After Margaret and I had such a fun time at the fall hunter pace, we opted to go again this spring! This time, while I rode Rejoice again, Margaret rode her horse Jester and had a friend ride Ladyhawke. All Kennebec Morgans!! Jester and Rejoice have the same dam and Jester and Lady share the same sire. Unfortunately instead of a lovely late spring day, we had one of the first intensely hot and humid days of the year. It was definitely a bummer, but the ride was mostly in the shade of the woods and we had a great time! most of the fences were 3' coops but we found a small log and this hay to jump haha Until we didn't. 😑 We brought along a third friend who rode Margaret's older mare, Ladyhawke. She's a good rider but hasn't known Ladyhawke for very long and didn't realize how much of a cranky boss mare she could be at times. She kicked Jester right in the front leg just about halfway through the ride, and while the cut itself ended up not being a big deal in the...
I have had the opportunity to test out the Water Bucket Cozy over the last week. I wanted something that might not freeze the buckets quite so solid but without any electricity. It retails for $42.95 at SmartPak which is pretty decent since a heated bucket is about the same price.
When I opened the package, the Cozy was like a big poofy jacket for a bucket. LOL! It came with nice little instructions and only took me a moment to figure out how to put it onto the bucket. It went on easily and has stayed very clean and neat over the last eight days.
So far I am loving it! I am using it for Sparky, as she is very good about not destroying things. I moved the top cover out a bit so that the opening is larger for her to get used to it. The company does recommend adding 4 cups of hot water to increase insulation but so far I am just filling it normally from the barn spigot. I think that as the winter continues into the "deep freeze" I will add the recommended hot water. But so far, there has just been a bit of very thin ice on the top, but absolutely no ice on the sides. Both of my other horses' buckets have had much more serious ice on the top and sides by morning. And the company is based out of New Hampshire, which is neat. You can order directly from them (looks like it is $4 cheaper to do that than most retailers, but then the shipping is $8), but since I get free shipping from SmartPak it was cheaper to get it from them. Many other tack stores carry them as well from the looks, including Dover.
Mine looks like this except in black...and I think this one is the small 2.5 gallon bucket, while I have the 5 gallon version. But you get the drift! LOL! |
So far I am loving it! I am using it for Sparky, as she is very good about not destroying things. I moved the top cover out a bit so that the opening is larger for her to get used to it. The company does recommend adding 4 cups of hot water to increase insulation but so far I am just filling it normally from the barn spigot. I think that as the winter continues into the "deep freeze" I will add the recommended hot water. But so far, there has just been a bit of very thin ice on the top, but absolutely no ice on the sides. Both of my other horses' buckets have had much more serious ice on the top and sides by morning. And the company is based out of New Hampshire, which is neat. You can order directly from them (looks like it is $4 cheaper to do that than most retailers, but then the shipping is $8), but since I get free shipping from SmartPak it was cheaper to get it from them. Many other tack stores carry them as well from the looks, including Dover.
So why am I so excited about this cool new invention, asks those of you who use heated buckets all winter. I know many people happily use heated buckets, but I have never had any inclination to want them in my own barn. I refer to them as "barn burners". LOL! There is too much risk involved in my opinion, from barn fires to horses electrocuting themselves by chewing the cord. And because I only have one four-way outlet in my barn that is not directly outside the stalls, I cannot use heated buckets even if I did want to, as they are not supposed to be used with extension cords.
It is a complete pain to break ice out of buckets, but I rather break ice than have dead horses. I give the horses one last check around 10 PM and they have to go until 6:15 AM, which means their buckets normally do freeze. I have kept my horses for almost 20 years like this with no issue, as Sparky has NEVER had a heated water bucket. I realize some of you readers think I am a bad horse person for not using them, but I am happy with it, my horses are clearly happy with it, and so, the end. ;-D And in no way do I think that anyone who does use a heated water bucket is negligent; I am just saying they are not for me and my horse husbandry style. :-) So if you are like me, here is a great alternative to the heated buckets.
Sounds like an awesome idea... though I thin I'd be worried about my mare destroying it. Nifty new inventions are always so much fun.
ReplyDeleteNice! I've seen these before and wondered if they actually worked. I have heated water tubs in the pastures for the first time this year, and while I appreciate not having to break ice at ONE farm, I still worry about the electricity, even with no horses stalled overnight!
ReplyDeleteI will keep these in mind if I go back to stalling, or ever have to use smaller buckets instead of troughs.