The hosepipe ban and horses

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
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There is a £1000 for breaking the law and using a hosepipe. However, we are allowed to use one for watering our horses. But what about other things? I am going to put a notice up to say only use buckets to bath horses, but we use the hose to hose off the horse's legs if they are muddy. We probably should not be doing that either. Should I ban that too? What about cold hosing of legs? I expect it is YO's who will get the fine. What are others doing?
 
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As a business you will be exempt from some of the things that Joe Public are not allowed to do - like filling your water troughs. However, it won't stretch to hosing off muddy legs. As for cold hosing - on medical grounds you could probably do it. But washing horses too might be a no, no. Although a car wash business can still use a hosepipe to wash cars - so who knows??

During the last hosepipe ban not one fine was handed out - only warning letters to desist. So whatever you do, if it's breaking the ban and you get reported, you will get some sort of warning before a fine.
 
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Thanks, Amy. The muddy legs thing really is going to be a pain, especially with the recent weather, and on days when I am on my own and must bring in 8 horses. Normally I will bring them in one or two at a time, tie them up, hose their legs, pick out feet and change rugs before putting them in their stables. If I have to use a bucket and brush it will take ages. Oh well... :(
 
I am lucky enough never to have been in an area with a hose pipe ban but when i heard the news this morning these questions popped into my mind. I regularly use a hose at the yard without even thinking for legs, cleaning buckets and most.of all in the summer bathing for shows. Does this hose pipe ban effect individuals competition season?
 
We're in the south east. I was wondering about filling the water troughs, so it's good to know we can still do that.

Washing horses for shows has to be out tho - you can't expect to be able to do that. It's a faff, but people will just have to do it with buckets instead.
 
From looking at the bbc article, it is only certain areas that have been affected by the hose pipe ban, so far no hose pipe ban has been implemented in scotland its mostly southern england by the way that the bbc show it
 
Just out of interest, do you pay business water rates when you have a livery yard?

We have well water, which often runs low in summer, so I grew up trained not to waste water! I have taken my ponies down to the local stream to bath them before a show many times as a child. Ten years ago we paid for a borehole to be put in, and now have no water issues at all.

If push came to shove, could you ask each livery to bring a tub of water in for washing off/cleaning legs.

ps. Ours get mudrash. If leaving legs muddy meant they never got mudrash then how come they get it at all? I left their legs muddy for the first time in ages last week, and when I brushed the mud off in the morning I found a cut that couldn't be seen under the mud. Not life or death, but would have been better cleaned off...
 
Honey08 said:
ps. Ours get mudrash. If leaving legs muddy meant they never got mudrash then how come they get it at all? I left their legs muddy for the first time in ages last week, and when I brushed the mud off in the morning I found a cut that couldn't be seen under the mud. Not life or death, but would have been better cleaned off...
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It's a theory, amongst many theories about mudrash/fever... tbh, it's a bacteria, we all know that but it is thought that washing off the mud, doesn't wash the bacteria and the damp legs causes cracked skin, so the bacteria get into cracked skin etc etc you see where I'm going with this.... so anyway, if may not make a difference, but it did to mine anyway.
 
tallyho! said:
It's a theory, amongst many theories about mudrash/fever... tbh, it's a bacteria, we all know that but it is thought that washing off the mud, doesn't wash the bacteria and the damp legs causes cracked skin, so the bacteria get into cracked skin etc etc you see where I'm going with this.... so anyway, if may not make a difference, but it did to mine anyway.
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Yes I know the theory. I think it only works on those that get very mild mudrash. Our two ponies used to get tiny bouts of mudrash now and again, and could be left muddy, but with my really bad one he only has to see mud to get it and leaving him with wet mud on his legs would be a 100% sure way of getting severe mudrash heading towards lymphangitis! The only answer for him is to keep him totally out of wet fields full stop. Personally, I don't see how leaving horses with soaking wet muddy legs is any better for the skin than hosing them off with cold water (I understand hot water opens the pores and lets the mud particles in) and drying them off afterwards with a towel and leaving them standing in a deep straw bed - thus leaving the legs dryer than they would be if I had left them muddy...
 
Ah so according to the link you can wash horses down - that's good.

Don't know why people are worrying about mud - where we are we've had none all winter! I have dust instead - and my fields are cracking!!
 
we're restricting our water usage (in essex). We are not allowed to keep the hose running, hooves washed off with a bucket and brush, hay soaking water is to be reused (either for soaking haynets or washing feed buckets etc). If we can just to top up water buckets, and use water wisely. So far so good.
 
caramel said:
we're restricting our water usage (in essex). We are not allowed to keep the hose running, hooves washed off with a bucket and brush, hay soaking water is to be reused (either for soaking haynets or washing feed buckets etc). If we can just to top up water buckets, and use water wisely. So far so good.
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Ditto - our hose has been taken away, so it's buckets only and we're recycling water that would otherwise have been thrown away. Also, the horses are getting less water at night, so that less is wasted. The outdoor arena is not going to be watered (so will be out of use until prolonged heavy rain).
 
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