With winter approaching quickly, it’s time to start considering how you plan to keep your animals’ water supply from freezing this winter. Dehydration can be a serious problem in the winter. Hay has less water than grass, which significantly decreases your animals’ total water consumption. Here are a few ways you can keep a clear water source this winter.

Insulated Buckets

Insulated buckets are a good option, though they can be a bit pricey. They can cost anywhere from $75 and higher for just one 5-gallon bucket. They also don’t need electricity, so you’ll be saving on the electric bill.

Electric Bucket Warmer

Again, this can be a bit of a pricier option, with each individual warmer costing more than $80. Then you also have to pay the electricity for each one. They will also stop working in the event of a power outage.

Horse Toys

If you only have a thin layer of ice to worry about, you can place a half-inflated horse ball in a trough. As the ball moves around, it will dislodge ice, and your horse will quickly learn that moving the ball will grant it access to water.

A Cooler

An insulated cooler can be used as a trough if you remove the lid. You will have to prime it with hot water to warm the insulation, and then it should keep the water warm enough to avoid freezing.

Automatic Watering Units

These units generally require large numbers of animals using them to prevent freezing. Some units are available with built in heating components or other ways to keep the water from freezing.

The Bar-Bar-A is an automatic watering unit that doesn’t require any animals drinking from it to keep it from freezing. The mechanical, non-electrical automatic waterer drains the water back into the ground when the animal is done drinking, leaving an empty bowl. The water remains warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and doesn’t leave standing water around to cultivate bacteria.

Contact The Horse Drinker to ensure that your horse will have access to clean, warm water all winter, without you having to worry about it freezing and leaving your horse dehydrated.

It is important to take steps to care for your horses this winter and the best time to do that is in the fall. Fall is the best time of the year to make sure your horses are ready to withstand the winter. Certain weather shifts and annoying insects arise, which could increase your horse’s possibility of becoming ill in the winter. Its best to act now for your horses health!

We recommend vaccinating your horses after the first freeze to prevent serious diseases like West Nile virus, tetanus, and Equine influenza. Your horses drinking water is something that you must consider during this time of year. As the cold weather strikes, your horses drinking water can be appealing to them because they don’t tend to drink much when its cold. Not only do you need to worry about the water freezing, you have to be concerned about dehydration and your horse! Increasing water intake is easy with our special livestock waters to keep their water clean, fresh, and drinkable year-round. 

Provide a wind-break for horses by allowing them to have space when its cold and wet outside. It is not always necessary to have a lot of warming devices, but many horse owners find a blanket is a great way to help keep the horses warmer on colder nights. Horses with thin hair or who are older may find the blanket to aid in keeping them warm when their natural hair coat is not able to do so anymore.

Lastly, check on your horses teeth and make sure they are cleaned properly. A dental visit is a great way to ensure their oral health is in order so you don’t have an emergency on a snowy night!

There are many causes of weight loss in horses. It is important to monitor your horse’s weight and pay attention to any fluctuations. Dangerous levels of weight gain or weight loss can cause extreme health issues.

Causes of Weight Loss

Many things attribute to weight loss. These causes include:

• Worms or parasites- these can leach the nutrition from your horse.
• Dental problems- dental problems may prevent your horse from eating adequate amounts of food.
• Dehydration- a sign of dehydration is a decreased appetite in horses, which can lead to weight loss.
• Insufficient nutrition- if the horse is not consuming enough calories, it will certainly lose weight.
• Stress- weight loss is one of the signs of stress.
• Specific breeds- Specific breeds are predisposed to higher metabolic rates. This can also vary between horses and temperaments. In general, nervous horses tend to burn through calories more quickly than calm ones. Familiarize yourself with your horse’s base metabolic rate, to ensure that you are providing the right amount of food.

Dietary Changes to Prevent Weight Loss

You should always offer free choice hay unless your veterinarian determines a medical reason not to. It is necessary to make any dietary adjustments slowly to prevent potential digestive problems from occurring. Ensure that the hay you are feeding is high-quality.

Beet pulp can be added as a supplement. It has high-fiber content, which a horse’s metabolism can convert to energy and fat. Adding starches, such as grains, is another way to increase the energy density of your horse’s diet. The addition of various types of oils can significantly boost the caloric content of the food.

Moderating temperatures is also an important factor in preventing weight loss. Cold temperatures will raise the horse’s metabolism, to allow it to stay warm. Hot temperatures may result in loss of appetite. Proper hydration is important to prevent appetite loss. This is one of the major advantages of a Bar-Bar-A watering system.

If weight gain doesn’t occur within 10 days, or if the horse is showing signs of severe malnutrition, you must consult with your veterinarian. Halting weight loss in the early stages, will prevent it from escalating to extremes. If dietary changes don’t result in weight gain, it is likely caused by a medical problem, which can be determined by your vet.