# Water trough troubles



## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

I'm new to the forum, but we're experiencing an issue I haven't had before in my almost 30 years of horse ownership and I thought I'd see if you all had any thoughts or solutions.

My husband's Belgian cross gelding has suddenly started putting his feet in our 100 gallon water trough. He has never done this before, but now will not leave the water trough alone. He overturns the trough when he tries to pull his feet out of it, and has dumped 300 gallons of water today alone. I'm also afraid of him stepping on the tank heater we just put in for the winter and either breaking it or injuring himself.

Is there something that would make a horse (who is 15 years old) suddenly start doing this that I am not aware of, or is there something we can do to prevent it from happening? We're limited to where we can move the trough and still be able to reach it with the hose we have installed in the barn.

Any thoughts?


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I'm stumped on the why. 

We've had youngsters in the past that would get in the tanks, we lag bolted the tanks to the fence posts they sit against.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Is he looking for hay? Do you feed when you go out? Is he looking to get fed?


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## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

He is very well-fed and eats plenty of hay, and he's been doing it today after being turned back out from being in for breakfast this morning, so I don't think it's a food issue. It's just bizarre to me that an older horse would suddenly start doing this, so that's what makes me wonder if there is something wrong. Thought I'd ask on here before calling my vet and sounding like a crazy person.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

He might be bored, or maybe he's just discovered the delights of splashing in the water. I don't think it's anything physical. :wink:

I'd be bolting the trough to the fence. At least that way, he's not dumping all the water when he decides he's done playing.


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## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

i think hes bored as well my older qh used to do this... especially in the warmer weathers so not sure why he is doing it before winter.. try putting toys out for him to play with. it kept my qh horse busy so he didn't bother anymore..


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## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

Thanks, Speed Racer. There goes the old saying that you can't teach an old [horse] new tricks, right?

We can't bolt to a fence posts (we have t-posts and the trough isn't near them, it's by the sliding back door of the barn). What should I do about the tank heater?


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## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

kait18 said:


> i think hes bored as well my older qh used to do this... especially in the warmer weathers so not sure why he is doing it before winter.. try putting toys out for him to play with. it kept my qh horse busy so he didn't bother anymore..


We have toys (a ball, and a few traffic cones), but he doesn't play with them. :? Apparently, the trough is more fun.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Ride a horse into a pond and he'll either try to drink it dry or splash it gone. This may be what he's doing with the trough. I'd try setting it up on rr ties and see if that works. BTW since our electricity is so costly, I put water in a kid's plastic tobaggan which holds better than 5 gal. When the horses have finished drinking I just slide it out under the fence and dump the remainder. They don't look for water until later in the day. I have an all-weather hydrant close by so filling the tobagan is a simple task.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Can you put 4 posts around it, so he can't dump it?

I've known more than one horse who thought splashing around in the trough was much more fun than any silly old Jolly Ball.


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## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

hmm does any of the balls have a string on it?? that you can hang some where... that was what my guy loved the most. especially when he could bump right into it...


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I have had many horses who play in the water. Several of my old herd used to sink their faces in and slosh the water around like kids do in a tub. My 5yo Qh, Buster likes to paw in my current tank.
Since it's now empty, I'd remove it and for the winter, use smaller, rubber tanks, like those made for 30-40 gallons. They are easy to bend and de-ice.
_IMHO, electric water heaters are an accident waiting to happen anyway--not gonna preach to you, however._
I don't like breaking ice of my 60 gallon tank, and I've frozen 2 steel tanks until they starting leaking. (My last one, 110 gallon steel, is now my baby chick brooder, so hang on to the ones that leak if you might have another purpose for it.)
Another idea--buy some cement blocks and place it on those so it's too tall for your horse to put his leg in it. Good luck, and let us know what you do. =D


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## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

Ha, during the summer, my haflinger likes to soak his entire head in the water trough to cool off...all the way up to his ears. But, this is a new thing for the Belgian cross and he's usually not the playful one of the bunch, so I was concerned. It's like he's trying to wash his feet. He doesn't splash around, just wants to stand with his feet in the trough.

Thanks all, my hubby is now trying to figure out what we can construct/build to try to keep his feet out of the trough. I'll keep you posted.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Another thing to try would be to build a platform that will raise the lip of the tank high enough where he cannot easily get his feet in there. But, if you have horses that are shorter, that may inhibit their ability to get a drink once the tank gets below a certain point LOL.

