Providing your horse with access to fresh, clean water is important year-round, but keeping buckets and troughs clean in the winter can be a challenge. Rather than battling the algae that often grows in troughs and buckets during the summer, the winter brings cold temperatures that can make cleaning buckets and troughs difficult. These tips can help to make the process easier and more effective.

Wear Gloves

If you’re just cleaning out a water bucket, gloves might not be necessary. But if you’re working with a deep trough then you’ll want to protect your hands from getting wet during the winter weather. A good, heavy-duty pair of insulated rubber gloves can make the chore of cleaning out a trough more tolerable, especially if you have multiple troughs to clean. You can pick up warm rubber gloves in many feed and hardware stores.

Use a Fishing Net

If ice forms in water buckets or troughs during the winter, then you will need to break up and remove the ice to keep the water accessible to your horse. Using a small fishing net with a small-holed mesh can quickly scoop up ice. A pool skimmer can also be effective for picking up smaller pieces of ice, or for clearing hay debris from the top of a water trough.

Siphon Out Old Water

While water buckets can be easily dumped and cleaned, water troughs provide a different challenge in the winter, especially if they have frozen to the ground or are surrounded by deep snow. It’s necessary to remove all of the old water from a trough to get it clean, and using a siphon can allow you to move the water easily while also directing where that water flows. The siphon, which uses gravity to pull the water out of the bottom of the trough, is affordable and practical. You can get a siphon in an automotive store or in the aquarium section of a pet store.

Clean with the Right Tools

To get buckets and troughs really clean, you need to use the right tools. Every trough or bucket will need a good scrubbing at some point, and using a heavy-duty scrub brush, scouring pad, or metal brush can help to remove accumulated dirt. In a pinch, you can also use balled-up baling twine as a makeshift scrubber.

Try Apple Cider Vinegar

Cleaning a trough or bucket with apple cider vinegar can help to cut down on dirt and slime while also providing the water with a taste that is appealing to horses. Buy apple cider vinegar in bulk and keep it at the barn for a safe and convenient cleaning aid.

Keeping your horse’s water clean and appealing is a major part of keeping your horse healthy during the winter. Remember, even if your horse has an automatic waterer or a stall waterer, it will need to be cleaned, too.

Photo source: ingimage.com

Original source: How to Clean Water Buckets and Horse Troughs During Winter