Love the idea, but want to see some automatic waterers in action? Check out the video below that goes over the benefits of frost-free automatic waterers, how they work, and gives a closer view of how the bowl and paddle look and what it looks like when an animal activates the water and then it drains out.
Automatic Horse Waterer Systems for Reliable Equine Hydration
BEST AUTOMATIC WATERER FOR HORSES
Reimagine your watering routine with the Drinking Post automatic horse waterer. Drinking Post will provide your horses with fresh, clean, cool water each time they take a drink! The Drinking Post is fully automatic and doesn’t require any cleaning or maintenance! With one simple watering product you can eliminate all our watering chores and reclaim your time!
With the Drinking Post Automatic Horse Waterer, your animals water themselves. Just install it and watch it work!
IT’S SO EASY
The magic of the Drinking Post is that it fills and drains with each use. This unique feature sets us apart from all other watering methods! Plus, it’s what keeps the water frost-free without heaters or electricity. It’s also the secret to providing clean, cool water with each drink.
1. Your horse pushes the paddle to fill the bowl with fresh water.
2. Once they’re done, all water drains below the frost line
3. That’s it! It doesn’t even take three steps!
Say goodbye to chopping ice, scrubbing algae, fiddling with heating elements, dragging hoses, and paying high electric bills. If you’re interested in removing any or all of these headaches from your life, Drinking Post is your answer!
Learn more about automatic horse waterers in our automatic waterers ultimate guide.
Built for year-round use, frost-free and maintenance-free.
Fresh, clean, and cool water
- This automatic waterer bowl fills with fresh water every time your horse pushes the paddle.
- After they’re done, all the water drains away, so there’s never any standing water.
- No standing water means no freezing or algae growth!
- Water stays at a constant temp of 50 F/10 C (consistent water temp is a HUGE motivator for your horse to drink more water).
No Electricity Required!
- The Drinking Post automatic horse waterer functions and installs like a frost-free hydrant.
- There is a stop-and-drain valve at the base of the Post, which allows the unit to fill and drain with each use.
- When the horse is done drinking, they release the paddle and all the water in the unit drains completely.
- All water remaining in the bowl drains below the frostline, leaving the unit completely empty (there’s no water in there to freeze!).
- This unique automatic waterer design doesn’t require any heaters, insulation, or concrete pads.
Versatile Design
- Each Drinking Post automatic waterer can handle up to 25 animals. More than 25 animals in a lot? Just install additional Posts!
- There is no minimum head count. Drinking Post will stay frost-free even with no animals using it. This is great for fluctuating herd sizes and rotational grazing!
- Since all water drains below the frostline after each use, the Post can sit unused for long periods of time. You don’t have to do anything to prepare your Drinking Post automatic waterer to sit unused, just simply stop using it.
- The exterior housing is a strong yet compact 8.4 inches wide, This makes it the perfect size to set in a fence line or inside a stall, yet at the same time strong enough to install free standing in a pasture. Drinking Posts will make excellent rubbing and scratching Post’s for your horses and they are built to accommodate this!
Set it & Forget it!
- Drinking Post horse waterer has an innovative design that is much easier to clean and maintain than any other watering method.
- Installed properly, it’ll work like a charm with no effort on your part!
- The bowl fills with fresh water and drains after each use, so it stays very clean on its own, as it will NEVER GROW ALGAE!
- If you do choose to clean it, it’s a breeze compared to a large trough, tank, or auto waterer. The bowl is small (only 8″ in diameter), which makes it easy to clean. You’ll simply remove the paddle and wipe the bowl out with a clean cloth and a non-toxic cleaner.
Five Year Warranty – Durable and Reliable
- Rest assured that watering your horses just got easy.
- Every Drinking Post Horse Waterer comes with a 5 year warranty.
- Easily service from ground level to clean filters or perform routine maintenance.
- With only 3 moving parts and zero electricity, there is not much that can go wrong!
