When you buy an old ranch, it takes a few winters to learn what has to happen when the crazy Texas weather is about to take a turn to the extreme. And some extremes we have seen!
We have now lived through the freezes of 2022 and 2023, and they have taught us where the holes were, literally and figuratively. We have spent the last year making changes and fixing what needed to be fixed on the ranch to be better prepared for severe winter weather. For the past few weeks, we have been fully into our Winter 2024 “deep freeze prep” at 4Hearts Ranch, and here’s what we’ve done to get ready for this coming week’s severe weather.
Well Earned Water Wisdom In any weather extreme, water for the horses is the main concern and top priority. To make sure our 4Hearts water supply is ready for anything this Texas Deep Freeze can dish out, we’ve insulated exposed pipes, installed frost-free hydrants in each barn, and drained water lines to
the tankless hot water heater (those will blow up, ask me how I know!) It is best to assume that all of your automatic waterers will freeze (even if properly insulated) so be sure you have a water source in all barns you can count on and can reach all of your stalls with a hose.
Drip When it Drops When temps drop below freezing, it’s important to keep all hydrants and faucets dripping in all three barns. This tried-and-true antifreeze method is only as good as the people who help keep them dripping (Never turn off a dripping faucet, and if you see one not dripping, don’t touch it but let the barn crew know.) Also, do not disconnect a hose you plan to use again unless you have the ability to hang it up to drain or put it in a heated room because it will freeze back up again. It’s very difficult to get all the water out of a hose. We just leave ours connected and drip the water through the hose.
Bucket up! Because horses just don’t drink enough to keep water flowing constantly in any automatic waterer, the auto waterers will freeze in extremely low temperatures. To prepare for this deep freeze eventuality, we hang empty buckets in every stall (and if owners are providing heated buckets, we leave them unplugged but ready to fill and plug in when needed) so we’re ready to fill buckets when/if needed.
Redundancy Rules In this business, you learn pretty fast that for every strategy you need a backup—and a backup for your backup. Our 500-gallon-tank water wagon will be parked in the barn with a heat lamp on the motor, so if, despite our best efforts, all pipes freeze, we’ll be ready to drive that thing around and fill buckets from it. Our welder also has a built-in generator function, so in a pinch it would work to get the power back on to run the well to fill up the water wagon. In addition, our water wagon also has the ability to pull water out of the lake. So, in addition to the 500 gallons in the water wagon tank and the 5,000 gallons in the well’s holding tank, we can break surface ice and draw water out to refill the water wagon tank.
We’ve also placed empty water troughs in the pasture, so if we’re able to turn the horses out for a short time, we can fill the troughs from the water wagon so they can go out, get a drink, and stretch their legs for a bit before we bring them back in. (We’ve also duplicated this set-up in our Indoor Arena Barn so we can let the horses out in small groups to get a good drink move around a little bit.)
Fueled up, tested, and in place In any winter weather emergency, it’s important to make sure equipment is as ready as we are. So all 4Hearts gas tanks are
full, heat lamps are tested and ready, and best of all, our entire barn crew lives onsite, so there is no worry about them being able to get to the ranch to feed, water, and care for the horses. With our on-site team, we’re as prepared and ready as we can be for any challenge Mother Nature throws our way.
Stocked up and ready. In addition to making sure water is flowing at 4Hearts Ranch no matter how deep the freeze, we’re stocked up on shavings, hay, and feed. We encourage owners who feed additional hay or supplements to make sure they, too, are ahead of the game—and make sure you have a few extra days’ worth prepped if you can’t get to the barn.
Blanket Statement In addition to encouraging our owners to go ahead and hang their empty buckets, we’re advising everyone to blanket their horses on Saturday night through Wednesday morning—and we do offer blanketing services for owners who can’t get to the barn during those times.
So, Texas Deep Freeze, bring it on—we’re ready!
Y’all stay toasty and be careful out there—and know your horses are in good hands and conscientious care.
Hallie
P.S. With these big temperature drops and fluctuations, it’s also wise to be on the lookout for signs of colic. Check out our recent colic post to know what to look for—and what to do if you see it. Please also know that I and my entire barn staff are on high alert for signs and symptoms of colic, so we are also ready to address these issues immediately.
