Horse Buckets & Feed Bowls
Buckets and feed bowls are the workhorses of any yard — they get stood on, frozen, scrubbed and dropped, so it pays to buy the right sort. Three choices matter most: flexible or rigid (a flexible trug squashes under a hoof rather than cracking, and frozen water pops out with a squeeze), how feed is served (a shallow bowl on the ground matches the head-down posture a horse grazes in, while a hook-over manger can't be tipped) and size (a 14-litre trug handles most made-up feeds; thirsty horses need a jumbo water bucket or two standard ones). Just Horse Riders stocks flexible trugs, water and feed buckets, hook-over mangers, ground bowls, scoops and bucket covers from brands including Red Gorilla, Stubbs, Shires, Lincoln and Perry Equestrian, from around £1.
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Bucket and feed bowl advice from the Just Horse Riders team — last reviewed July 2026.
Choosing horse buckets and feed bowls
| Choice | What it means |
|---|---|
| Flexible trugs | Squashy two-handled tubs that flex under a hoof instead of cracking. In winter, flex the sides and the ice lifts out in one piece. |
| Rigid buckets | Classic handled buckets for carrying water and soaking feed. Cheap and easy to scrub, but hard plastic can split if it takes a kick in a hard frost. |
| Hook-over mangers | Hang over a stable door or fence rail so feed can't be tipped over — and they pack flat for shows and travelling. |
| Ground feed bowls | Wide, shallow bowls (including tyre-style feeders) let a horse eat head-down, the way it grazes, and are hard to knock over. |
| Covers & scoops | Bucket covers keep flies and rain off made-up feeds; scoops and stirrers keep measuring consistent from one feed to the next. |
How many buckets does one horse actually need?
As a working minimum: one feed bucket or trug, two water buckets (one in the stable, one for the field or to swap in while the other is scrubbed) and a spare — buckets split, vanish and get borrowed on every yard. If you soak feed, keep a separate soaking bucket so residues stay out of the water buckets. Colour-coded buckets and morning/evening covers help whoever is on feed duty get the right feed to the right horse.
Keeping buckets clean and ice-free
Scrub feed and water buckets with a bucket brush at least weekly — sugary feed residue and green slime build up fast and can put a horse off drinking. Rinse thoroughly so nothing is left behind. In winter, flexible tubs earn their keep: flex the sides and the ice comes out whole instead of needing to be chipped at. Top up with warm water rather than boiling, which can stress cold plastic.
Horse bucket and feed bowl favourites
- Budget scoop: Harold Moore Jug Scoop (from £2.48) — jug-style scoop in 500ml–2-litre sizes for measuring feeds the same way every time.
- Feed cover: Roma Bucket Cover (from £4.49) — elasticated cover that keeps flies and rain off feeds made up in advance.
- Everyday feed tub: Red Gorilla Tubtrug Flexible Small 14 Lt (from £7.13) — the classic 14-litre flexible trug; flexes rather than cracks and releases ice in one piece.
- Water bucket: Prostable Water Bucket (from £7.56) — straightforward 3-gallon handled bucket in yard-friendly colours; buy two per horse and rotate for cleaning.
- Tip-proof feeding: Shires Hook Over Portable Manger (from £12.60) — hooks over a door or rail so feed stays put; light enough to take to shows.
- Big drinker: Stubbs Water/Feed Bucket Jumbo C/W Handle S43 (from £31.29) — heavy-duty 25-litre bucket for horses that empty a standard one overnight.
Frequently asked questions
What size feed bucket or trug do I need?
A standard made-up feed fits comfortably in a 14-litre flexible trug or a purpose-made feed bucket. For big soaked mashes or generous chaff, size up — flexible tubs in this collection go up to 42 litres. For water, a 3-gallon bucket is the usual stable size; heavy drinkers do better with a 25-litre jumbo bucket or two buckets side by side.
Are flexible trugs safe if my horse stands on them?
That's the main reason yards use them. A flexible trug squashes under a hoof and springs back rather than cracking into sharp-edged pieces the way rigid plastic can. No bucket is indestructible, though — check for splits and rough edges now and then and replace anything damaged.
How do I stop water buckets freezing in winter?
In a hard frost you can't stop it entirely, but you can make mornings easier. Flexible tubs release ice in one piece with a squeeze of the sides, so there's no chipping away at a rigid bucket. Check and refill water at least twice a day, top up with warm — never boiling — water, and consider an insulated bucket cover, which is designed to slow freezing between checks.
My horse bolts his feed — what helps?
Spreading feed thinly in a wide, shallow bowl slows most gobblers down because they can't grab big mouthfuls. A ball feeder that releases feed gradually as it's nudged around also stretches eating time and gives a stabled horse something to do. If your horse regularly bolts feed or you're worried about choke, speak to your vet.
Not sure which bucket, trug or manger suits your set-up? Tap the WhatsApp button at the bottom of the screen and the team will happily point you in the right direction.