Dangers of haynets

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CobsGalore

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I'm always extremely careful to hang haynets from bailing twine, and high enough so they can't get a foot through.

However, arrived to the yard this morning to find my lads haynet on the floor and the bailing twine broken.

It must have taken quite a force to break that, and I dread to think what happened or if he panicked in any way. His bed seemed more churned up than usual too. Checked him over, and luckily he seems fine, not hurt at all - a miracle if you ask me.

Well I'm not using haynets anymore, not worth the risk.

Anyone else not use them? What do you use instead? Hay bar, bucket, floor?
 
Is it possible the baling twine could simply have frayed enough for it to have just snapped? I have known this to happen before. I have used haynets for 40 years and thankfully, I have never had an incident yet, but the way some people tie them makes my blood run cold, accident waiting to happen IMO.I won't use the big holed ones though and if horses manage to damage them, I throw them straight out.
 
I've heard of so many accidents with haynets, some fatal :( A vet once told me how bad it is for horses to eat up high, bad for their teeth, neck and back. Nature intended them to stretch their necks down to eat grass so when we put haynets up it is going against everything they I supposed to do. I would put your hay on the floor.
 
Unfortunately I know the bailing twine wouldn't have frayed as I only put it up a couple of weeks ago. Even if it had, he could have easily got a foot caught whilst it was on the ground. I just don't want to take the risk.

That hay bar looks good Jenny, can you place it low down so it's more natural for them? How do they reach the hay if there's some left in the corner?
 
I had hay bars I took them out they dragged the haylage out and made a disgusting mess wasting bedding and haylage.
I have asthma so have to keep spores at bay .
I had to put Haynets in the haybars tied on rings at the height of the back of the
bar that cut down the mess and slowed them down of course .
Of course they could get caught in the Haynet if they jumped in the haybar but it's not likely .
The hay hutch is working well I only have one so only one horse has had it ATM it's working well for him .
He does not need to be restricted though .
 
I had always used haynets with no issue..for 20 years, always tied safely with baling twine. Last year my mare managed to hook the buckle (just a normal flat type, nothing fancy) of her rug into the haynet at chest height. She was basically tied onto it and if she had pulled back, panicked etc god knows what could have happened. Her rug had leg straps as well so if she had pulled back there could have been a really serious injury.

I am so lucky and thank god that she stood still all night waiting for me to come and untie her...clever girl...so thankfully no harm done.

Even though she is a gobbler I won't use any haynets anymore and always feed from the floor. Strangely enough she has actually become more relaxed about eating her hay and it actually lasts longer than from a haynet.

I'm glad your horse is OK too.
 
I have a homemade hay bar for my two. Two pieces of timber screwed vertical on the wall (across the corner obviously) to hold in a large piece of ply board. You can slide the ply out to sweep it out properly too unlike the expensive shop brought ones! Works well for both of mine, I don't end up with it mixed into bed and they manage to clear it all out!
 
WandaMare said:
I had always used haynets with no issue..for 20 years, always tied safely with baling twine. Last year my mare managed to hook the buckle (just a normal flat type, nothing fancy) of her rug into the haynet at chest height. She was basically tied onto it and if she had pulled back, panicked etc god knows what could have happened. Her rug had leg straps as well so if she had pulled back there could have been a really serious injury.

I am so lucky and thank god that she stood still all night waiting for me to come and untie her...clever girl...so thankfully no harm done.

Even though she is a gobbler I won't use any haynets anymore and always feed from the floor. Strangely enough she has actually become more relaxed about eating her hay and it actually lasts longer than from a haynet.

I'm glad your horse is OK too.
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Glad to hear your horse stood still and waited for you.

Interesting that she is a gobbler and hay on the floor lasts longer than in the net. I'm hoping that's what will happen with my piggy. Even if I have to feed/soak more hay, not sure I will happily use haynets again in the stable.
 
CobsGalore said:
Glad to hear your horse stood still and waited for you.

Interesting that she is a gobbler and hay on the floor lasts longer than in the net. I'm hoping that's what will happen with my piggy. Even if I have to feed/soak more hay, not sure I will happily use haynets again in the stable.
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yes I haven't worked this one out yet but I think its to do with being able to shove it all around and pick out the nicest bits first, which isn't so easy to do from a haynet. So once all the good bits have gone, her appetite has reduced so she takes a break before feeling hungry enough to start on the coarser pieces...whereas with a haynet it was just there at mouth level all the time and it was almost a challenge to keep grabbing at it till it was all gone. I am also lucky that both mine are fairly tidy and don't mix it up with their bed.
 
