Keeping Your Horse’s Water Fresh and Clean
Keeping your horse’s water fresh and clean can be a challenge, especially during the dry and hot summer months in Arizona. Clearly, ensuring your horse’s water is both fresh and clean is an essential component to keeping your horse hydrated and healthy. While troughs and automatic waterers can help to keep the amount of water in ample supply, there are a few steps you should take to ensure it remains clean for your horse to consume and enjoy.
If you have a trough, you may need to clean it at least once per week during the summer in order to keep it clean. This process includes removing all insects, chaff, leaves and other debris that may have accumulated in the water. You may also need to periodically scrub your containers with a bristle brush and vinegar in order to remove all stuck-on grime and slime. This is especially important of algae has started to grow on the container in which the water is kept. After cleaning with vinegar, be sure to rinse the container thoroughly before refilling it with water.
Keep in mind that algal growth is particularly problematic in the summer months. In addition, standing water serves as the ideal place for mosquito larvae to be grow. Keep your horse healthy while also keeping your mosquito levels down by frequently changing and cleaning your water to keep it fresh.