# How many litres of water are you horses drinking each per day atm?



## Puppy (9 January 2010)

With the yard pipes and troughs being so frozen atm, I have decided to give up on trying to break the surface ice on the trough, (as most days atm it's just solid the whole trough through 
	
	
		
		
	


	




), and so I'm going to buy some more water containers and just bring lots more hot water from home. 

I'm just wondering how much your horses are drinking each per day at the mo? Preferably re. those who aren't being limited by troughs freezing etc. so are getting as much as they like. 

I know horses drink more when it comes to keeping warm, and I know normally/roughly in winter I keep the trough topped up with 2 runs a day with a 25 ltre drum, but with it being solid ice I am finding it hard to measure what they're getting through/wanting at the mo. I ache from hammering at the darn stuff!   
	
	
		
		
	


	








 Definitely time for a change in tactics!


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## Weezy (9 January 2010)

A lot :S  I would say 25% more than usual if that helps.  I have a large plastic bucket, comes up just above my knees and is about 60cms wide (at a guess) and am having to refill every 24 hrs.


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## H's mum (9 January 2010)

H is drinking between 6 and 8 bucketfuls (so that's 56-72 litres!)
The ponies are drinking between 3 &amp; 4 bucketfuls ( 24-32 litres)
They are munching through some haylage too! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




Kate x


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## SouthWestWhippet (9 January 2010)

I don't have a water suply in my field, just one of those big tug-tub things. I bring water up each day. 

At the moment I am bringing up 2 x 5 litre bottles of water and 7 x 2 litre bottles of water. So about 22 litres in total. Have to do it like this because I can't lift any heavy bottles due to being 39weeks pregnant. I'm finding this is about right as there is usually some left in the bucket the next day. Although it is difficult because what is left does freeze overnight. I initially assumed pony would drink less in the snow but he appears to be drinking more than usual ATM.

Incidentally I'm bringing up warm/hot water rather than cold so that any ice left over in the water bucket melts adding to the overall amount.


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## lilym (9 January 2010)

I'm doing a 25ltr drum twice a day for 2 welsh ponies a 13hh and a 14hh, this seems to work about about right for them.


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## Puppy (9 January 2010)

[ QUOTE ]
They are munching through some haylage too! 
	
	
		
		
	


	






[/ QUOTE ]

Ooh yes, that's the other thing!! I filled up my two's hay hutches this afternoon with well over 40kg of haylage!  
	
	
		
		
	


	




  I shall definitely be making an order for more earlier than planned! However, the peace of mind that it keeps them happy and warm is worth it 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 and at least it isn't a PITA to get to them!


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## Puppy (9 January 2010)

[ QUOTE ]
A lot :S  I would say 25% more than usual if that helps.   

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, helpful! Thanks Weezy


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## kerilli (9 January 2010)

how much is in a normal sized bucket? my girls are drinking about 4 - 5 of those buckets each per 24 hour period.


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## H's mum (9 January 2010)

8 litres x


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## rosie fronfelen (9 January 2010)

they say if you keep a tennis ball, footbal or any type of ball in a trough it'll stop it freezing, don't know how true this is, its sposedc to work with ponds anyway. just a thought-


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## Weezy (9 January 2010)

Not working for us, it is too cold for the balls to have any effect!


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## Puppy (9 January 2010)

[ QUOTE ]
I don't have a water suply in my field, just one of those big tug-tub things. I bring water up each day. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too! Or at least, I don't as such, but for most of the year I run a hose pipe the length of my field, or when it's cold take it in a couple of drums per day. It's usually only the odd days here and there that the pipes in the yard are too cold to even get anything out the tap, and we prepare for those by filling the trough up full, and storing some in the feed room to get us through those odd days. This prolonged cold patch though is causing problems we've not had to deal with before 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Seeing as it's expected to be lasting for some time yet to come, I've decided I need to change my management! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





[ QUOTE ]
At the moment I am bringing up 2 x 5 litre bottles of water and 7 x 2 litre bottles of water. So about 22 litres in total. Have to do it like this because I can't lift any heavy bottles due to being 39weeks pregnant.

