6 Best Horse Waterers for Clean Water
Discover 6 top horse waterers designed to prevent common issues like freezing, algae, and pests, ensuring your herd has clean, safe water year-round.
There’s nothing more frustrating than finding a water trough full of algae, frozen solid, or cracked from the sun after just one season. Choosing the right waterer isn’t just about giving your horses a drink; it’s about saving yourself time, money, and hassle down the road. The best trough is one you don’t have to think about every single day.
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Key Features of Ritchie and Behlen Waterers
When you start looking at horse waterers, two names come up constantly: Ritchie and Behlen. They represent two fundamentally different approaches to the same problem. Understanding their philosophies helps you decide which path is right for your farm.
Ritchie is synonymous with insulated, automatic, and often heated waterers. Their products are engineered solutions designed to solve specific problems like freezing temperatures and water cleanliness. They require more upfront investment and installation—often needing electricity and a dedicated water line—but the trade-off is significant convenience and year-round reliability.
Behlen, on the other hand, represents classic durability and simplicity. Their iconic galvanized steel tanks are the workhorses of the farm world. They don’t have fancy features, but they are built to withstand abuse from both animals and the elements. Choosing Behlen is a vote for rugged, passive infrastructure that will last for decades with minimal fuss.
Behlen Galvanized Tank: Unmatched Durability
A Behlen galvanized stock tank is often a one-time purchase. The heavy-gauge steel construction means it won’t bow under water pressure or crack from UV exposure like some plastics can over time. Horses can lean, kick, and rub against it without causing any real damage. This is the trough you buy when you want to set it and forget it.
The galvanization process protects the steel from rust, but it’s not foolproof forever. A deep scratch can eventually become a weak point. However, for sheer physical resilience against animal impact and weather extremes, nothing beats it. Its weight is also a feature, not a bug; it’s incredibly stable and won’t get pushed around the pasture by a playful horse.
This tank is ideal for a permanent or semi-permanent watering station where you don’t need to worry about freezing. It’s a simple, honest piece of equipment. Just be prepared for a workout when it’s time to dump and scrub it—that same weight that provides stability makes it a chore to clean.
Tuff Stuff KMT100: Easiest Trough to Clean
For daily usability, the Tuff Stuff 100-gallon tank is a game-changer. Made from 100% recycled LDPE plastic, its smooth, black, non-porous surface makes scrubbing out algae an absolute breeze. Unlike rougher plastics or metal, gunk has a hard time getting a good grip. A quick scrub brush is usually all you need.
Its best feature is its combination of size and weight. It’s large enough for a few horses but light enough for one person to easily tip over for a full cleanout, even with a little water left in the bottom. This makes the dreaded trough-cleaning chore faster and less physically demanding. If you prioritize ease of maintenance, this is your tank.
The downside is that, like most black plastic, it can get brittle over many years of harsh sun exposure, though its chemical-free, impact-resistant design holds up remarkably well. It’s a fantastic all-around trough for anyone in a moderate climate who values simple, efficient chores over bombproof durability.
Ritchie OmniFount 2: The Best for Icy Winters
If you live where temperatures plummet, the Ritchie OmniFount 2 is less of a luxury and more of a necessity. This is an automatic, heated, and heavily insulated waterer that provides a constant source of fresh, ice-free water. It completely eliminates the daily chore of breaking ice.
The design is brilliant. The water is enclosed, keeping it clean from hay, manure, and debris. Horses press a paddle or ball to access the water, which refills automatically. The unit’s insulation is so effective that the body heat from the groundwater, combined with minimal energy use from the heater, keeps it flowing in deep freezes.
The trade-off is the cost and installation. You need to run both a permanent water line and an electrical line to the installation spot, which can be a significant project. But once it’s in, the peace of mind and time saved during a brutal winter is invaluable. It’s a true infrastructure upgrade for your farm.
High Country Plastics PT-25: Ideal for Rotation
For anyone practicing rotational grazing, a massive, stationary water tank is a liability. The High Country Plastics 25-gallon portable tank is the perfect solution. It’s small, incredibly lightweight, and can be tossed in the back of a UTV or even carried by hand to the next paddock.
This little tank allows your water source to move with your animals, which is crucial for encouraging even grazing and keeping horses out of a single sacrifice area. You can place it exactly where you need it, preventing the creation of muddy, worn-out paths to a fixed waterer. It’s an essential tool for flexible pasture management.
Of course, 25 gallons isn’t much. For more than one or two horses, or in hot weather, you’ll be refilling it daily. It’s not a solution for a large herd or for someone who wants to fill the water once a week. Think of it as a specialized tool for a specific grazing strategy.
Rubbermaid 150-Gallon Tank for Larger Herds
When you have three, four, or more horses sharing a single water source, capacity becomes critical. The Rubbermaid 150-gallon structural foam stock tank is the standard for a reason. It hits the sweet spot of being large enough to water a small herd for a couple of days without being completely immovable.
The "structural foam" construction is key here. It’s incredibly tough and resists cracking from freezing or impacts. More importantly, it’s rigid and won’t bulge or deform at the sides when full, a common failure point for cheaper, thinner plastic tanks of this size.
While it’s still plastic, it’s a significant step up in durability from lighter-duty models. It features a large, oversized drain plug that is easy to use with cold hands. It’s the reliable, no-drama choice for anyone needing more volume than a small trough can offer but isn’t ready for a permanent automatic waterer.
Little Giant Trough-O-Matic for Constant Water
The Little Giant Trough-O-Matic isn’t a trough, but it might be the most useful watering accessory you can buy. This simple float valve attaches to a standard garden hose and clamps onto the side of any stock tank. It automatically keeps the water at a consistent, preset level.
This device turns any "dumb" tank—like a Behlen or a Tuff Stuff—into a semi-automatic waterer. It solves the problem of under- or over-filling and ensures your horses never run out of water on a hot day. For a small investment, it removes the daily chore of topping off the trough.
The main drawbacks are related to the hose. You have a hose running across your pasture, which can be a trip hazard, and the valve itself can freeze and break in the winter. It’s a three-season solution in most climates, but for the summer, it’s an incredible time-saver.
Drain Plugs: Tuff Stuff vs. High Country Tanks
It seems like a minor detail, but the design of a drain plug can make the difference between a quick job and a frustrating one. The Tuff Stuff and High Country tanks showcase two common but very different approaches. Paying attention to this can save you a headache.
The Tuff Stuff KMT100 uses a simple, screw-in plastic plug. It’s secure and provides a watertight seal. The main risk is misplacing the plug when you take it out to drain the tank—it’s a small, black piece of plastic that can easily get lost in the grass.
High Country Plastics, on the other hand, often uses a plug that you push in to seal and pull out to drain, which remains attached to the trough. This design is superior because you can’t lose the plug. It’s a small but thoughtful feature that shows an understanding of how these products are used in the real world, where small parts inevitably go missing.
Ultimately, the best water trough is the one that fits your climate, your herd size, and your management style. Don’t just buy the cheapest or the biggest one available. Think about how you’ll clean it, how you’ll move it, and how it will perform on the coldest day of the year; matching the tool to the job will always pay off.
