Solar Water Trough aka BT Solar Suntank

So I have decided to make a blog just about Ben's new solar water trough simply due to the extreme attention it has received. I touched onto this subject in my previous blog, but wanted to elaborate more about it. So Ben's solar trough is called the BT Solar Suntank. It is made from a company called Pine Ranch Products located in Utah. The suntank was named in the top 10 horse products of the year & has an article about them. The suntank comes in 2 sizes currently, a 25 gallon auto or manual fill or a 42 gallon auto fill. The difference between auto & manual fill is the manual fill (what Ben has) is filled by a regular hose. The auto fill can be used as a manual or auto fill so it's nice if you plan to at some point have automatic water system in place. The 25 gallon is guaranteed to not freeze down to 20 below & the 42 gallon is guaranteed all the way down to 50 below zero. So if your in an extremely frigid climate you may want to consider the 42 gallon simply due to the fact that it has a lower threshold for the cold temperatures. I chose the 25 gallon manual fill because I can easily keep up with making sure the water level stays up & it typically doesn't get colder than 20 below here (though we do go below zero occasionally).

The suntank has a float that sits atop the water & the horse has to push it down to get to the water. Now I admit I was panicking over the float thinking Ben would never figure it out & become dehydrated. Silly, silly me clearly..... I did as the instructions had said by leaving the float off for 3 days so he knew it was his water source & then add the float with some treats on it. The idea with the treats is that when they go to eat them they will push down with enough force to realize the water is easily there & accessible. As much as I stressed over all of it Ben accepted & very easily & quickly learned to use it! I should have known... So if your nervous about the float don't be because it helps keep the water warmer & your horse will learn no problem! The only thing the company advises with the float is that on very cold days you have to oil the float in corn oil to prevent it from sticking to the side of the tank. The float also still functions if snow is on it your just advised to clean it off when your there.

The solar panel to the trough is enclosed in shatterproof Plexiglas window that must face the south in order to generate enough heat. Now your probably thinking what about cloudy days? The panel is a passive solar panel so it will still absorb what it can despite the clouds. Now if your horse is rough & tumble then you will want to keep the solar area out of direct contact with your horse. Ben is easy on everything so I wasn't concerned with that. Beyond the float & solar front the tank is enclosed with a lot of insulation which also aids in warming the water & preventing freezing. When it snows you must clear any snow away from the solar panel & you can even put the snow on the ground in front of the trough to help attract even more sunlight to your tank. 

I know some of you might think that these suntanks can only be used in the winter since it warms the water right? Wrong..... The company sends you a summer shield to cover the solar panel & has you change the direction of the trough to north during the hot months. The suntank actually will keep your horses summer water cooler, bug free, & algae free! So these tanks can be used year round which is a major plus since they are an initial expense. Yes the suntanks are up there in price, but when you account for your added price to your electric bill if you use a heater to heat your troughs, or a vet bill, or honestly anything horse related it's not as bad as it seems. Water is an essential part of life so why is that not worth having it fully accessible & not a block of ice? let's face it you can be extremely diligent with keeping your trough not frozen, but there are those days where you just can't keep up & in a matter of mins an ice layer is beginning to form again! Sure your horse may break the ice or "not mind" but i'm sure if given the choice between lukewarm water even cool water or ice cold water they would choose the first option. So keep this in mind when your running the figures in your head. Also another thought to keep in mind is this suntank is something that is going to be heavily used every single day 365 days a year so it's not like your spending a lot on something that will only be used occasionally!

I have personally be using the suntank for only a week. In that week we have had sleet, rain, & temperatures consistently in the 30's even dipping into the 20's every evening & it has held up like a champ with no ice or freezing cold water! The bigger test will be snow & even colder temperatures which according to the weather station is sadly approaching next week. I also compare regular water troughs to his suntank & do notice a big difference between the two. The company was very friendly & easy to work with. They had a few delays with the holidays & weather related issues but I received the suntank in 3 weeks even with those obstacles. It comes with a set o instructions & frequently asked questions which I found to be very helpful. The tanks are preassembled & ready to go. No electric no cords nothing at all. They include the summer shield for the hot months as well. The tanks are not overly heavy either only 43 pounds with no water added (25 gallon one).

So bottom line is if you are looking to save money on your electric bill due to heater costs, not a fan of electric, can't keep up with the ice, or simply don't want to deal with the ice then check out the BT Solar Suntank. Pine Ranch Products the makers of the tank will easily answer any & all questions you may have. This is not a new product & has been around for over 7 yrs. This is the only company I have come across that makes this type of product other than the DIY versions out there. I will give more updates as to how it holds up with time.

