Foal kicking over water buckets.

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Cedars

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My foal has a cracking sense of humour. She thinks its blooming hysterical to kick over her water buckets in her box. Every. Single. Day. She thinks its even funnier now that the taps have frozen as daddy has to carry water down from the house, 8 trips per bucket!!!!

Joking apart, I really need some help and ideas. I don't think the buckets are full when she kicks them as although her box does get wet it doesn't get SOAKED, but its still extremely frustrating. Tonight I have left a rock in her water, in the hope that it might stop her being able to kick it. But I need a more long term solution than that, really.

All suggestions considered! Thank you =] xxxxx

P.S. she's 17months old. xx
 
One of mine does this I put his water bucket in an old tyre and he hasnt done it since try and get one thats a snug fit
 
My boy went through that phase :mad:..so someone suggested on here the flat backed buckets clipped to the wall (they are like tie up rings with a lead rope clip) that worked...but now I use a trug bucket inside a ridgid bodied bucket that doesnt move the same and he cant lift the trug out because thats flexible and wedges in.
 
Sorry, should have mentioned that her current bucket is a big tub trug - not the biggest size but still quite chunky. xxxxx
 
I'm afraid that mine found a bucket in a tyre even more entertaining than a bucket on its own - it was pulled out and the contents tipped all over the floor.

We have ended up with a round non-tip feeder that is wider at the bottom than the top. It holds about a bucket and a half of water. Even though she sometimes moves it around the stable she can't actually tip it over.
 
flamehead said:
Sorry, should have mentioned that her current bucket is a big tub trug - not the biggest size but still quite chunky. xxxxx
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Tubtrugs are a nightmare - they bend so if dear foaly learns that if they kick it or pick it up with their teeth (as my younster did) water comes out they continue to do it. 3 large bricks in the bottom of the largest size filled to the top, prevented it a little but I would advise investing in one of the big Stubbs tubs with the rope handles... they're about £25 but virtually indestructable, do not bend and are VERY hard to tip over. My boy who had great games with a tubtrug has NEVER had such fun with his stubbs tub. best £25 ever spent!

not sure about clipping buckets to a wall with a foal... the less there is in a stable for foal to get hooked on the better IMO...
 
CBFan said:
not sure about clipping buckets to a wall with a foal... the less there is in a stable for foal to get hooked on the better IMO...
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Mine knocks them all over too, buckets, rubber trugs, buckets in tyres - you name it - buckets on the walls were suggested to me but she has a habbit of cutting her head on anything she can hit it on! LOL

Ended up getting a corner manger with rounded sides so nothing sharp and its great, I fit it just low enough for her to get her head over into it and drink easily but not so low that she could get her legs in it! It holds loads of water too! x
 
I would try a few tyres or a dustbin. My now 5 year old was on 12 months of box rest and did this to me, I then purchased the flat backed buckets and clipped them on to the wall, he then learnt to ping them away from the wall and then they would crash into the wall making even more mess, they are also I think quite dangerous for something that likes to play, I have seen some terrible piercings from them.

Now mine are out again and not playful in the stable and more grown up they have the hanging buckets, but I wouldn't be using them with a baby.
 
CBFan said:
not sure about clipping buckets to a wall with a foal... the less there is in a stable for foal to get hooked on the better IMO...
Click to expand...


I've used these for 20 years (probably me that suggested them in an earlier post) without any problems whatsoever. They are fitted so that the sides of the bucket are only about an inch from the corner of the box so it can't be swung about (and the foals don't play in tight corners even leaping about on the mare) and high enough up that the top of the bucket is well above my waist. In fact my only problem has been if I've filled the bucket too full before fitting it on the clip and then some has spilled down my front! I've had to bring out the buckets this week as the drinkers were frozen and I'm still using those same first buckets I bought so they've lasted very well, well worth the extra in my case.
Only downside to them I have found is those that have been brought up with them and knew they couldn't play with them tend to be very playful with normal buckets or trugs on the ground and tip those over mercilessly; drives me wild! :D

ETA in light of remark in above post. They should be fitted to the wall so that the hook part is facing the wall, don't have the clip opening on the outside (toward you). Any sign of a clip bending or the spring mechanism not working then it should be replaced at once, that way, piercings should never happen. In the 20 years, we replaced each clip once at least because the spring fitting can rust being in contact with water so much and that part is not galvanised, but we have never had a problem with piercing at all because they were well maintained.
 
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my 10 month old foal also thought it was hillarious to tip her water buckets over! so i got a big rubber trug and screwed a tie ring level with the handle and tied the trug handle to the rihg with baler twine n never done it again since
 
could your boyfriend do a bit of DIY and make a wooden holder with two bits of wood in a I_ shape at the bottom or half way up the stable wall in the corner, so the bucket slots into it and cant be moved???
 
Oh mine did that too.

I tried the bucket against the wall (although it was sat in a bracket) and the sod pooped in it :(

Good luck. Sounds like she's quite a handful :) :) :)
 
Fixed the problem - I hope!!

Bought a huge plastic trough thing (big enough for me to lie down in!). Put it in her shed, in the corner, with three huge rocks propped up against it. In her box she is still going to just have her bucket until I see whether her trough 100% works, but I'm not so fussed as even if she does kick it over, she will then have enough water during the day at least.

Had bizarre day in shop though, bloke could NOT understand that I needed a BIG solution, not just a tiny little feed bucket clicked to the wall!!!

Anyway, shes forgiven today as she's been a superstar all day with a friend who came for a play and groom. xxxx
 
Maesfen said:
I've used these for 20 years (probably me that suggested them in an earlier post) without any problems whatsoever. They are fitted so that the sides of the bucket are only about an inch from the corner of the box so it can't be swung about (and the foals don't play in tight corners even leaping about on the mare) and high enough up that the top of the bucket is well above my waist. In fact my only problem has been if I've filled the bucket too full before fitting it on the clip and then some has spilled down my front! I've had to bring out the buckets this week as the drinkers were frozen and I'm still using those same first buckets I bought so they've lasted very well, well worth the extra in my case.
Only downside to them I have found is those that have been brought up with them and knew they couldn't play with them tend to be very playful with normal buckets or trugs on the ground and tip those over mercilessly; drives me wild! :D

ETA in light of remark in above post. They should be fitted to the wall so that the hook part is facing the wall, don't have the clip opening on the outside (toward you). Any sign of a clip bending or the spring mechanism not working then it should be replaced at once, that way, piercings should never happen. In the 20 years, we replaced each clip once at least because the spring fitting can rust being in contact with water so much and that part is not galvanised, but we have never had a problem with piercing at all because they were well maintained.
Click to expand...

Yes Pat it was you who recommended the clip to me when I was having fun and games with my yearling it worked a treat and he realised that water wasnt fun anymore :D so since...we have started putting his trug within a ridgid boddied bucket he hasnt played once..its like the fun has been taken away and hopefully wont come back!
 
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