Before moving my two horses to my farm I boarded them for a few months at a stable that boasted fully insulated walls and ceilings. It was amazing. On even the coldest days the indoor temperature never fell below about 40 degrees and even better, the water in the buckets never froze. Fast forward to the winters in my barn, not insulated I might add! I anticipated frozen water buckets and researched my options. Many heated buckets exist and unless the power goes out they’re just the trick as long as you can find a way to keep the electrical cords well out of reach of horse mouths. The electrical outlets in my barn are nowhere near the horse stalls so using heated buckets means using many lengths of extension cords, as such I researched non-electrical options and stumbled upon thermal buckets. After using these for three winters in central Ohio I can say that they really do work. The unit consists of an exterior thermal container that a five gallon bucket slips into and a plastic float that fits inside the five gallon bucket. The float is designed to minimize contact of the surface of the water to the cold. Only on the very coldest days have I had a thin layer of ice form and even that was easy for the horses to break through if they desired a drink. If you’re looking for a way to keep the ice out of your horse buckets you might give these a try.
No comments:
Post a Comment