Does anyone let their horses drink rainwater?

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midnight mayhem

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I had a bucket in the school which had filled up with rain water and my horse wanted to drink from it. Was wondering if anyone would let/not let theirs. Just curious. :-)
 
Yep we collect rain water in butts at our yard and use for water as YO is on a meter so saves lots. Plus if it rains it goes in the field trough too so they drink it then- only time don't give it is once it goes green. But that's never in winter
 
Yes, I collect rainwater for them to drink. The tap water here is fluoridated and it was a while before I made a link with one horse and loose poos and the tap water. Incidentally, I don't drink the tap water here either. :D
Obviously they have to have tap water at times.
 
midnight mayhem said:
I had a bucket in the school which had filled up with rain water and my horse wanted to drink from it. Was wondering if anyone would let/not let theirs. Just curious. :-)
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Yes we have water butts in the yard we have 4 in use and soon to get another we try always to use rain water

Its closer to stables
horses prefer it.
 
^^ As above.

I wonder where they fall on the water in general. I find that cats have to have grimy water (out of the pond with tadpoles in tow), dogs are face planting in mud or love very clean water (running water bowls :eek:) but none of my horses seem fussy on water. Think it simply comes down to whether the stream, pond or trough is closer :)

Although NF pony would throw clean water buckets at you and smash face around in them. They were definitely for playing and not to waste drinking... :p
 
Forever_broke said:
Yes i collect rainwater as i have no mains water.
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Yep, same here. Have a giant water container which collects water from the roof. Was cycnical as to whether it would work, but it's half full after two rain falls! The trough collects it from the other side of the roof and I transfer to another trough in times of heavy rainfall. I'd rather they drank rainwater than tap water!
 
We have a lovely clean automatic trough. We also have a boggy low lying patch of field, that has standing water in all but the dryest of summers. Currently its the size of an arena, & in the centre about 2'9/3 deep. The horses always drink from the standing water. And 11.1 loves paddling in it, or lying down in the middle doing hippo impressions with just her head above the water.
 
My horse would not drink mains water so had to collect rain water she was an odd bod tho now she lives out and has the stream to drink from :)
 
I would let my horses drink rain water that's been specifically collected in butts or troughs but on a hack a few weeks ago, my mare tried to drink from a dirty puddle and I wouldn't let her - dogs, vermin and all manner of wildlife could of contaminated it.
 
wiglet said:
I would let my horses drink rain water that's been specifically collected in butts or troughs but on a hack a few weeks ago, my mare tried to drink from a dirty puddle and I wouldn't let her - dogs, vermin and all manner of wildlife could of contaminated it.
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Good point and I'd never allow from a pond on hack either, only on own land as I can monitor it (I'm paranoid though as work in the water industry and worked with EA case last year with a number of algae poisonings) Same reason I will always check which lakes on farm dogs can go in if any.
 
My pony in winter would rather go over to an icy puddle, smash through the ice with his hoof and drink than go to his water trough.
Only discovered this a couple weekends ago when I witnessed it. Panicked thinking the water trough had run dry. Nope!
 
I would. My mum does, he collects it in a big barrell. Where she used to be her horse had a natural stream thru the field and she always drank put of that rather than a bucket. I think they prefer it tbh.
 
Why wouldn't you? It's nature's supply, and a lot less chemicals than in the human water supply - not to mention how many times our mains supply has been round the block - don't they say that in London the water from the tap has probably been through the system 5 times?

Try washing your hair in rainwater too - it's amazing!
 
My two big horses had a trough in the field but always drank out of the river that runs through their field so took the trough away. If the river is flowing a little to fast they drink out of the drainage ditch. My miniatures will not drink from the trough if there are puddles in the field.
 
All my horses water is rain water as I have not other source other than collecting it from the roof of his stable in water butts.
 
I have a cob broodmare who does not drink from her spotless buckets over night. After she is turned out in the morning she goes over to the nearest puddle and drinks.

She has done this in the three years I have had her, regardless of being in foal or not. In her paddock she has a self filling metal trough which is clean other than the normal algae in the bottom, she also has plastic trugs with water in. She does drink from the trough, but her preferred tipple is puddle water.

She is happy, healthy and has produced a healthy foal so I just don't worry about her drinking habits anymore.
 
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