Some horse owners may have that one horse that wants to continuously turn water buckets over. This can be a hassle and become frustrating if it continues to happen. Here are some tips and tricks you can try to keep your horse from turning over their water buckets.
Hang Up the Bucket
The easiest way to keep your horse from turning a bucket over is to hang it up. By hanging it up at a height where your horse can’t paw it over, it is a simple and effective solution. There are some options for hardware to hang the bucket up with. There are bucket straps, bucket hooks, and bucket holders. My favorite is the Tacktical bucket straps. These bucket straps come in various patterns and colors. You can find them here.
Some horse owners even put a bucket in a milk crate and then hang it up. Just make sure that you hang it at a height where your horse can't get their hoof caught in it.
Use Tires
If hanging up a bucket isn’t a good option for you, then another easy solution is to put the bucket in a tire. I used this to stop my horse from turning over her bucket, and it worked! I just stacked two tires and put the bucket in the center. This was a change my horse wasn’t used to, but she adapted to it fairly quickly. If you don't want to use tires, you could even build a wooden box to put the bucket in.
My horse Glory now drinks her water without tipping her bucket over
Automatic Waterers
If you have tried everything and still haven’t found a solution, automatic waterers may be the right choice for you. Automatic waterers are more expensive, but your horse wouldn’t be able to turn it over. Automatic waterers would also save you time and labor. There are smaller options you could put in your horses’ stall if you didn’t want the automatic waterer outside.
Conclusion
Turning over water buckets can be a bad habit for your horse, and can be very frustrating for you. It may take trial and error, but you just have to figure out what would work best for your horse.
Disclaimer: I participate in the Tacktical Equine ambassador program and may make a commission at no extra cost to you.
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