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I feel your pain! I have whiplash at the mo, and am struggling a lot with the hard work of lugging water about, or in the barrow. Although they are hard work, I think I am going to buy another one or two 25ltre barrels, but I was also thinking of getting some 5ltr ones too...

[ QUOTE ]
 I'm finding this is about right as there is usually some left in the bucket the next day. Although it is difficult because what is left does freeze overnight. I initially assumed pony would drink less in the snow but he appears to be drinking more than usual ATM.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, indeed, I remember my Grandpa teaching me that animals drink more in the cold to keep warm 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 I'm not surprised given the amount of forage mine are getting through too! 
	
	
		
		
	


	





[ QUOTE ]
Incidentally I'm bringing up warm/hot water rather than cold so that any ice left over in the water bucket melts adding to the overall amount. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly why I want to bring hot 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Getting H2O up the field is such hard work, that I don't want to go chucking out the lumps of ice if I can melt them down


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## Puppy (9 January 2010)

[ QUOTE ]
how much is in a normal sized bucket? my girls are drinking about 4 - 5 of those buckets each per 24 hour period. 

[/ QUOTE ]

14 litres 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Checked the measurements inside on the new bucket I started using today


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## Puppy (9 January 2010)

I think a tennis ball is going to do sweet fa against this:


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## SouthWestWhippet (9 January 2010)

[ QUOTE ]
 Exactly why I want to bring hot  Getting H2O up the field is such hard work, that I don't want to go chucking out the lumps of ice if I can melt them down  

[/ QUOTE ] 

LOL, any sort of water based substance (snow/ice) etc is more valuable than gold ATM in my pony's field  
	
	
		
		
	


	








 Can't wait for the weather to break!

Whiplash sounds nasty, you should def be careful lugging water around. I find that lifting two 5l water bottles is absolutely fine, would recomend it. Seems to be the compromise between struggling and making 200 journeys back and forth to the car! Good luck.


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## Lakelandcross (9 January 2010)

2 big Horses and a Shetland, out 24x7, drinking between 70 and 90 litres a day since it started to freeze. They have been on hay for 5 weeks which makes them drink more but even that amount has nearly doubled since the freeze started.

I know becuase I deliver it in 25 litre drums.


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## Puppy (9 January 2010)

[ QUOTE ]
 LOL, any sort of water based substance (snow/ice) etc is more valuable than gold ATM in my pony's field  
	
	
		
		
	


	








 Can't wait for the weather to break!

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh I know! On the way home from the yard tonight (after a right battle with the trough!) I found myself eyeing the shelf of 5ltres bottles of water in tescos tonight thinking of buying them *all* just for the horses...! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 I now think I might buy a few, just for the easier to carry/fill containers 
	
	
		
		
	


	





[ QUOTE ]
Whiplash sounds nasty, you should def be careful lugging water around. I find that lifting two 5l water bottles is absolutely fine, would recomend it. Seems to be the compromise between struggling and making 200 journeys back and forth to the car! Good luck. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, one of the lovely side effects of being double barrelled in the face - the fractures, especially my jaw are very painful in this weather too 
	
	
		
		
	


	




  Mine you, saying that, I FAR prefer it to the rain!! At least I can move the barrow easier on the frosted ground!! 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 And I know the horses are happier in it than the miserable downfalls we had in november


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## sallyellis (9 January 2010)

I take up 2 x 25 gallon containers, a 5 litre container and about 13 litres of hot water to make up feeds and take the chill off the water that is left, I have 2 living out and one stabled.


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## hellybelly6 (9 January 2010)

My horse has about 15 litres.  I know because I take about 20 litres up to him in 5 litre bottles as the pipes are frozen and one has burst.

Its like having a stables on a glacier


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## Enfys (10 January 2010)

This is what I put in the troughs on average a day:

1 goat, 2 minis and a QH weanling = 80 litres
4 QH's = 200 litres 

Troughs are never empty I just top up by those amounts.

I have no idea what the others drink as their tanks are self-filling, the others get moved around so are just heated, no point digging down 5 or 6 feet, insulating and laying pipes unnecessarily.


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