Anyone else have a super - pee-er? Soaked stall

[Marty]

I now have two of these. I wasn't complaning before about one mare that pees into oblivion and soaks her stall eyond belief but now I have another one. Everyone morning I hate to look because I know both stalls will be soaking wet, everywhere. These girls love to drink and for that I am happy as pie they don't have to worry me that they are not hydrated enough but gee whiz, the stalls are disgusting!

Mats are not in the budget for a while for them so that's out. I'm presently using a combination of pellet bedding and shavings and all I do is dig and dig and dig it right back out, then spend the day with the industrial fans drying up the mess. Then it starts all over again And before you ask, no, there is nothing wrong with them, its just summer and they are drinking and on their salt blocks as they should be or I'd be complaning about that too. They do not drink water while outside from the troughs so they wait until they come in to drink out of their water buckets and then pee all night I guess.. I do however think that some of this water drinking is related to boredom in the stall over night and flat out playing with their buckets because this is a mother/daughter team who are pretty darn hyper, but I can't be sure its boredom related. That's just speculation on my part..They are outside all day long and unless of super extreme heat or storms and leaving them outside at night is not an option. I'm thinking of just doing a complete dig out down to the gravel base and adding a huge new load of sand again.

Anyone else have this problem?

 

[Jean A]

Yes.

lol

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Are they on alfalfa? When I had mine on alfalfa/timothy cubes they would pee a lot. Even in the cart, and that's not all that common.

 

[LittleBittyBritches]

I had to switch to straw so i could sprinkle stall dry on the ground underneath the straw.

 

[yellerroseintx]

I did two things..one mare I put a bare mat in her stall ..she won't pee on it cause it splashes. I also use the pine pellets from TSC they are amazing and last so much longer than shavings..I just dump the pellets in and don't soak them ...when they pee the pellets expand and are so much drier even with the soakers. The other extreme I did was block off her actual stall and MADE her pee outside in her run for awhile...she got the idea..still occasionally pees inside but not like before.. Almost all of my mares and stallions are super good about keeping stalls clean ...they always go outside..thank goodness. mats are pretty cheap here only around 30 bucks not too bad.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I use the pellets on bottom in a thick layer...then put pine flakes on top. I don't dig it out daily. Worked better digging out wet soaked pellets weekly and scooping poo daily. I used to have peepools. I use much less bedding in the long run than when I tried to remove wet stuff daily. I use guardian pine pellets. Straw was hopeless for me..good luck.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Although drinking/peeing a lot is a sign of many diseases, most cases are bored horses. I have used toys, goats, and more turn out to help.

Dr. Taylor

 

[hippocampe]

I have not this kind of problems because of two reasons:

- my stalls are very large for minis, they are for "full sized horses"

- the ground of the stalls is just hard-packed natural ground, there is no concrete-floor, so the ground is permeable

I have a pine-flakes-bedding of about 20 cm and I clean it every day, the stall has been used (my horses aren't regularly in the stall, just the month before and after foaling for the mares&foals, and just occasionaly for the others if I have a certain reason). I pick out the dung and the wet flakes.

For next year I plan to make a few new boxes in the barn, and although I first wanted to have a concrete ground, easy to clean, I will keep the natural ground for the boxes and make a concrete floor just for the stable lane. A farmer breeding cows told me his animals prefer the old part of the stable, with natural ground, to the new concreted one. It seems to be more dry and more comfortable.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I have a super pee'er here, drives me nuts. He's in a 8x12 stall, and its fully matted (I bought most of my matts off of craigslist from someone who was selling out of horses, $10 each, so if you ever decide to go with mats, check cl for deals) I only bed the back half of my stalls now though. I use all pelleted bedding, and I dont soak them when I put them in, my horses dont eat them. I found regular shavings didnt absord anything, my mats would have puddles of pee under almost dry shavings. My guys were butts about peeing outside too, what did help a bit was putting a big pile of shavings out in the field, about 1/2 a bag, and they will pee on this during the day. I just replace the pile when it disappears. It did cut down on the peeing in most of my stalls.

I used to bed the entire stalls, but I have one boy who will poop anywhere theres shavings even where he eats, and my pee'er always has his stall soaked in the morning. By only bedding half, they have plenty of room to potty and lay down, and still a clean place to eat up front.

