Ridecamp: Re: [RC] water heaters/de-icers

> There is a frost-free hydrant right outside the main door (faces west). The
> water always comes out at 55 degrees (I check it thrughout the year), and
> the kids get fed four times daily, so there really isn't an issue with
> frozen water, other than a skim of surface ice, other than maybe twice
> during the winter or so. 

Not at you specifically, Cheryl Ann, but something to consider with water temp 
is not just whether the water is so frozen over that the horses CAN'T drink, 
but also whether it's a comfortable temp that they really want to drink it.  
Think about if you were hanging around in the cold and were thirsty and you had 
a choice between close to freezing temp water; or a nice warm drink (or at 
least well above freezing).  Which are you more likely to drink more of?  The 
warmer one, right?

When I still had my old broodmare, her water bucket never actually froze, or 
even got a skim of ice, but I also didn't want to bathe in the stuff on a cold 
night. :-)  And, sure enough, she never drank enough and so got a little 
colicky every now and then which always resolved with a little NG fluids and 
banamine.  We finally figured out a way to provide warmer water and lo and 
behold, the water consumption doubled and the colics disappeared.

Just something to consider with the whole water temp thing. :-)

Susan G


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