Now do you think that this.....(pics)

[stonefoldponies]

LOL! Now that is funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[greydales]

I think I need that size for all of mine!!!

[zeldalithgow]

Gil, Prince and Daisy say there are two here you can have

[bevbob]

I too thought it was a huge net that was extra long before I saw sencond pic LOL!
Blimey, thats a bit rubbish isnt it?

[tobago]

Sorry for my question, I'm a bit silly, but why do you all feed your hay from hay-nets, in GB? Right, the ponies need more time to eat their hay, but are you not afraid, that they may hang in the net with their feet, when it is empty?
In Germany we usual put the hay on the ground, normally the horses eat their gras from the ground, it is the usual bearing for the neck and the head. Hay-nets were only used for driving in the transporter. And there I once saw the horse of a friend hunging with his front leg in the net. We had to cut the net to liberate the horse from the net. Since this time we only take a sack, with one hole in the middle for the transports of our ponies.

What other pros has a hay-net besides more time to eat?

[olivia]

Hi,

There is a lot of debate on this issue in yards up and down the country on this subject.

For me the pros would go:
Longer to eat
Keeps hay tidy
Easier to see how much is/isn't being eaten (e.g. it doesn't get mixed in with the bed)
Allows you to prepare nets in advance for others to give
You can weigh the hay you're feeding more easily
A LOT less waste

Cons:
Builds up incorrect muscles in the neck
Un natural feeding
Doesn't allow mucus to drain out of the respiratory tract
Risk of getting caught in*
Pain in the bum to fill

* I think incorrectly hung nets can be very dangerous, but if they are hung high and tight then there is little risk. For Tilly about (15hh2") she'd have the tie ring about 5'6" off the ground. Then to hang the net I would put the rope through the ring, and pull it tight so the top of the net is right up tight to the ring in the wall. I then loop the rope through the very bottom of the net (sometimes there is a little metal ring there it can go through) and pull the rope tight so that the bottom of the net is up tight to the tie ring. At that point I do a slip knot to fasten it all in place. This way the net - even when empty - is about 4'9" - 5' off the ground, so well out of reach of horses legs.

I also think the risk is lessened even more if you use hayledge nets (which have even smaller holes so less likely a foot to fit through) and if you have unshod horses as it is sometimes the shoe that gets caught rather than the hoof. Of course it helps if your horse has feet the size of dinner plates which wouldn't fit through any kind of net....

All in all I decided that nets were too much of a faff, but I didn't want to feed off the ground (as most of it ended up mixed in her bed), so I used good old fashioned hay racks, but quite low so it was closer to feeding off the ground.

Olivia

[zeldalithgow]

Hi

I would rather feed from the ground but as my lot live out 24/7 I use nets as they take longer to eat, there is less waste as they don't trample so much into the mud, and less blows away. I've been using nets outside for 7 years as so far have not had any problems with ponies getting caught up, I tie the nets to a bit of baler twine on the ring so that if they do get caught the twine should break

[harveydales]

Yes, Olivia and Zelda have summed it up well. I feed from the ground outside despite the wasteage but use small holed haynets inside because I need to weigh the hay and want it to last as long as possible for my lami prone horse. However, I'm seriously considering one of those plastic Haybars for the stable. They seem a very safe design, the horses eat in a natural postiton and there shouldn't be waste hay spread everywhere.

[Rachel]

I use to from a haynet having a pony that was prone to lami and would eat like a beat, he had two small holenets inside each other so would take him even longer.

Although now the barn which Smartie is kept in is in a old cow shed which means they have the kind of concrete "through" that they put the cows feed in, its low enough for him to stretch down for it but high enough for him not to try and climb in it.

Having a horse that poos and wees on it and will happily then go all night without touching is and eating his bed is a big downfall, hence this is why it is good.
He also has hayledge so not as easy to get all out on the floor as hay is

[greydales]

I never use haynets outside but generally do use them inside as others have said, there is a lot of waste and you can see more or less what is eaten. One of mine used to drag the hay into his water bucket, another would dung on it! .

My little filly eats hers off the floor overnight, but from a haynet during the day as she is yarded and I hang two haynets in different places for her and Toby. There would be an awful lot of mess and the wind would probably blow most of it away otherwise! I always make absolutely sure the nets are hung so there is minimal risk, I've never had any problems with any of mine getting caught in all the time I've had horses and ponies.

Having said that I do prefer feeding off the floor whenever possible, I agree with the point that it is preferable for the horse's neck but they do also browse from trees and hedges naturally.

[tobago]

Thank you all for your answers, there are lots of pros for the hay-net. I find it funny, how different the horses were feed in GB and Germany!
Our ponies are clean, they don't muck into their hay. The cleanest pony is Beauty, her muck is in one corner of her box, I prefere to clean her box. She makes less dirt than our stallion!

[Debbie]

I don't feed with a haynet, preferring to feed from the ground or an empty water trough.

I've seen people in GB dunking their hay in hot water to cut down on the dust. And the easiest way to soak hay would be with the haynet.

It is interesting to see how other countries keep their ponies. Treasure your ultra clean mare ~ those are the best stalls to clean!!!