Automatic water drinkers - getting horses to use!!

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ecrozier

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Flippin animals!! Our YO has kindly installed new automatic water system in the stables, and we bought the bigger troughs etc to make sure they saw them....the trough is about the size of a normal water bucket.
But neither of our boys seem to understand that they are there for drinking from! The first night we made sure they saw them, splashed water on their lips etc...and as soon as we turned them out the next day they CANTERED to the water trough! So clearly weren't using them. Since then I've been too paranoid to leave them without traditional water buckets as i don't wnt them being thirsty....but the whole point was to save time and effort in lugging water buckets around!
Any tips? I wondered about floating apples in the troughs?
 
In my experience the only way to get them to use it is to NOT offer them any other option ie. do not put water bucket in. If they're thirsty enough, they'll drink from it. It's usually not the fact of drinking from an automatic trough that they don't like its the noise when it starts filling again. Don't worry, they'll get the hang of it!!!
 
It's just a case of them learning they have to drink from the water feeders or they'll get thirsty!
Im afraid putting out extra buckets isn't going to help and you're just going to have to be brave and wait for them to adapt to using the drinkers, with no alternatives.
It wont take long for them to work out. I expect they had a shock after drinking from them when they made a noise as it refills (i know ours does!) , but they'll soon realise this wont hurt them
smile.gif
 
Try putting the water buckets beside the troughs and only give them half a bucket so they wont go without but will have a bit less so they might look for more. Just a thought.

My horse kicked my trough off the wall, so im back to buckets. So annoying.
 
How does yours work? because the ones I have used in the past, the horse actually had to press his nose against the thing to make it work, in which case they may not realise this?

Sorry if it seems obvious (I am pretty thick) but are your ones just self filling like a trough, so if they drink it just fills up to that level again, or do they need to push?

One of the horses at the yard just didn't get it and we ended up having to put water buckets in. Whereas all the others got it pretty quick and even some would make a game out of it, making a right mess.. lol
x
 
Thanks guys - ours are the ones that just automatically refill! And the water pressure is quite low so shouldn't be too noisy. Hmm, will try giving them less water and clean troughs out AGAIn (getting dusty because they aren't being used!) and see what happens!
 
I know some def don't like the noise - and as others have said apples in the water or, iwhen you're around other treats/fuss whilst noise is happening might help but it could be the taste too. Dog, horsey and cats have preferred 'dirty' water. The automatic drinker is going to have less standing water in than a bucket so the chlorine etc, etc that goes into mains water won't have as much time to evaporate. Wouldn't like to suggest you /don't/ clean it out but...
 
dont give them a choice, they will work the drinkers out in time! my big boy made me laugh so much when we first put them in, he would drink the bowl then jump back and snort as it filled then go back and repeat etc! his nose fills the bowl, but at least he cant guzzle water!! wonderful system saves me hours and water each day, but i do clean them every couple of days to keep fresh!!
 
take away the other options for water and chuck a couple of apple or carrot pieces into the water to tempt them
 
You will laugh but I am having this issue right now, in fact I have just come in from bribing Charlie my coloured to drink from the drinker by making him go apple bobbing and holding carrots in it. Finally he took a long drink but spooked when it refilled! he was tempted back over by mre carrots held just under the water line again though...............crazt but it works!
 
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