trickle especially if you are on the end of the run.

One of the things I was most happy to leave behind at my old yard was the automatic waterers. I'd far rather lug water buckets around and know whats been drunk/poo'd in.

Ensure that it is cleaned/checked regularly for blockages/droppings etc. Also check that the lead pipe isn't constantly leaking all over your bed.

Hate the damned things.

 

[Chestnuttymare]

we have them at our yard and we all use buckets for all the reasons listed. Mine did use them at first and got used to them. Then they had to get used to the buckets again when i changed my mind and decided i would prefer to lug buckets after a few weeks of paranoia.

 

[Maesfen]

Best thing we've ever put in our boxes and I would hate to be without them! They're only in the inside boxes, still have to cart to the others and the magority of mine are mares and youngstock so no working horses that I need to monitor. If I needed to monitor for veterinary reasons then I would use a bucket.
We have never had a problem with them at all; they all drink well out of them, even the foals know how to use them within a few weeks of being born and new horses very soon learn; to be on the safe side if they don't know when they arrive, I'll leave a bucket in overnight but only for the first 24 hours.
To avoid the pipes freezing in the winter, we allow the tap to drip very very slightly into a bucket at the end of the run (as a gauge, the bucket isn't anywhere near full in the morning) Besides, because they have access to water 24 hours a day, they drink regularly but small amounts so the bowls don't have a chance to freeze over.
I can't understand people not checking them; it's automatic for me every time I go in the box and certainly at feed times; a decent groom just gets into the habit!

 

[PeterNatt]

We use the Paxton T45 automatic plastic drinkers (corner) which are much larger than the normal ones. We clean them out once a week (They have a drain plug). Have had them for 15 years without any problems.

 

[Cop-Pop]

I never got my mare used to them - she had them in her stable for two years and she never drank from it.

 

[eventingdiva]

We had them at work before a couple of the horses thought pulling them off the walls and flooding the yard would be fun! and mine have them, they'll drink from them if they're thirsty, even my foal manages! Sorry sounds tough but they do learn and atm he is used to drinking from a bucket, take the bucket away and he'll get used to drinking from the waterer!

 

[Cindylou]

We have them but mine never drank from it - you could tell as it was constantly covered in a slight film of dust. Despite YO saying she'll drink from it when she's thirsty I went back to buckets.

 

[CracklinRosie]

We got them fitted in our yard 3 years ago and my mare would [****] herself at the noise of the nose fill bowl and would shake in the opposite corner of her stable. Changed her to an automatic fill and she drinks from it no problem now.

Other horse poops in hers constantly!!!!

 

[LindaW]

I had them installed when I had my own yard. Mucking out am, they were always checked, cleaned and emptied manually. You have to know if there is anything in there to stop horse drinking and that they are refilling.

Very cold weather I always had a huge water butt filled in prearation for freezing, but they never acually did - I did have the pipe come up from the water supply inside the hay bard (which was the end of the block) and then it fed inside the sables, never going outside along the line.

Also had individual stoppers so that if any horses required monitoring, I could simply switch them to buckets.

I miss them...

 

[jenmac_85]

Tyler still gets his bucket of water despite there being automatic water drinkers in the stables. I just like to know the he is actually drinking.

tyler isnt very technologically minded anyway so not sure he knows what to do with it!!!!

 

[Chex]

I have one in my stable, but I still use buckets. Its one that they have to press the paddle-thing with their nose to get it to fill up. I can't get him within a foot of it, never mind teaching him to nudge the paddle to refill it!