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Fighting West Nile Virus

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Richie Industries Blogvertorial

ritchie logo smWest Nile Virus is a mosquito-born virus that causes encephalitis and/or meningitis, and horses are susceptible to infection. Since the outbreak of West Nile virus in 1999 there have been tens of thousands confirmed cases of horses infected in the United States and Canada.  Of those, approximately 30 percent die or must be destroyed, and another 17 percent suffer from long-term related debilitation. Due to the high mortality rate, health officials have been warning people to find any sources of standing water and remove it, so the mosquitoes will not be able to reproduce.  One possible source is the large open stock tanks that livestock, including horses, drink from.

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Ritchie Industries Updates Stall Fount Series Design

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Katy Carter

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Conrad, Iowa (March 14, 2012)—Ritchie Industries, the leading manufacturer of automatic watering fountains, has released a newly designed corner mount option to the Stall Fount Series. The automatic horse waterer is wall-mounted and delivers fresh, clean water to horses using Ritchie’s time proven valve for rapid refill.

The new Stall Fount II series offers a fully insulated casing and stainless steel design. The new design eliminates chewing with its stainless steel rounded cover and offers smooth, rounded edges for the horse’s safety.

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Benefits of Using an Automatic Waterer During Dry Times

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Courtesy Ritchie Industries

horse drinking from Ritchie waterer

2011 proved to be very dry, creating drought situations in large portions of the United States.  The outlook for 2012 looks to be just as dry.  While having a large stock tank may seem to be enough to keep your animal hydrated during this time, having an insulated automatic waterer has many benefits.

Reducing Evaporation

Automatic waterers are available in a variety of shapes and sizes.  However, covered units such as the Ritchie Thrifty King and EcoFount series, help reduce evaporation by providing insulated closures or floating discs.  The waterer is not exposed to the sun, maintaining a colder water temperature and reducing the amount of water that is evaporated.  The closures also act as a deterrent for algae growth.

Less Water Waste

Fast refill valves provide an adequate amount of water for large herds in small capacity water troughs.  For instance, a Ritchie WaterMatic 100 has a water capacity of 2.8 gallons yet is rated to water 20 head of cattle or horses.  The low capacity trough with rapid refill valves means less water waste when cleaning and refilling the trough.

How many times have you become side tracked while waiting for your stock tank to fill, only to return to find that the water has run over and created a mess?

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