| When temperatures rise, the first thing horsemen and | | | | saying you are to run out to the barn five times a day |
| horsewomen most often do is hang an extra water | | | | to give your horse fresh water. I am suggesting you |
| bucket in their horse's stall. This is good practice, but | | | | take every opportunity to freshen the water |
| only if careful attention is paid. A horse will usually have | | | | whenever possible. It there's only an inch or two of |
| a preference water bucket and will drink from it almost | | | | water left in the bucket when you go out to water, |
| exclusively and use the second bucket only when their | | | | dump the bucket and start fresh. |
| favorite one is empty. Horses need fresh water and | | | | Horses that dunk their hay or rinse their mouths when |
| the glitch with that second water bucket is if it's full, it | | | | eating their grain need extra attention. Their water |
| can very easily sit for days before it is dumped and | | | | buckets won't take long at all in summer to sour. If you |
| freshened. | | | | are in your barn at least three or four times a day, |
| Worse, if it is only half full or slightly used and the | | | | then one water bucket will probably do. If not, and the |
| person watering just keeps topping it off. It can go | | | | horses are only fed and watered twice a day, you |
| days or even weeks and not be completely fresh. The | | | | need to hang that extra water bucket and keep both |
| water will sour and by then the horse will only drink | | | | buckets filled with fresh water. |
| from that extra water bucket as a last resort. | | | | The same applies to water troughs. Keep them filled |
| Fresh cool water during hot summer days and nights, | | | | with clean water. When turning horses out at night, |
| is just about the kindest thing you can do for your | | | | don't rely on "dew" to water your horses. Make sure |
| horse. If they could talk they would agree. I'm not | | | | they have access to clean water at all times. |