- With on demand water, your horses will water themselves.
Drinking Post automatic horse waterer allows you to provide your horses fresh, clean water year-round without using expensive and potentially dangerous electricity! This approach to automatic watering will not only eliminate the risk of electricity, but also the cost! Gone are the days of watching your electric bill spike in the winter because you’re heating water… outside… during the winter!!!
There IS a better solution!
The Drinking Post Automatic Horse Waterer is superior because the water is ON-DEMAND.This means that when not in use, all water is physically below the local frost line.
When a horse approaches, they see a bowl with a paddle inside. The horse activates this automatic waterer by pressing on the paddle. Fresh, clean water fills the bowl. When your horse walks away, unused water drains out – just like a frost-free yard hydrant!
Since water is coming up from below the frostline, the water is roughly around 50 degrees year-round.On a hot summer day, your horses have cool 50 degree water, and in the middle of the winter when temperatures are below zero, Drinking Post will still deliver approximately 50 degree (warm) water.
During the summer, instead of dragging hoses, filling tubs (forgetting to turn off the hose and letting it overflow for hours or days), watching the water get hot and slimy, all so you can scrub it clean – we just eliminate the hot algae filled water! Every time your horse goes for a drink, the will get cool, clean water ‘fresh from the tap’!
Your horses will water themselves.
If you’re ready to take the next step and explore what size with be appropriate for your specific horse breed, and potentially other animals, please use the “What Size” tool button below to visit the online guide for selecting the correct size automatic horse waterer.
Why Frost-Free Operation Matters for Horses
Water temperature and accessibility are critical factors in equine hydration, especially during colder months. Horses naturally reduce water intake when water is too cold or frozen, which can increase the risk of dehydration and digestive issues such as colic.
Frost-free waterers address this by ensuring continuous access regardless of weather conditions. Unlike heated systems that rely on electricity, advanced frost-free designs function by leveraging underground temperature stability. This eliminates the need for external heating elements while maintaining usability throughout winter.
From a management perspective, this also removes routine winter tasks such as:
- Breaking ice manually
- Monitoring electrical heaters
- Refilling frozen troughs
In addition, frost-free systems contribute to predictable water intake, which is essential for maintaining consistent feeding patterns and overall horse health.
Automatic Waterers vs Traditional Troughs
Understanding the difference between automatic systems and traditional watering methods is essential when deciding which solution aligns with your operation.
Traditional troughs
- Require manual filling and cleaning
- Accumulate debris, algae, and bacteria
- Experience temperature extremes (freezing in winter, overheating in summer)
- Increase labor and time investment
Automatic waterers
- Provide water on demand
- Reduce contamination risks
- Maintain more stable water conditions
- Minimize daily maintenance
The key distinction lies in control and consistency. Automatic systems standardize water delivery, while troughs introduce variability that must be managed manually.
What to Consider Before Installation
Before installing an automatic horse waterer, several practical factors should be evaluated to ensure long-term performance.
- Water Line Depth: The system must align with your local frost line to ensure proper function in winter conditions. Incorrect installation depth can compromise performance.
- Location and Accessibility: Placement should allow easy access for horses while avoiding high-traffic areas that may lead to unnecessary wear or damage.
- Drainage Conditions: Proper drainage is essential for systems that rely on water movement below ground. Poor soil drainage may require adjustments during installation.
- Expansion Potential: If your herd size changes over time, your setup should allow for easy scaling, either by adding additional units or adjusting placement.
When an Automatic Horse Waterer Makes the Most Sense
Automatic waterers are particularly valuable in the following scenarios:
- Properties with multiple horses or rotating herds
- Regions with extreme seasonal temperatures
- Setups where daily manual watering is time-consuming
- Owners looking to reduce long-term maintenance demands
In these cases, transitioning from traditional methods to an automated system is not just an upgrade, it is a structural improvement in how water is managed across the property.
The next step is finding out what size Automatic Waterer you'll need:
