Tips for making a safe home-made Water Tray

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

My horse's nemesis is the water tray when we are out competing, and I don't have one at home to school over. To buy new, the cheapest ones are well over £100. (I have scanned through ebay, etc and can't find any second hand ones for sale atm)

So I started thinking about how I could make one. Probably using a blue tarpauling and some kind of frame, or maybe something as simple as a blue tarpauling weighted down at the corners?
Or what about a flat piece of chipboard painted blue - but could that potentially be dangerous if he landed on it - could a foot go through it? Safety is obviosuly the most important factor..

So I wondered if anyone has made their own and has any tips or advice on how they did it.

Thank you

 

[ThePony]

how about a piece of blue tarp, with the edges hemmed and curtain weights sewn into the hems? http://www.terrysfabrics.co.uk/prod/tapes-haberdashery/general/honesty-white/

 

[SpottedCat]

My clever OH made me one - blue tarp nailed on to a frame made of wood, complete with hinges in the middle so it can be folded up for easy storage/transport. I don't have any pics of it, but it does work well!

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

we used an old door painted blue under fences! take the metal bits out like the handle and hinges and it works well!

 

[crabbymare]

Sheet of blue plastic and wrap the sides round 4 pieces of foam, cheap and light to use and very easy to make only scissors or a knife needed bonus is that you can make it narrow to start with or widen it as the horse gets more confident.

 

[ester]

we have two giant black seed trays (about 8ft across, a little shorter than our 10ft poles anyway) a fiver each from the local garden centre. They are black though, but do come with water after rain and could be painted.

SC easy transport rather sounds like you take it a long way sounds like a good idea though.

crabbymare doesn't it blow away?

 

[ihatework]

Blue tarp is cheap, easy and effective.

Just lay it down and secure with a jump pole either side, rolled up in the blue tarp

 

[crabbymare]

crabbymare doesn't it blow away?

No it does not move at all as the edges go round the foam and under the top part and the water that gets put in the middle weighs it down and keeps it all from moving.

 

[TBB]

Bright blue (Plastic!) Tarp from Tesco bargain shelf for a euro and 4 light pieces of wood from a pile of waste wood at the back of the yard (free). Nail 2 pieces of wood together on outside of Tarp with Tarp between them and do the same on the other side. Hey Presto a water tray which doesn't blow away and is cheap!

 

[ester]

ah I didn't realise you added actual water!

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

There's some excellent tips here! Thanks

 

[crabbymare]

ah I didn't realise you added actual water!

Oh yes none of this artificial water used here it increases the fun and also helps when you do go to a show and discover there is water in the tray or they put in a mini water jump, I just work on the principle that they can get used to it when its narrow and it can be built up to a6-8foot wide if you want to. Only takes a couple of buckets of water for them to get the idea and if you school them over it from the day they start jumping there is rarely a problem later.

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

Crabbymare, what sort of foam do you use and where do you get it from?

 

[Enfys]

Crabbymare, what sort of foam do you use and where do you get it from?

You could try getting some of the pipe insulating foam tubes. Or, failing that, those foam 'pipes' kids have for swimming pools?

I'd go with wrapping a tarp around a couple of fence poles.