We received the nicest email and Ritchie waterer customer review and wanted to share it with you.
“I am not sure who to contact but I wanted to tell someone in your company how absolutely thrilled I am with your Ecofount 1. I just recently purchased this model from a local dealer after much research into automatic waterers. You see, about 8 years ago I purchased a Nelson Water product and from day one I had nothing but trouble. I have replaced the inside of the unit several times and from day one my horses refused to drink from it. It took weeks to get them close enough to attempt to take a drink. I would come home from work to find the unit had not shut off and water flowed for hours and flooded the pasture or during the summer would find the water was not working and my horses had been without water for hours in the heat and were dehydrated. Plus it was very expensive to heat during the winter months. The Nelson people were not anxious to offer suggestions and insisted they never had anyone with the problems I had over all the years. Most of the time they refused to even take my calls.
I had gone to a Clinton Anderson Clinic at his farm when he was in Belle Center, OH and I noticed your waterers everywhere. My horse was in a stall with one of your units and drank out of it very willingly. That was my first look at your products. I watch his TV show every week and see your commercials and was very impressed. When I had finally had enough with the Nelson water product I started looking thru the market for a replacement that might work for me. I always came back to your website and I decided to talk to several of your people at Trade Shows and on the phone before I was convinced to give you guys a try. I called customer service and told the person I talked to the issues I had with the Nelson and my situation with living in Michigan with the cold winters and hot summers. She suggested the ecofount1 and although afraid of purchasing another type of unit would only mean more problems and frustrations, I took a chance. Since the water line was already in and the cement pad was already there, we only had to make a few modifications. I was so thrilled when immediately after letting my horses in where the unit was they came right up to it and took a nice long drink from it. My horse actually loves to stand over the unit and play with the thermal cap. They are drinking much more water now than they ever did with the Nelson or the buckets I had to leave out in the pasture because the Nelson unit would always fail. One of the horses loves to scrap his teeth on the top of the unit and it only has a few marks on it and has held up extremely well to his abuse. I still worry and check it daily from habit and have not had one issue with your unit. I am so very happy that my horses now have access to fresh water all the time they are in there pasture.
I wonder now why it took so long for me to decide to try a different company. Your products are wonderful and your people are friendly and very helpful. I am telling my story to everyone I know. Thank you for all the care you put into making this product. ” ~Diana
To learn more about Ritchie automatic waterers, please visit our products page.
Conrad, Iowa (March 14, 2012)—Ritchie Industries, the leading manufacturer of automatic watering fountains, has released a newly designed corner mount option to the Stall Fount Series. The automatic horse waterer is wall-mounted and delivers fresh, clean water to horses using Ritchie’s time proven valve for rapid refill.
The new Stall Fount II series offers a fully insulated casing and stainless steel design. The new design eliminates chewing with its stainless steel rounded cover and offers smooth, rounded edges for the horse’s safety. The removable cover allows full access to the trough and valve for easy cleaning and maintenance. In addition, the new Stall Fount II is available in heated and non-heated versions. If freeze protection is needed, the Stall Fount II 125 adds a 125-watt trough heater and supply line heat cable. An optional insulated shroud, which is available in two lengths, is available to provide protection from freezing and animal damage to an exposed supply line. The shroud can be added to the standard Stall Fount II to cover water supply lines.
“I only trust the best to provide for my horses, which is why I installed Ritchie fountains at the Downunder Horsemanship Ranch. The quality craftsmanship and durable construction of its products can’t be matched. Recently, I’ve been exceptionally pleased with the new Stall Fount II. It has a sleek design, is easy-to-clean and its industry-leading construction gives me peace of mind knowing my horses are receiving top care.” commented Clinton Anderson of Downunder Horsemanship.
The Stall Fount II has a capacity of 1 gallon of water with a refill rate of 1.45 gallons a minute. It carries a 10-year warranty against manufacturing defects or corrosion. It is now available through Ritchie distributors nationwide and online at RitchieEquine.com.
Since 1921, Ritchie has manufactured durable, dependable automatic fountains for many species of livestock, including beef, dairy, equine, swine, sheep and goats. The distinct Ritchie design has been the standard bearer of quality. Ritchie fountains continue to serve all sizes of operations with equipment designed to provide years of trouble-free use. For the name of the Ritchie distributor nearest you, please call 800-747-0222 or visit www.ritchiefount.com.
When it comes to stall horse waterers, horse owners tend to either refuse to use them or will swear by them. If you already have an automatic waterer installed in your horses’ stalls, you probably have a list of things that you have found to be beneficial. For those of you still dragging hoses and or carrying buckets, you may find that automatic waterers will benefit you after all.
Stop carrying buckets – How much time do you spend each day filling buckets? Horses can drink an average of 10 gallons of water a day. This means that you will need to fill their 5 gallon buckets at least twice a day under normal health and weather conditions. An automatic waterer can do this for you. No more refilling or carrying buckets. Your horse will have fresh water on demand 24 hours a day.
