Wasn't an issue last year when we had the trough right underneath the other pump in the pasture, but we relocated it in the spring.

==>>> did you move the spigot or the trough????

i cant think of anything that can take water expanding due to freeze ...

glad you found a farm forum ... go figure... surprised there isnt a horse forum ...

for those who cant see... mx is in north metro detroit ... MI winter issue ...

ken

Is the hose connected to the pump/faucet with a quick release connection? If it was disconnected at the water-source end and the hose was a straight run (i.e. not coiled up anywhere along the way between the pump and the trough), it might drain enough to keep from freezing. The labour-intensive approach of filling the trough via carrying buckets of water to it is one alternative. Or keep the hose in the barn and just drag it out to fill the trough and then return the hose to the barn. Is there a pond in the pasture? That’s the most common way I’ve seen of providing water in the pasture all year round.

Moved the trough. Don't want to move it back -- closed off that part of the pasture to the horses and want to keep it that way.

I should have been clearer, these are hand pumps (water hydrants), similar to these. I have a hose running from the one in the barn to the trough, which is what I'm worried about freezing. Can't trench PVC from the barn, would have to break up cement in the barn. Even if I ran PVC from the hydrant in the pasture, part would be above ground and would freeze, just like a hose.

The hose is in the barn, running from the pump in there out to the trough just the other side of the outside barn door. Barn is not heated - the hose will probably freeze. It is a 25' lightweight hose (the ones you use on boats, it's not as heavy as a garden hose), maybe I could put a quick connector on there and just take it off and bring it in the basement and take it back out there when I need it. I find the horses don't go through as much water in the winter, so that might be an option. I'd rather carry a short hose from the house from buckets of water from the barn - water is heavy!

Can you drain the hose when you are done using it?

I just came across these the other day..don’t ask me how lol.

https://www.campingworld.com/freeze-ban-heated-drinking-water-hose-25?CAWELAID=120030630000000649&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjp3RrIeq3gIVD7nACh2WGwdyEAQYBCABEgJ2nfD_BwE

Im sure you can find others if you google it.

^^ooh, there is such a thing, then. Kind of pricey, though. Maybe I can round up something on Amazon for less $$.

The problem isn't the hose freezing. It is the water inside the hose freezing. Even if you found a hose that could handle water freezing inside of it, the ice would form a blockage for water getting through. So the solution would probably be arranging the hose so it drained after each use, somehow. If you ran the hose so it looked something like this- /\ -and disconnected it after each use so the barn half drained into the barn, it should work.

How cold is it in your barn in winter? How many horses in how much space...? All the stables I have known have never been heated by anything other than the horses! If there are hay bales in a hayloft over the stalls, that acts as a good insulation layer! IME water rarely if ever freezes in the barn.... Last winter did you have water freezing in buckets in the barn? It can be cold in a barn but it’s rare that it would be below freezing as long as the barn is not too big and empty of horses or cattle of some sort.

They have electric "heat tape" (like this, though not plugging for a brand, just an example heat tape) which we use around exposed parts of pipes (such as where they come up from the ground and into trailers, outbuildings, or above ground valves). The also sell pretty much the same thing without the metal jacket that folks put around their roofs to prevent ice damming. If you have a way to plug it in, you can run it around your hose and it should keep the temperature warm enough to prevent freezing.

What I ended up doing is just un-connecting the hose after I use it and hanging it so it drains completely. Since I only fill the trough about once a week this time of year, it's not a big deal and haven't had a problem yet. One time DH didn't hang it so that it drained completely, and it froze up on him - he's got it figured out now.