 

[Royal Crescent]

I agree with the boredom. My gelding soaked his stall and no matter how big a water bucket u gave him, he would empty it. Now outside with shelter he drinks a normal amount. Of course I can't directly see how much he pees now being outside but it has to be less then when he was drinking all those extra gallons!

 

[Jetiki]

I know of a mare that hits the salt block out of boredom and ends up drinking a lot and subsequently pee's a lot, since her feed has salt in it, I took the salt block away. Less Pee, but still drinking plenty so I am not concerned about lack of water intake.

 

[stormy]

Yes I have a super soaker too...I swear this guy holds it in all day while he is outside and the second he hits the stall turns on the hose!! I have the front of the stall matted with no bedding so at least he has a dry place to lay down.....have to switch stalls once in a while to let them dry out for a few days!!

 

[Lloydyne]

My lil guy never dirty'd his stall...I quit with the bedding altogether, he was free to come and go has he pleased so he only ate in his stall. He also only pooped in 2 spots so every weekend I could easily clean his area. I have sold him and I'm getting a new lil driving horse soon. I have no clue what he will be like but the last one had me really spoiled.

 

[wildoak]

Yes, I have a couple of them now. Stalls have automatic waterers and I've had to shut it off in the mares stall. She gets a bucket and gets enough to drink, but she can't just stand and drink out of boredom all day. Only solution I've found, other than putting them outside and no one is in now but show horses. I did have one colt who drank so much he just washed out - lost tone & condition, and looked terrible for awhile. I had to limit his water, per vet, and he got over it eventually.

Our big old QH mare used to do this - I've watched her drink & pee, drink & pee all day LOL. Drove me nuts.

Jan

 

[LindaL]

If you remember a few years back...Khan was my super-pee'er! He was in a 12x12 stall and he literally soaked it daily! I had his bloodwork done and only put 1/2 a bucket of water in his large water bucket. Took away his salt block, which he would literally EAT! Blood work was fine except his electrolytes were a bit off, but that was from too much water! It was determined that at first he became a super-pee'er from having a UTI, then it became a habit since he was already drinking a lot.

With regular turn out and now being 24/7 outside, he still drinks a lot, but not as much as he did before and of course being outside he doesn't soak his stall. When I take him to a show, he is fine, too.

I think it does become a habit, usually out of boredom, but apparently depending on the horse's living situation can be resolved.

 

[Leeana]

Yes...god yes! Drives me nuts as I am picky about my stalls and pens, I even rake my pasture (well the drylot) a couple times a week. Although, i will admit that I let that last part go sometimes...

I have one mare that will soak a stall overnight, I could put 2 bags of bedding down in a 10x12'ish stall and come morning that stall would be soaked. She also was a pacer, and under the bedding was dirt, and she would work it into a mush. So I went to TSC and bought 2 mats and covered it, and it seemed to help, as she would still pee a lot but it wouldnt get mixed in with the dirt or make a muddy muddy mess. I just delt with it. I only had her in the barn long enough to foal her out and get her foal social and now she is outside (thank god).

Oh..I do have another one in the barn RIGHT NOW. Totally forgot, I have no idea what to do with her stall...I showed her this year and she is in he barn. As soon as I bring my stallion in the barn for fall/winter, I am turning this mare (yearling filly) outside with my broodmares. I think sometimes the best thing you can do it turn them out.

 

[minih]

We have a super pee-er, but what my hubby did....he dug kind of a small trench (not very big) where she likes to pee slanting it down to the outside of the barn, then put some chat (not sure what you call it, it is very small pea gravel) then put the shavings over this. Our mare when she pees now it flows down thru the rocks and out the back of the barn. She is a shetland and she will drink literally buckets a day. This keeps her pen dry and we don't use near as many shavings. You can walk outside the barn and see where the ground is wet.

 

[shalakominiatureshowhorses]

YES!!! I have a super pee-er also!!! He pees whenever i walk into the barn at the morning feed, dinner, and when i let them out! We frequently have to re fill the dirt in his stall because its like he makes a trench through the middle of his stall!! We like to joke that he is peeing his way to china!! haha. He also drinks a 4 gallon water bucket empty everyday. None of my other minis arent like this!!! I am really following this topic and hoping to find a solution to this!