Interestingly I have also found that my schooling has improved hugely with my horse since I have stopped using haynets and fed from the floor. I am sure he is less tight through his back/neck.
 
Liane said:
Interestingly I have also found that my schooling has improved hugely with my horse since I have stopped using haynets and fed from the floor. I am sure he is less tight through his back/neck.
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That's interesting, thanks.

I am going to feed from the floor tonight for the first time and see how we get on.
 
I know a lot of people who use hay bars, I always think they are the best alternative to a haynet however luckily I have never had any problems concerning a haynets as my mare is fairly sensible in her stable
 
i have not used a haynet for more years than i can remember. remember also that these days baler twine is made o nylon not twine and should be split down finer so it snaps.
 
I found my horse stuck in his haynet about a year ago with his hoof up by his muzzle and the haynet lodged underneath his shoes, he was very brave and let us cut the haynet off him however he was incredibly stiff for a few days and must have been stuck for a long time. Since then we have fed hay from the floor and its worked very well. I have since been told by the physio that it is much better for them as otherwise horses don't stretch down enough and can cause them to be stiff. I won't use a haynet again and I would advise others not too also.
 
Another who feeds from the floor. i know it is not only safe, but better for teeth, backs and helps their sinus to drain properly, which doesn't happen when they are forced to behave like giraffes.
They can forage around if they need to stay in too - much more natural for them. And it saves me time, which is always a good thing.
 
I either feed from the floor or in a haybar. Have done for many years and I have to say I noticed a big difference in schooling as there muscles where being used differently. My horse has recently come off loan and been fed from a net, he has been home for 2 months and his neck muscles are totally changed already. He has topline along his neck which he has lost on loan.
 
It's actually quite shocking how many people have found their horses stuck in hay nets :(

Does anyone else who feeds from the floor have a good doer that needs restricting? How does it work out for you?
 
Haynets are quite dangerous at times, my lad thankfully is fine with them and although I do prefer to feed from the ground where possible I use one when tying up for grroming.

My sisters pony will actively try to get in them when you take your eye off her and then will proceed to throw herself to the ground :( So we now never use haynets for her. Have had to cut her free of one when on the livery yard and someone put her in a stable with one already hanging.

I have also seen so many people - including some who should know better! - tie haynets up with the tightest knot they can to the actual tie-ring, I spent a lot of time at the livery yard checking haynets had been tied up correctly and teaching the kids the proper way because it just gave me the horrors about what could possibly happen to a horse who gets caught :(
 
I use a hay bar, mine has attached herself to her net in the past, and she unties them and takes them down (I have watched her) so it is too risky to use them.
 
just a few weeks ago the lady who rents the yard next to the main yard(where i work) lost a horse because it got the net caught between the shoe and hoof, got cast, then lashed about all night and broke most of the internal paneling of the stable....

the lady has not learnt a thing, she is still using haynets due to her need to have a spotless yard?!.... this annoyed me further as the YO offered her hay mangers and she refused, also the main yard puts hay on the floor and is still spotless at the end of the day.

i swear in the pony club they tell you to never use haynets over night, only for travelling and supervised grooming ect
 
One night when a few of us were down the yard we found a friends pony tied in a haynet. He had got it stuck under his shoe, it was wedged in really tight. Luckily pony was a real foody and was happily munching away with his hoof up by his neck. We had to grab a knife from the feed room and cut him out while distracting him with carrots. Dread to think what would have happened if he was a panicky type or if one of the girls hadn't gone to feed him a treat and found him like it before we went home
 
Twice now my youngster has caught the front of his rugs in a haynet (last winter, and twice in 1/2 hr) but weirdly he did not panic and was completely fine about being stuck.

Moved him to a diff stable (various reasons) which has a haybar. I personally prefer to feed from such, or from ground. Haynets used solely for situations where haybar unfeasible.

2 weeks ago, a friends horse on boxrest for a nasty tendon injury got front of rug caught in haynet, send off a ripple panic effect in the small American barn she is stabled in, panicked and pulled/ripped rug right off.
 
Cobsgalore, the good doers just get less! but they are on clean straw beds, so there is always something to nibble on.
 
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