Correct way to hang a hay net? How do you hang yours?

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deicinmerlyn

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I’ve always tied a hay net to the ring. It was the way I was taught many moons ago when doing my BHS exams.
I prefer to actually feed from the floor as it’s better for the horse and probably safer. But I’ve been helping out at an RDA establishment and I notice they always tie the string through baler twine.
I know things change, so interested in your views.
 
In t'olden days when baler twine was brown string and hay nets had large holes, the idea was it they got their foot in it the string would break. Now bailer twine unless it is frayed will not break, and because the net holes are small I think its just an old habit.
I tie mine to the ring and threading the end through the bottom ring of the net or as low as possible, pull it up tight so the net is away from feet even when empty, and then tie.
 
I feed hay from the floor but if I do have to use a hay net it is tied to the ring with any loose ends looped through each other so that they are not dangling. I then always twist the haynet so the knot is against the wall. Not really sure why I do this as I am sure it gets twisted about when the horse is eating from it.

I guess the reasoning for tying it to bailing twine is the same as never tying a horse directly to the ring and the baling twine should snap if the horse gets hooked onto the net
 
I tie it to the ring, but am very careful that there's no loop or string that a mini shetland could get their head stuck in. If it's possible, one of mine will do it 🙄
 
As @honetpot has said, baler twine doesn’t break.

I feed from the floor these days but in old BHS riding school working pupil days 60 Haynets hung at lunchtime and night by the students.
The rings were always really high up, rope through the ring and then through a low hole in the Haynet to pul it up.
I did work for someone who liked you to thread through the haynet and ring twice to get the net up as high as possible.
 
honetpot said:
In t'olden days when baler twine was brown string and hay nets had large holes, the idea was it they got their foot in it the string would break. Now bailer twine unless it is frayed will not break, and because the net holes are small I think its just an old habit.
I tie mine to the ring and threading the end through the bottom ring of the net or as low as possible, pull it up tight so the net is away from feet even when empty, and then tie.
Click to expand...
So the argument that it’s safer because it will break, may not be true?!
 
Maybe not. But it does give an easier point to cut through if you do need to cut the net down of the horse does get itself stuck.
 
I thread through a couple of the netting pieces as opposed to the bottom only because it hangs it too high if it is thread through the bottom. I tend to turn it so the loop is towards the wall. I like it to hang low as I have found it helps horse's posture. Would prefer from the floor but I need the netting to slow him down a bit...then again there are nights where he just pulls as much as he can from the net onto the ground and eats it from there...
 
Always to split baling twine (split by about 3 - it does break)

Rescued more than enough horses who have got caught in nets to not want to tie to metal rings. One fatal colic probably as a result of stress of being caught - owner never forgave herself
 
I tie frayed bailer twine to the ring and thread a metal ring into it. It has a breakpoint and you have an easy opening to tie the net when the twine inevitably gets tangled.
 
I was at a yard one evening (child having a lesson) and heard a tremendous crashing and banging from a stable.

The horse was on his back with a hind shoe stuck near the top of the haynet, which had been tied nice and high, and was still quite full. He had obviously rolled and got caught up. The baler twine didn't break. I was stupid enough, and luckily for some reason he stayed still enough, for me to get the haynet undone.

I have never had a shod horse near a haynet since.
 
The horses have their nets string directly through the tie ring then through a square lower down on the net. The ponies nets are tied through some baler twine suspended from roof beams so it swings freely and they have to work to pull the hay out.
 
The strings are not long enough to allow goingvthrough the bottom ring. So i put the end of the string through the first square gap in the net and continue threading it through the outside holes if the net ensuring that once the net empties he can't get his head stuck between the string and the net.
 
I hang from a tie ring, or on fences and gates 😬
I don’t need to know but having soaked hay for many years I need the metal ring as a pulley to get the heavy wet nets up.
I want to say “I’ve never had a problem”

But i won’t because that’s asking for trouble!
 
My sheep gets his horns caught in nets and gets himself in a right pickle, so apart from in the horsebox or when tying up on the 'yard' we don't have nets anymore. Nets are tied to a tie ring and then back on themselves to keep it nicely away from wavy legs. In the box I have a separate ring higher up for the nets.
 
Honestly, you can argue for either method. Traditionally, they weren't tied onto baler twine as it would fray and snap so the net would be on the floor and the horse could get tangled up in it especially if shod. Tying direct to the ring if high enough should prevent that happening but horses are inventive and ones that roll like @Cragrat mentioned could get caught up. On balance I would opt to tie direct to the ring. Normally, I feed from the floor but if a horse needs a small holed net to slow down their intake, the best solution I have found is to put a ring lower down on the wall inside a haybar and tie the haynet to that. That way the net is out of the way of feet and the horse still has their head lowered while eating although there is still the repetitive pulling when getting the hay out of the net.
 
I use small hole nets and tie at ground level to tyres or the bottom of posts, or to gate hinges/posts or to tie rings which are at about eye height, and for the one that's penned at night to restrict her I have a rope slung over an overhanging branch with a loop at the end that I tie hers to so she has to chase it around free swinging. Plus she has a small holed tiny net just loose, with the rope all looped through itself safely. All horses barefoot.
 
Small hole haynet, tied to ring in the wall with a frayed piece of baling twine tied through the bottom metal rig of haynet and thread haynet string through that. The frayed string will break and the extra loop makes it easier to hang heavy soaked nets. Prevents the haynet mesh itself getting broken by tying back through that directly. But if I have a non fatty I would feed from the floor
 
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