Nosy Nelly horse! Help!

[wingnut]

Our smallest 2 yr old is also our most inquisitive horse in the herd. She's the one who figured out that she could push the mesh fencing OUT far enough to crawl under it to get out to the lovely green grass in the yard that was far more appetizing the hay in the dry lot. She is incredibly nosy and isn't afraid of anything.

We recently put away the muck buckets we used all summer for their water. They preferred drinking out of them and we wasted less water because they emptied them faster while the water was still fresh. It was easy to keep an eye on them and quickly run the hose down and refill them. Unfortunately, they aren't designed to hold a heater, so when the temperatures started dropping and the water starting to freeze over, we pulled the low and flat 50 gallon trough out, along with the heater with protective cage.

I've caught that goofy horse pulling the heater out or come out to find the heater on the ground about 4 times now. This morning, I found it on the ground again (it was unplugged as the temps weren't as cold last night) and the cage all beat up....it will have to be replaced.

Any ideas on how I can keep our little nosy Nelly from puling the heater out over and over?

 

[Minimor]

Fix up a cover for the tank--have the cover over only half or 2/3 of the tank. Have the heater set under that cover so that the cord can come up out of the tank & under the cover so that it is completely inaccessible to little Nosy Nelly (I assume that she is getting the heater out of the water by grabbing hold of the cord and pulling it out? Or do they drink the water down so far that she can get hold of the heater itself?) If she cannot get hold of the cord she cannot pull the heater out (and even if she does get hold of the heater itself, not the cord, by covering 2/3 of the tank and leaving only a small end of it open for drinking, if the heater is positioned well back under the cover she will not be able to reach it there.

 

[Reble]

Fix up a cover for the tank--have the cover over only half or 2/3 of the tank. Have the heater set under that cover so that the cord can come up out of the tank & under the cover so that it is completely inaccessible to little Nosy Nelly (I assume that she is getting the heater out of the water by grabbing hold of the cord and pulling it out? Or do they drink the water down so far that she can get hold of the heater itself?) If she cannot get hold of the cord she cannot pull the heater out (and even if she does get hold of the heater itself, not the cord, by covering 2/3 of the tank and leaving only a small end of it open for drinking, if the heater is positioned well back under the cover she will not be able to reach it there.

Great Ideal thanks for sharing..

 

[Lewella]

A cover also helps keep some of the heat in that is lost from the surface of the water thus saving a little on the electric bill

 

[eagles ring farm]

Maybe if all else fails if you stall your horses at night maybe just put your heater in at night when they are in then remove it when the horses are out

I would think the right bite she could get electrocuted (sp?)

 

[happy appy]

We had to cover 2/3 of the trough because of the same little problem, a nosey mini! We do it to the large horse trough too!

 

[targetsmom]

Buy one of the heated muck bucket style water tubs with the heating element inside the walls. It will be the same shape and size as the ones you just put away. Of course there will be a cord.... we had to run ours inside a pvc pipe.

 

[wingnut]

targetsmom: I didn't realize they made such a thing. Will be talking with my feed mill tomorrow. Otherwise, will be getting hubby busy on putting a cover of some kind on. I am concerned about her getting injured either by a burn from the heated element or electrocution.

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[Riverdance]

You can get heaters that are on the bottom of the tanks. They fit in the plug area. This way they can not be pulled out of the tanks. I used them in MN in rubbermaid waterers.

 

[bevann]

I suggest the blue muck buckets with heater installed under a false bottom.No way can any horse get to anything.I also like thge suggestion of putting the cord in pvc even though it has a coil on it.Several of the mail order catalog sell them.I have used them for years.They are great.

 

[SampleMM]

I use the heated muck bucket types too. I have always been too afraid to use the other type as I've heard some real horror stories.