I was looking forward to a snowy Texas video...did it snow by you? (Your ice water video sure was timely for all southern folk affected by that storm this week.) Thanks for sharing.
Yeah we launched that based on the weather report. We got some frozen precipitation but being from the north I wold not call it snow, the Texans did. It is a little odd here, everyone told me to turn the water on etc like we do back home when it is 20 below zero but it wasn't even in the 20's above. All told I followed orders because I hate plumbing.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt I was pretty sorry to hear about how things went down at your last clinic. Sometimes it seems like so much can go wrong, it's amazing when everything goes as planned. Be Blessed...Take care.
@@TMarie-eb8rt dont let me get you down, the clinic and the host's were great it was just a downer for me, I want everything to be like an AcDc concert. We had fun and laughed and learned. All good but thanks for the concern.
Wisconsin ice's THICK & no snow right now, -10 to -20 each morning (actual temp). Piles of broken ice 4 feet high cuz the whole tub is solid every morning & evening! 'Have to use rubber tubs because plastic will break and metal won't give. 'Looking forward to 20 degree highs later this week. Then only break it in the morning. Winter...you got to love it!
I’m in WI too! There’s no way the horses could break through the thick ice after a week of -30, -20, temps. We drive semi’s on the frozen lakes here the ice is so thick. It’s ridiculous and I don’t know why anybody lives here lol
@@emilylewis7642 Yeah, I am kinda doubting my own sanity! (and the weather forecasters keep saying we are in for a warm up that just doesn't come...I am running short of handwarmers!)
@@TMarie-eb8rt Oh You gotta get the rechargeable handwarmers from Fleet Farm! And a pair of Gordini gloves. A little spendy, but you won't regret it. Hang in there! We'll be swatting mosquitoes before you know it!
I work with a horse that was pawing in front of his water fount. He never did this. I looked in and saw that the power went out and his water froze. Smart pony.
It was 12 degF in Upstate SC this morning. There was a small hole in the ice where they had already broke through but I had a hammer so I went ahead and broke it up some more. I lived in Michigan a few years and my outside water trough would freeze solid. It was a 100 gallon Rubbermaid with a threaded plug for accepting a heater coil. I installed a 1500 watt heater coil and it kept the water from freezing even at 10 below. If installed correctly and kept covered with water the heater coils are quite safe.
Thanks for the information. Here near Nevada City my horse water troughs will get some ice overnight and into the mornings for a lot of the winter, but not frozen solid. I have read before that the horses will break through the ice to get the water. Typically when I feed and muck in the morning, it is nothing for me to just use the end of the handle on the horse manure rake to break up the ice, so I just do it. But some mornings I have come out and either one or both of the horses have already broken through the ice for water. As for the electricity sensitivity thing...I learned that the hard way. One day riding down a steep hill on my young mare (she was just 3 at the time, and I probably only had about 10 rides on her) next to a neighbors hot fence that they had turned up to keep bears and deer out of their garden area. I did not realize it was a hot fence (it was getting dark and I did not notice it). My mare went and rubbed her nose and side of her face up against it, she jumped about 6 feet sideways and sprinted down the steep hill full speed. I do not know how I stayed on, but that was quite the rush. I do not ride near that fence line anymore!
Thanks for the electrical shock info.Several times even static electricity from my sweater shocked horse and she jumped and looked at me unforgivingly.
Good to know. Pretty much all of my horses eat snow for water, especially when out trail riding. I was always curious if it would lower internal temperature and increase the risk of hypothermia. Some of us are fortunate enough to have a little mustang who will crawl in the water trough to stomp around and break the ice. I do run a water heater though, since I have other animals that drink out of the trough, but I check it periodically to make sure it's not producing shock.
I agree with you . They will make those holes in the ice and drink. I have a hot water heater in my barn. While they eat I run a couple buckets and put them in the lot. They will sit on them and sip them like we do our morning coffee. I know they don't need them, but I know they like them.
