This message is from: Robyn Kevlin <rckev...@comcast.net>
Thanks to all those who responded. Everybody agrees (and I knew) that limiting intake is the way to go, but I didn't have a way to do that... until today. I had a long talk with the barn owner, and she's going to fence off a 20'x20' dry lot for Gaven. She'll be fed grass hay twice a day, plus all the water she can drink. She'll be by herself, but there are horses on either side. I have a propane-powered Coleman "Hot Water on Demand" unit that I use to warm the trough water a little, after the ice is broken out. There's no electricity at the barn yet. I've seen a solar water trough on the market - it holds 25 gallons and will supposedly keep the water from freezing, to 20 below. Anybody have experience with those? I live in Tennessee, so we rarely get down to 10 below, but the troughs stay frozen most of the time from December to February. Now I have to figure out how to keep Gaven from getting bored. She was in a good-sized pasture with two geldings, and was able to move around. The barn is 40 min away from home, and I try to get out there every day, but it takes 2 hours to warm the water (and you have to stand over the heating unit the whole time), and it gets dark early. With "the rest of my life", there's not much time to ride. Ideas about how to keep her entertained when I'm not there? Robyn Kevlin Be who you are, because the people who matter don't care and the people who care don't matter. Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