A New Year

Hey everyone sorry I have been bad about keeping up more recently with this blog. I have had a lot going on & have changed a few things with Ben & wanted to give them time to show something before writing anything about it. So where to actually begin? December I ran Ben's succeed test again & it was keeping strong at negative all around! I have also made a few changes with winter blowing in the back door to ensure Ben gets through with no problems. I had changed out his Flaxseed oil to stabilized ground flaxseed (Omega Horseshine) instead & have seen some very nice positive changes with that. His coat looks amazing & his weight is as well. The oil was great, but messy & because of it's sticky nature I wasn't quiet sure he was actually receiving the required amount due to that. So after my usual quest for knowledge I settled & am very pleased with the Omega Horseshine! Next on the change parade was adding back his vitamin E. Horses require vitamin E supplementation simply by the fact that hay & grain do not have adequate amounts in them no matter how high the quality of either one. Surprised? Look it up..... unless your horse is grazing on quality grass a minimum of 12 hrs per day then they need to be supplemented. Again surprised? You wouldn't be if you simply researched or asked your vet. Vitamin E is essential for proper nerve & muscle function so If you've been having some issues you can't quiet figure out maybe have your horses vitamin E level checked it's most likely deficient. I use a product called Elevate & give Ben 5,000 IU's daily. I chose a higher dose for him since he is older & could use some improvement in his nervous system in general. I tried a lower dose at 2,000 IU's but didn't see much change but once switched to the higher level I did.

Surging  forward to our next change is hoof health. Winter is not so kind to feet with the hard ground & the constant back & forth of moisture. It's just asking for problems. Ben has been battling a minor case of thrush in his frog for awhile & with him out & always exposed to the elements I needed a little extra help other than the usual topical. So with much consideration & research I chose a hoof supplement. He has been on Smarthoof ultra for 2 months now & I have notice a difference. He is much more comfortable on hard surfaces & his feet are looking improved. They were never bad before just to clarify, but I see a difference & so does his farrier so we will continue with it. Which leads us to joints. I did the Adequan series with Ben a few months ago & was pleased with the results. As winter & it's unforgiving cold blew through I noticed Ben was again having a harder time rising from a good roll. So back to the research board & talking with a company about their thoughts as well we chose a solution. I decided to put him on a broad spectrum joint supplement again. Now these can be hit or miss depending on your horses particular needs. What works for one may simply not work for yours so trial & error is inevitable. I put Ben on Smartflex Senior Herb free. I do notice an improvement since starting it. He has only been on it for a month. After rolling it's easier for him to rise which is our goal. I will continue with this until I feel he needs something higher or different. I tried just the Adequan, but with his age & riding history he needed more I felt. 

Our last two changes which are the biggest & most important I feel like are his water & stomach support. I will start with the Stomach first. His Assure Guard was working just fine his test negative & no real obvious issues apparent. I changed it because I felt in my own gut he needed something more, something higher level. So we all know what that means back to my hours of research on finding just the right solution. I came to a supplement called Ritetrac. After speaking with the company, & those who have personally used it I was looking forward to it's arrival. Since only having Ben on it for not quiet two weeks I can't give a huge review on it other than I do notice he seems happier than before & eats it fine despite the 1/4 cup of powder twice a day. So I will leave it at that & revisit later on. Next & last is the water & old man winter...... We all have this issue of cold weather & frozen water. So we tried an electric heater because that seemed to be an easier solution. Well it appeared to work fine & I didn't feel any issues with it, but Ben did. We had it set up for only 24 hrs & Ben felt a stray current in the water & wouldn't drink from it. I did not feel it, but horses being highly sensitive in nature sense a lot we don't. So I quickly unplugged that & had to show him it was ok to drink from his trough again. So if your using electric heaters make sure your horses are drinking & there is no stray current. They need to be grounded properly & even with all that they can have issues & if the power goes out all will freeze over regardless. So where did that leave us in our battle of the ice venture? Solar power. Again much research & reviews I chose a small company based in Utah that makes Solar powered water tanks. Perfect solution! Was it expensive? YES! But honestly I've paid much higher vet bills than what that trough cost & water is essential for life & something they use every single day multiple times a day! How can you put a price on something that will be heavily used daily, needed for survival, & no more ice hassle? Anything with horses isn't cheap & when you try to say that it's way too much money think about how much that saddle cost or those boots or your shows or lessons..... or even your most recent vet bill. The solar trough aka BT Solar Suntank is an insulated 25 gallon bucket with a solar panel on the front that must face the south sun in order to generate enough heat to break the ice forming. It has an insulated float that is on top to insulate the surface water. The horses must push the float down & the water comes out. They learn it very easily & quickly. I had much paranoia about this but in the end had no reason to. It comes in 2 sizes of 25 or 42 gallon tanks in either manual fill or auto fill. From my order date to arrival date it took 3 weeks. That was partially due to the holidays when it was ordered so that delayed it's arrival a bit. I have been very happy with it so far since it being up for a week. The water is a comfortable temperature & we have had temperatures in the 20's & it held up like a champ! I also have been comparing it to other troughs to take note on how well it's working. I will again be giving a better review once we have had colder weather.

That is the changes I have made in the past 2 months which is a lot I guess, but after his most recent massage & farrier visit it's all proving it's success. We survived our first snow outside well I guess me more than him! He was fine I had to keep telling myself he was. He spent half of it outside & half in his shed at his own preference. He enjoys the snow & rolling around in it. I'm hoping we continue with improvements with our new regimen & hoping for a healthier year. It has been a year next month since He was diagnosed with Grade 2 & 3 gastric ulcers with bleeding & colonic ulcers with bleeding. I always swallow hard at the thought of it all.

                           The BT Solar Suntank 25 Gallon Manual Fill