I understand your problem, I have a percheron gelding and a belgian cross that do the exact same thing. One other thing about critters that big playing in the tanks is that it doesn't take a whole lot for one of them to stomp a hole in the bottom of the tank (been there done that a couple dozen times over the years:roll.

My solution has been to only put a portion of the tank under the fence. My fences where the tanks are are single strand electrics so I only put just enough of the tank under the fence into their pen to allow them to get their head in there and drink. If they try to get close enough to put their feet in it, they tend to get shocked. That has pretty much solved my problem with feet in the tank.


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## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

smrobs said:


> Another thing to try would be to build a platform that will raise the lip of the tank high enough where he cannot easily get his feet in there. But, if you have horses that are shorter, that may inhibit their ability to get a drink once the tank gets below a certain point LOL.
> 
> I understand your problem, I have a percheron gelding and a belgian cross that do the exact same thing. One other thing about critters that big playing in the tanks is that it doesn't take a whole lot for one of them to stomp a hole in the bottom of the tank (been there done that a couple dozen times over the years:roll.
> 
> My solution has been to only put a portion of the tank under the fence. My fences where the tanks are are single strand electrics so I only put just enough of the tank under the fence into their pen to allow them to get their head in there and drink. If they try to get close enough to put their feet in it, they tend to get shocked. That has pretty much solved my problem with feet in the tank.


Thanks. We have electric fence too, but I think we'll have to take a strand down to do this. My only concern is that then it will be harder to fill (as we'll have to truck out into the muddy/icy dry lot or pasture) all winter. Right now, we just have to open the barn door to reach it.

It may be easier than trying to raise it though, as I also have a full Haflinger gelding who would have trouble reaching the lower part of the tank if we raise it much higher.

Oh, the joys of horse ownership


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, yep :lol:.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Sounds like boredom to me. My yearling splashes in the water tank, so I have to dump and refill it daily. I haven't found any way to stop it.


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## aspin231 (Mar 20, 2010)

Have you checked his hooves for heat? It just sounds odd to me that he's simply standing with his feet in the water and not splashing.
However... stranger things have happened. I'd put a couple posts and boards around it to keep it from getting dumped out every day. AFTER you rule out hoof pain.


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## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

aspin231 said:


> Have you checked his hooves for heat? It just sounds odd to me that he's simply standing with his feet in the water and not splashing.
> However... stranger things have happened. I'd put a couple posts and boards around it to keep it from getting dumped out every day. AFTER you rule out hoof pain.


Thanks. We just had the ferrier out yesterday, though, and neither of us noticed any heat or other hoof problems but I'll check again when I get home.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

This is what I do for my darling Isabelle. It does work.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

I would look harder for a medical issue, rather than just automatically dismiss it as behavior. Sounds like his feet hurt.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

My Dancer is notorious for playing in the water trough. She loves to splash the water around with her head, or stick her feet in the trough and paw water all over her belly.

Her previous owner didn't have a pond, and we kept Dancer in our lot for several weeks before letting her out in the pasture with our pond. You should have seen her face when she saw all that water - her eyes were HUGE! :shock: She ran straight out into the pond, only to discover it wasn't shallow (pond was made by damming a very deep ravine). She figured out in a hurry how to swim. 

We have to keep a close eye on the horses when we turn them out right now. The pond is so low due to the drought that the edges are super muddy. We've already lost a very elderly dog to the mud and pond weed.  We sure don't want to lose a horse!


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

Why not instead of moving the trough under a fence, bring something to the trough to cover it up. Fashion a 3/4 lid for it or something like that.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Skip, I don't know if that was directed at me but I am going to assume that it was since I was the only one to mention leaving the tank partway under the fence...

The reason I don't try a lid is because it is just _easier_ to pull it partway under the fence. I would have to make some sort of lid for it from scratch, then find a way to attach it to the tank where the wind wouldn't blow it away or the horses wouldn't knock it off. That just seems like an awful lot of work for something that would spend 90% of it's time in my way.


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## Sliding4ever (Jun 1, 2008)

I'll have to agree with checking his hooves for pain. 

And horses don't usually try to splash water just to make it go away in a pond. Sure they can play in it or it be a habbit, but sometimes it's because they are trying to stir up minerals that they might be lacking otherwise.

As smrobs said you could make a lid for it, maybe covering it half way so that only his head will fit in it?


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## teej0895 (Nov 15, 2011)

There doesn't appear to be any heat and he isn't showing any signs of hoof pain. He has access to a good mineral block 24/7. I'm becoming more convinced it's a boredom/behavioral thing. Looks like hubby and I will either be raising it or sliding it under the fence.

Thanks all for the advice!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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