Hey ol' son! Wintering here in AZ...she's a dry heat, but by golly it's a dang chilly cold! 50 degrees here and I've gone to the wild rag myself! But you already know the cold here as well. I'm going to disagree with you, just a touch, about the automatic waterer's. I use them at home in MT. You are absolutely correct about electricity in the ever so slightest amount will kill livestock, but we'd barely feel it, if at all. If you use GFCI's (ground fault circuit interrupters) correctly, you'll be fine. Now come the naysayers about all the problems and constant nuisance tripping et., al! If a GFCI is correctly wired, they do not trip. If they are tripping, something legitimately is causing it. Bad connections with extension cords, moisture, faulty stock tank heaters (or any load plugged into them), on and on! GFCI receptacles or breakers will and do fail over time. Replace them, correctly, and you're back in business. NEVER delete the device to "solve" the nuisance tripping, find the source of the fault and rectify it. GFI'S are set to trip at 3 milliamps's, which is .0036 amps at 120 volts. That's the safe threshold for humans to not be hurt. An old fashioned 100 watt light bulb draws .833 amps, a 500 watt stock tank heater draws 4.16 amps at 120 volts. The biggest and best insurance for protecting livestock is to have proper grounding! Always use the correct grounding methods and procedures, which are set forth in the National Electric Code, which are only the minimum requirements. You will need to check any state, county and city code requirements which are in addition to any National Code requirement. Make sure every connection is tight, use copper conductors of the correct size, and use coatings such as 3M's "Scotchkote" at every termination/connection. Always ground every bit of metal back to your source of electricity, basically the panel and/or service. Make sure you have 1 minimum, preferably 2-8' ground rods a minimum of 8' apart. Install them in the drip line of your structure's roof to gain as much moisture as possible to aid in the conductivity of the ground fault current. Metal fences, including pens, stock tanks, gates, metal columns...everything metal, needs to be grounded to insure livestock safety. If you are in the process of building a new structure or adding a new concrete slab, ALWAYS ground the rebar in it, even if it's just metal screen/mesh. Use a UL Listed ground wire connector to attach your ground wire to said metal. If you're using fiber mesh for your slab, which I highly recommend NOT using, lay a ground rod in the bottom of the slab (top of your gravel) with a ground wire attached back to your electrical source. Metal plates can also be used, reference the code book for size, or better yet, hire or consult a licensed electrician. My knowledge comes from being an electrician for 48 years, 35 as a Master and 32 as a contractor. Sorry for the lengthy comment, but I felt it was necessary to get the information out there because we've discovered so many projects that have never been wired correctly in the first place. Again, hire a licensed professional and don't use Uncle Eddy's barber's 2nd cousin's ex wife's old boyfriend that wired someone's chicken coop somewhere 65 years ago. That's how we came up with fried chicken. I think it was in Kentucky but I'm not positive.
Thanks for the info from a legit electrician. In rebuttal I am a simple cowboy and can not really understand any of that. Better for me to just not have electricity. Thank you for the comment. I am sure you are correct and I think in the average ag situation I am too.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt No worries. Nothing was pointed at you, I was just putting out info for anyone wanting it. I'm not in contradiction with you either, regarding anything. I'm using automatic waterer's because I'm lazy! What I don't like about them is, I cannot tell how much my stock are consuming, which I really liked to keep track of prior to them. Being lazy has it's consequences! LOL
@ I didn't think you were arguing I was pointing out that I could not wire one correctly. I dont like automatic waters because I dont know how much they are drinking and people tend to get complacent having them and never check to see if they are working properly or not. I have experienced auto that quit working and horses going several days without water before people noticed (myself included) and also heated waters that went haywire and the water was so hot horses wouldn't drink and it Tok several days for me to figure out why. Now that I recall it was someone turned the heat up on them in the winter and then come summer someone maybe me I dont recall, tried to turn the heat down but accidentally turned it up so it was hot coffee temp in July. End of the day there is just to much to go wrong while nothing can go wrong with a bucket of water. On the other hand I respect the Lazy, I do lazy things too.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt That's a fact! I had to work so hard to remember to check them often after I put them in. When I went back to feeding roundbales (another Lazy factoid 😊) it's easier for me to check remember to check them. When I switch out horses on each side of the bale feeder (2 in, 2 out each side twice a day), I'm actually in both pens and I can go over to each waterer. Feeding the small squares over the fence made it more difficult to remember to walk in and check them. Keep up the great videos! I always look forward to the next one.
