Auto Water Needed

We NEED to get an automatic waterer set up in the pasture next to the barn. I want to turn that into not only the winter pasture but also a pen setting so I can move the ponies over there this winter as well. But it's already the first of September and I'm not sure how to swing getting everything lined up and done. I always think that we can do it ourselves because it's so expensive and we don't have the money to pay someone else. But we don't have the time either it seems.


We spent the long weekend running around and enjoying the last little bit of summer before going back to school (school already started but for me Labor Day has always signaled back to reality and the end of summer). So we did a bunch of running and it was super hot both Saturday and Sunday. We'd get home late from all of our fun and I'd head out to do chores. The pasture with Diavlo and Mayhem has the 100 gallon tank and I was making sure that there was water but it wasn't topped off.


I went out yesterday  morning after Mayhem whinnied at me and realized the tank was low. So I filled it just enough to what should have made the day. When we stopped in again for a quick minute, I checked the tank and it was below that level again. So I'm not sure if they drank that much (normally they don't), or if it has a crack in it. If it has a crack, I'm going to be mad. I searched all around for leaks but didn't so maybe they just drank a ton of water because it had gotten so hot. I feel sort of like a horse mom failure for this one. But it's a definite reminder that we need to put an auto water in rather than deal with a 100 gallon tank.


With how I'm seeing the winter unfold, life is going to get a bit chaotic. There's some personal stuff going on, outside of the whole pandemic and kids going to school/daycare and that stuff is pulling me away from the horses. But family is my number one priority so it has to be this way. But if it continues, it means my mind wont' be thinking sanctuary work and it'll be focused on other stuff. But that also means that I need to make my chores as minimal as possible this winter if we need to make a quick run somewhere. It's the unknowns that boggle my mind and make it hard to plan, since I'm a planner.


But just having the auto water would make life easier and much less stressful at times, especially for the winter months as the farmers almanac is calling for more cold and snow this winter. But that's typical of South Dakota but it's 2020 and the Black Hills saw snow yesterday. In all the years we used to go to the Black Hills for Labor Day (and even after that), there has NEVER been snow this time of year. But it IS 2020 and I want to be prepared for anything. And that means we NEED to get an auto water purchased, the lines buried, and everything installed before the snow starts to fly here.


Anyone want to help in any fashion? We need funds to purchase the auto water which is $500 (at least the last time we bought one). I have no idea how much it'll cost to bury the lines but we can rent a mini excavator for a couple hundred for the weekend. But the plumbing will have to be hired out. It'll all cost money but will be 1000% better than me lugging buckets and hoses all winter!

Brand New Ritchie Waterer!

Last year our automatic waterer started giving us problems. The latch broke and that caused a full array of problems to follow. In the end, it  meant needing a new Ritchie waterer. Through two VERY GENEROUS donations we were able to have our new automatic waterer installed before it got really cold.

Thank you to Jennifer G through Thrivent Financial and to an anonymous donor through Fidelity Charity, we were able to buy our automatic waterer through Sioux Nation out of Sioux Falls. Sioux Nation cut us a deal because we are a 501(c)3 non-profit. All such amazing blessings. I am so grateful and thankful to everyone's generous donations. A simple thank you doesn't seem like it's enough but it's what I can offer. I woke up this morning feeling relieved and I didn't know why. But I thought about it while I got ready for work and I figured it out. I wasn't stressed because of you! By your generous donations and by getting the automatic waterer installed, I dont' feel that pressure any more so from the bottom of my heart, Thank You!

I didn't get out right away to take pictures but when I did, I saw Mike drilling into the concrete. I got a little nervous. We did fill a 100 gallon tank in case it all went bad. One week after buying the automatic waterer, we had PeteCompany contact us saying they could also sell us an automatic waterer at a discount. They have 40 years of experience installing Ritchies so I knew if all went poorly, I could call them up and ask for help! Thank you PeteCo. (And no I'm not getting paid for saying their company name but I do like to help out small businesses and they are just getting started, so check them out!)

After a little bit, Mike and Dad got the waterer installed onto the original slab we'd poured back in 2007. Hard to believe we had water problems back in 2007, I thought it was just a few years ago, not 10 years ago! Here Mike is wiring the waterer.

The following picture is a comparison of the two waterers. The new one is so nice and shiny! It's smaller and has only one water bowl where the other one had two but the new one should hopefully be less expensive to run.

So shiny! I'm excited.

The horses weren't so sure about the new waterer. They instead drank out of the water tank (it's behind Brego in this picture). There is a black bungee on just to make sure that the lid stays on. We'll have to come up with something a bit more permanent. The lid just rests on it and with Maverick, we didn't want to take any chances. Maverick will undoubtedly pop the top off and destroy this one of we dont' take precautions.  I am NOT about to have to go through another ordeal like we did last winter!

You can see in the picture the difference in size. The original one covered the entire concrete slab and the pink foam board was the same size. Definitely a difference. I'm not sure we'll try to insulate this one like we did the other one. We get wind from the east so I'd like to cover it but it's too pretty. I think with the board on the back, w'ell be ok. We put that up to help cut down on the wind that rolls up the driveway and slams into the cattle chute and automatic waterer.

We are so thankful and blessed to have such great followers and donors. We couldn't do this without you!

Thank You!!