ridecamp@endurance.net: Soaking Feed In Winter

Soaking Feed In Winter

Bonnie Snodgrass (snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil)
Fri, 03 Oct 97 07:15:35 EST

Just had an idea that should work for those of you who have to soak
your beet pulp for hours during freezing temps. Drag your picnic
cooler out of the basement/garage and take it to the feed room. Use
hot or boiling water on the beet pulp and put the bucket in the
cooler. Shut lid! If needed cover with old horse blanket for added
insulation. This should work. If you con't have hot water at the barn
then buy one of the water heaters designed to work in a bucket of
water. I used one for years to heat a bucket of water when I first get
to the barn. Use the hot water for warming the bit, washing eyes,
nose, etc. Cleaning tack. Then I heat another bucket and pour it into
stall water bucket before leaving. Having warmer water to drink
increases water consumption in cold weather and reduces the chances of
impaction colic.

Also, years ago, when grooming at the track I saw a neat idea. The
head groom would each morning pour whole oats into a metal garbage
can, pour water over the oats then stick one of the coil type water
heaters down in the oats. He used one of the long heaters designed for
the deep cans/buckets. He put the lid on the can (it had a notch cut
out of the edge of the lid for the power cord) and the oats cooked
slowly for a couple of hours. Kinda like a big rice cooker. They came
out soft, wet and warm and the horses gobbled them up! Those were some
pampered horses.

Bonnie Snodgrass

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