Giving advice on freezing water when you live in Texas. LOL. Come spend some time in the real winter where things freeze solid for months at a time. Lakes are frozen over.
I do break the ice but usually I don’t need to because there will be the hole. I did a video on my channel showing my mustang mare breaking ice herself. 😊
you must not have spent time at the 45th parallel, bret! in sheridan, when i take my granddaughter out for her horses, if the sassy shetland has somehow got the water heater out of their water tank again, we are lucky if the water hasn't gone to solid ice conditions can vary a great deal by location
I have lived and wintered way north of you, froze my lungs, dont go outside with wet hair etc. Yeah if it is in the negatives its nice to break some ice for your horse, makes you feel good but they dont need it especially if there is snow. There bodies work different then ours. I am anti water heater, the 32 oz bottles of salt water work pretty good.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt i am not a horseman, and so bend to your experience maybe our shetland has been trying to tell us something (about water heaters); she is extra smart
I was looking forward to a snowy Texas video...did it snow by you? (Your ice water video sure was timely for all southern folk affected by that storm this week.) Thanks for sharing.
Yeah we launched that based on the weather report. We got some frozen precipitation but being from the north I wold not call it snow, the Texans did. It is a little odd here, everyone told me to turn the water on etc like we do back home when it is 20 below zero but it wasn't even in the 20's above. All told I followed orders because I hate plumbing.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt I was pretty sorry to hear about how things went down at your last clinic. Sometimes it seems like so much can go wrong, it's amazing when everything goes as planned. Be Blessed...Take care.
@@TMarie-eb8rt dont let me get you down, the clinic and the host's were great it was just a downer for me, I want everything to be like an AcDc concert. We had fun and laughed and learned. All good but thanks for the concern.
Wisconsin ice's THICK & no snow right now, -10 to -20 each morning (actual temp). Piles of broken ice 4 feet high cuz the whole tub is solid every morning & evening! 'Have to use rubber tubs because plastic will break and metal won't give. 'Looking forward to 20 degree highs later this week. Then only break it in the morning. Winter...you got to love it!
YEah in negative temps you have to help them out a little.
I’m in WI too! There’s no way the horses could break through the thick ice after a week of -30, -20, temps. We drive semi’s on the frozen lakes here the ice is so thick. It’s ridiculous and I don’t know why anybody lives here lol
@@emilylewis7642 I have only been there in the summer and I didn't like it then
@@emilylewis7642 Yeah, I am kinda doubting my own sanity! (and the weather forecasters keep saying we are in for a warm up that just doesn't come...I am running short of handwarmers!)
@@TMarie-eb8rt Oh You gotta get the rechargeable handwarmers from Fleet Farm! And a pair of Gordini gloves. A little spendy, but you won't regret it. Hang in there! We'll be swatting mosquitoes before you know it!
I work with a horse that was pawing in front of his water fount. He never did this. I looked in and saw that the power went out and his water froze. Smart pony.
they will
It was 12 degF in Upstate SC this morning. There was a small hole in the ice where they had already broke through but I had a hammer so I went ahead and broke it up some more. I lived in Michigan a few years and my outside water trough would freeze solid. It was a 100 gallon Rubbermaid with a threaded plug for accepting a heater coil. I installed a 1500 watt heater coil and it kept the water from freezing even at 10 below. If installed correctly and kept covered with water the heater coils are quite safe.
yeah but most people dont install correctly
Negative 6 out this morning in tropical Central Idaho. Only thing under my ice is more ice.