Monitor your horse’s drinking – A common thought is that if you are watering your horses with buckets, you can ensure how much your horse is drinking. More and more watering companies have water meters as accessories to their automatic waterers. Some models are basic that will monitor the gallons used, while others are digital and readily accessible for easy monitoring.
Stationary and Durable – How many times has your horse thrown its water bucket or been able to dump out the water? Most stall waterers are mounted to the stall wall with heavy-duty bolts. The close quarters require the waterers to be durable to withstand kicking, rubbing and chewing.
Warmer in the Winter, Cooler in the Summer – Automatic stall waterers are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as a variety of materials. When researching waterers, you will find inexpensive galvanized waterers to fully insulated plastic and metal units. All automatic waterers function by being attached to a main water source. In most cases, the water source is buried, which will keep the incoming water cooler. Stall waterers that feature the fully insulated casing will help maintain the cooler water temperatures. The same casing will also help keep the water warmer in the winter. Coupled with energy efficient heaters, the insulated waterers will ensure that you will not need to carry buckets, even on the coldest days. These models are also less expensive to run than drop in or bucket heaters.
Individual waterers – Stall waterers are stationary and installed individually. There is no shared water source, which makes them ideal for quarantine situations. With the installation of a water meter, you can monitor every aspect of your horses’ water intake.
Other factors – Many of the automatic stall waterers on the market today have a long life; some of the top stall waterers feature a 10 year warranty. Spend less time filling and cleaning water buckets and more time in the saddle. Instead of worrying if the bucket is full, have peace of mind that the waterer is already full.
For more information on quality, reliable stall waterers, visit our Stall Fount page.
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-born virus that causes encephalitis and/or meningitis and horses are a species that is susceptible to infection. Since the outbreak of West Nile virus in 1999 there have been tens of thousands confirmed cases of horses infected in the United States and Canada. Of those, approximately 30% die or must be destroyed and another 17% suffer from long-term related debilitation. Due to the high mortality rate, health officials have been warning people to find any sources of standing water and remove it so the mosquitoes will not be able to reproduce. One possible source is the large open stock tanks that livestock, including horses, drink from.
Ponds and large stock tanks in the pasture are the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The volume of water in the large tanks can range from 50 gallons to 1,500 gallons or more. Many of these tanks are filled automatically with an attached float and valve so that even though horses are drinking, the water is never completely drained. The combination of large amounts of water and automatic refill provides a premium situation to allow mosquito eggs to hatch within 48 hours of being laid.
Birds are attracted to ponds and tanks as well; if they are infected, they can pass the West Nile Virus to mosquitoes where they breed. Because mosquitoes tend not to travel far from where they are born, it is very easy to see how a horse can be a victim of this disease.
Studies have shown that when the surface of the water is disturbed the larvae of the mosquito will swim to the bottom of the water tank. So even though a horse may be drinking, the mosquito larvae will not be removed from the tank or pond. And in a large tank of water, the agitation of the water created from the automatic valve is not enough to disturb or remove the larvae.
To prevent the “egg to hatch” cycle in a large stock tank, it is being recommended that they are drained and cleaned every third day. This can be cumbersome, time consuming and a waste of water, especially in drought-affected areas. However, there are some good alternatives to large open stock tanks and ponds that will greatly reduce mosquito breeding in your horse’s source of water.
The first choice is an automatic waterer where the surface of the water is completely covered at all times, reducing the chance that mosquitoes will lay eggs. These waterers have a ball, elliptical float or disc that float when the horse pushes out of the way to access the water. The elliptical floats or discs tend to work much better for horses and small animals, as they only require a few ounces of pressure to move out of the way. Waterers that feature this type of closure generally are made of tough polyethylene plastic that can withstand a lot of abuse. As an added bonus, the covered, fully insulated plastic design also keeps the water cooler in the summer and helps prevent algae growth, which is typically seen in large open stock tanks.
The second alternative is to install an open surface, automatic waterer that has very shallow water and a quick fill valve. In this case the shallower the better as long as the valve can replenish the water quickly. These waterers will hold as little as 2 gallons at a time and can water up to 40 horses. They are constructed out of plastic, stainless steel or a combination of both. Due to their design, they are easy to clean and because of the shallow water the high fill valve can cause enough agitation to make it difficult for mosquitoes to use this as a breeding area.
In February 2003 the US department of Agriculture (USDA) fully licensed a WNV vaccine for horses. Although there has been some skepticism about the side effects of the vaccine, it has proven to save many. The use of an automatic waterer, covered or open, that is easy to clean and features a small amount of standing water, alone or in combination with the vaccine can greatly improve the protection.
Finally, we have to keep in mind that while we are trying to protect our horses from West Nile Virus, we are trying to protect our families, friends and ourselves as well. Remember there is no specific treatment for West Nile encephalitis. So take a hard look at how you are watering your horses and livestock and consider installing an automatic waterer that will help reduce the spreading of this terrible disease.