Water is essential to the well-being of your horse. Take the time to plan an effective watering system that offers your horse free-choice access to clean, fresh water at all times and be rewarded with a healthy and happy horse.

There are three mandates every watering system needs to meet:

1. 1. Keep the water clean.
2. 2. Keep the water fresh.
3. 3. Keep the water at the right temperature.

Whether you are planning an upgrade or starting from scratch, make sure that your trough and valve combinations are sized to provide as much water as your horse wants while limiting the amount of water that sits stagnant when they are not drinking. The easiest and hassle-free option to consider is an automatic waterer. Top-of-the-line waterers feature rugged, insulated polyethylene or stainless-steel units with designs that seal cold air away from the high-capacity valves. Options such as thermostatically controlled heat, self-regulated heaters, immersion heaters, protective shrouds, tamper-resistant lids and digital water meters are typically available.

 “We have 11 Ritchie automatic waterers on-site and having fresh water for the horses at the ready is awesome,” said David Smith, ranch manager at Wolfe Ranch of Quakerdale in Marshalltown, Iowa. “The maintenance is very minimal and to be able to just walk by with a quick glance to make sure the water is clean and available – that is a real time saver. No more hauling hoses everywhere and no more broken buckets.”