...and on the eighth day God created the horse in perfect image, to romp, graze, gallop, play and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace.

We really are caught up in the hot, Dog Days of summer, so here’s a reminder to Horsemen of how important it is for horses to have access to fresh, clean water at all times.

Everyone enjoys crisp, cool water.

Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, people make wishes when throwing coins into a fountain and children throw open the fire hydrants to splash to their heart's content.

Ponce de Leon sought his Fountain of Youth, cattlemen in the Wild West knew of its great value, and in my younger days, I once sailed a bark canoe down a River called the Amazon.

Most horse people in Crawford County have a private water system. They own private wells dug by professional well drillers and the wells are very prevalent in the County, since it is rural and agricultural.

While animals seem to be able to drink from streams, ponds or puddles, we humans would become quite sick should we attempt to quench our thirst from one of these sources.

City folk pay a lot of money for monthly water usage, and more money still to purchase drinking water from companies marketing pure water for consumption.

In this week’s edition of "Horsin’ Around," I will be discussing private wells and water sources.

Unused wells, springs and cisterns require other maintenance and care, and are beyond the scope of this article.

Private wells, and the horse people who own them, have an amenity of what are known as never-freeze yard hydrants, in or near their barn.

The fresh water source of these hydrants is from the owner’s private well and hoses can be hooked up to fill buckets in the barn, or big troughs out in the field. It is very convenient not to have to haul buckets from house to barn, especially in winter.

It is important to scrub water buckets daily and to drain and scrub troughs or tubs if the water becomes dirty or filled with algae.

Algae can be toxic to horses, so never leave water in troughs stagnate long enough to start growing algae.

Remember, your horse is no different from you when it comes to taking a drink of fresh water, so give him plenty every day.

Your private well, which is your drinking water resource, should be in a good location, be properly constructed and be maintained by yearly observations and water tests.

If you are purchasing a house with a private well, have that well tested. (1)

Did you know that Pennsylvania has no state regulations requiring private well owners to test or maintain their wells?

The main thing you should test for annually is coliform bacteria.

These bacteria may come from Ag operations.

Another water test is available is for PH levels and TDS, or "Total Dissolved Solids."

If your private well is located near heavily salted roadways or other local activities, this test should be done every three years. (2, 3)

Run-off (chemicals) may leach into ground water and cause contamination.

All water tests should be done by a certified lab.

For information on tests and labs, call 1-888-DEP-SAFE, or check the web at

www.dep.state.pa.us./labs. (4)

The location of your water well should be at least 100 feet away from any pastures, barnyards, cesspools or manure pits, and on-lot sewage system absorption fields. It should be at least 25 feet from a silo and 50 feet away from septic tanks and sewers. (5)

Other contaminants are factories, dumps or landfills, gas drilling operations and coal mining.

Have you been watching the papers lately on the gas drilling in Pennsylvania? These gas wells can seriously impact the purity of private water wells owned by citizens.

You should become familiar with the "Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling" operations of Pennsylvania, as this could affect the future of how YOU obtain your fresh water.

Be aware of local activities, also, that may ruin your well; these are very real possibilities.

Attending your local Township Supervisor meetings can keep you apprised of changing zoning or intended land uses in your area.