-14 in South Dakota got over 2 feet of ice
yes in negative tips forgot what I said
@ Yeah in negative temps they need some help if there is no snow
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt Ya there’s no snow this year but if there is snow they can get by just fine eating snow
@@sammeyer7484 No snow yet
Thanks for the information. Here near Nevada City my horse water troughs will get some ice overnight and into the mornings for a lot of the winter, but not frozen solid. I have read before that the horses will break through the ice to get the water. Typically when I feed and muck in the morning, it is nothing for me to just use the end of the handle on the horse manure rake to break up the ice, so I just do it. But some mornings I have come out and either one or both of the horses have already broken through the ice for water. As for the electricity sensitivity thing...I learned that the hard way. One day riding down a steep hill on my young mare (she was just 3 at the time, and I probably only had about 10 rides on her) next to a neighbors hot fence that they had turned up to keep bears and deer out of their garden area. I did not realize it was a hot fence (it was getting dark and I did not notice it). My mare went and rubbed her nose and side of her face up against it, she jumped about 6 feet sideways and sprinted down the steep hill full speed. I do not know how I stayed on, but that was quite the rush. I do not ride near that fence line anymore!
This is one of the things I like about this channel - learning why horses do things. Thanks!
When horses put their nose underwater and blow, is it really to clean their nose? I’m curious about that. Thanks Bret.
you are welcome
Thanks for the electrical shock info.Several times even static electricity from my sweater shocked horse and she jumped and looked at me unforgivingly.
Good to know. Pretty much all of my horses eat snow for water, especially when out trail riding. I was always curious if it would lower internal temperature and increase the risk of hypothermia.
Some of us are fortunate enough to have a little mustang who will crawl in the water trough to stomp around and break the ice. I do run a water heater though, since I have other animals that drink out of the trough, but I check it periodically to make sure it's not producing shock.
Eating snow will cause humans to go hypothermic but horses as long as they have sufficient brows will not.
Wow, something else i didn't know.. always good information
Im full of it...and info too
I agree with you . They will make those holes in the ice and drink. I have a hot water heater in my barn. While they eat I run a couple buckets and put them in the lot. They will sit on them and sip them like we do our morning coffee. I know they don't need them, but I know they like them.
Im sure they do like them.
Great information. Thank You.
If you break the ice you do have to take it out.
Hey ol' son! Wintering here in AZ...she's a dry heat, but by golly it's a dang chilly cold! 50 degrees here and I've gone to the wild rag myself! But you already know the cold here as well.
I'm going to disagree with you, just a touch, about the automatic waterer's. I use them at home in MT. You are absolutely correct about electricity in the ever so slightest amount will kill livestock, but we'd barely feel it, if at all.
If you use GFCI's (ground fault circuit interrupters) correctly, you'll be fine. Now come the naysayers about all the problems and constant nuisance tripping et., al! If a GFCI is correctly wired, they do not trip. If they are tripping, something legitimately is causing it. Bad connections with extension cords, moisture, faulty stock tank heaters (or any load plugged into them), on and on! GFCI receptacles or breakers will and do fail over time. Replace them, correctly, and you're back in business. NEVER delete the device to "solve" the nuisance tripping, find the source of the fault and rectify it.
GFI'S are set to trip at 3 milliamps's, which is .0036 amps at 120 volts. That's the safe threshold for humans to not be hurt. An old fashioned 100 watt light bulb draws .833 amps, a 500 watt stock tank heater draws 4.16 amps at 120 volts.
The biggest and best insurance for protecting livestock is to have proper grounding! Always use the correct grounding methods and procedures, which are set forth in the National Electric Code, which are only the minimum requirements. You will need to check any state, county and city code requirements which are in addition to any National Code requirement.
Make sure every connection is tight, use copper conductors of the correct size, and use coatings such as 3M's
"Scotchkote" at every termination/connection.
Always ground every bit of metal back to your source of electricity, basically the panel and/or service. Make sure you have 1 minimum, preferably 2-8' ground rods a minimum of 8' apart. Install them in the drip line of your structure's roof to gain as much moisture as possible to aid in the conductivity of the ground fault current. Metal fences, including pens, stock tanks, gates, metal columns...everything metal, needs to be grounded to insure livestock safety.
If you are in the process of building a new structure or adding a new concrete slab, ALWAYS ground the rebar in it, even if it's just metal screen/mesh. Use a UL Listed ground wire connector to attach your ground wire to said metal. If you're using fiber mesh for your slab, which I highly recommend NOT using, lay a ground rod in the bottom of the slab (top of your gravel) with a ground wire attached back to your electrical source. Metal plates can also be used, reference the code book for size, or better yet, hire or consult a licensed electrician.
My knowledge comes from being an electrician for 48 years, 35 as a Master and 32 as a contractor. Sorry for the lengthy comment, but I felt it was necessary to get the information out there because we've discovered so many projects that have never been wired correctly in the first place.
Again, hire a licensed professional and don't use Uncle Eddy's barber's 2nd cousin's ex wife's old boyfriend that wired someone's chicken coop somewhere 65 years ago. That's how we came up with fried chicken. I think it was in Kentucky but I'm not positive.
Thanks for the info from a legit electrician. In rebuttal I am a simple cowboy and can not really understand any of that. Better for me to just not have electricity. Thank you for the comment. I am sure you are correct and I think in the average ag situation I am too.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt No worries. Nothing was pointed at you, I was just putting out info for anyone wanting it. I'm not in contradiction with you either, regarding anything. I'm using automatic waterer's because I'm lazy!
What I don't like about them is, I cannot tell how much my stock are consuming, which I really liked to keep track of prior to them. Being lazy has it's consequences! LOL
@ I didn't think you were arguing I was pointing out that I could not wire one correctly. I dont like automatic waters because I dont know how much they are drinking and people tend to get complacent having them and never check to see if they are working properly or not. I have experienced auto that quit working and horses going several days without water before people noticed (myself included) and also heated waters that went haywire and the water was so hot horses wouldn't drink and it Tok several days for me to figure out why. Now that I recall it was someone turned the heat up on them in the winter and then come summer someone maybe me I dont recall, tried to turn the heat down but accidentally turned it up so it was hot coffee temp in July. End of the day there is just to much to go wrong while nothing can go wrong with a bucket of water. On the other hand I respect the Lazy, I do lazy things too.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt That's a fact! I had to work so hard to remember to check them often after I put them in. When I went back to feeding roundbales (another Lazy factoid 😊) it's easier for me to check remember to check them. When I switch out horses on each side of the bale feeder (2 in, 2 out each side twice a day), I'm actually in both pens and I can go over to each waterer. Feeding the small squares over the fence made it more difficult to remember to walk in and check them.
Keep up the great videos! I always look forward to the next one.
@@barrynelson634 Thank you
That’s exactly what my horses do, I do take ice out every day when I add water because it will then take longer to freeze.
Giving advice on freezing water when you live in Texas. LOL. Come spend some time in the real winter where things freeze solid for months at a time. Lakes are frozen over.
I moved to Texas this June. Johnny Cash doesn't have anything on me, Iv lived everywhere.
I do break the ice but usually I don’t need to because there will be the hole. I did a video on my channel showing my mustang mare breaking ice herself. 😊
Makes us feel better. Yeah I have seen them paw the ice as well in a pond or creek
you must not have spent time at the 45th parallel, bret!
in sheridan, when i take my granddaughter out for her horses, if the sassy shetland has somehow got the water heater out of their water tank again, we are lucky if the water hasn't gone to solid ice
conditions can vary a great deal by location
I have lived and wintered way north of you, froze my lungs, dont go outside with wet hair etc. Yeah if it is in the negatives its nice to break some ice for your horse, makes you feel good but they dont need it especially if there is snow. There bodies work different then ours. I am anti water heater, the 32 oz bottles of salt water work pretty good.
@@HorsemanshipAsAnArt
i am not a horseman, and so bend to your experience
maybe our shetland has been trying to tell us something (about water heaters); she is extra smart
@@friendoengus I will allow that shetlands are little Demonds so she is probably jacking with you.
I have never seen horses do this with totally frozen troughs. Not worth the risk of colic to take a ignore/ survival of the fittest attitude.
I'm going to roll with you, but Brett is correct, I just don't want to trust it, for a lil extra effort on my part.
I have. Its not a survival of the fittest mentality, there bodies work in such a way that they won't get hypothermic by licking ice.
@ Im with you, by all means break ice, I kinda have fun doing it. Im just saying they aunt cows they dont need it from us.
Are ya'll in Texas now?
yep, no ice to worry about here.