Do Trickle nets work?

[canteron]

My horses are struggling with their brand new expensive trickle nets - I want to give them their last overnight hay in them to try and make it last.

I am shredding the hay before filling it, but do I need a different type hay - or haylage - or do they only work for horses with smaller mouths.

Any tips welcome.

 

[Nasicus]

What makes you think they're struggling?

 

[canteron]

They don’t finish them!! They live out but as we are on very sandy soil sand colic is always a risk. Therefore overnight I am just trying to find ways to extend their eating overnight.

Just wondering if there are any obvious tricks I am missing!

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

The goal is to still have hay in them at the end of the night is it not? Means they haven’t been able to gobble it all in a couple of hours. I had Elimanets for a greedy Welsh d x Dales mare and they worked to help her waistline and greedy tendencies.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Ohh my!! This thread does tend to repeat itself through the years!!

I researched these a few years ago - and was horrified to discover the price of them!! Thirty-flippin-quid! - and that was back then.

Lord knows what they are now.

And as soon as you swoon about the price like a Mother Superior in a brothel there's always someone who cheeps up and says Oh but they'll pay for themselves in time coz of the hay you're not wasting............ yeaph right. Wish I could be a believer.

 

[blitznbobs]

Not with my cob - he just rips holes in them with his teeth... (sorry not really an answer to your question

 

[rabatsa]

My mare went hangry and gave up trying to eat from hers. She did kick through a door in temper though.

 

[milliepops]

i've used mine with a few horses and i think with my gang it takes them a little while to get the technique sorted and then if they want the hay, they will eat it

 

[AntiPuck]

I use a cheaper Shires version, but it has the same size holes (I think).

It does take them a few goes to get used to it, mine would initially stand in a sulk after a few aggressive grabs at the net, but now she can eat out of it fairly easily, albeit just not getting much at a time.

I've noticed that it does become hard, maybe impossible, for them to eat out of it once it's almost empty, though, so that might be what you're seeing - or maybe mine just hasn't been hungry enough to put the effort in yet, as only in stable for brief periods.

I've wondered if putting it on the floor might make it easier for them to eat from when nearly empty, considering trying it out once my horse's shoes have been taken off, as I see people who run barefoot tracks putting nets on the floor a lot and seems to work well for them.

 

[ycbm]

I worry about RSI and won't use them. If my horses are in danger of running out of food I feed straw.
.

 

[Wizpop]

I was quite impressed with mine. Yes, expensive but very tough and will last a lot longer than “ normal” nets. He had no problem eating his hay but qI’m not intending to use long term - just till he gets back to a more normal size net following laminitis. I got the trickle net so that night time net would last, but have to agree that I’m not keen on the way they have to really tug the hay out- but lesser of two evils for short term.

 

[Cowpony]

My mare just gave up trying to eat from it

 

[canteron]

Ohh my!! This thread does tend to repeat itself through the years!!

I researched these a few years ago - and was horrified to discover the price of them!! Thirty-flippin-quid! - and that was back then.

Lord knows what they are now.

And as soon as you swoon about the price like a Mother Superior in a brothel there's always someone who cheeps up and says Oh but they'll pay for themselves in time coz of the hay you're not wasting............ yeaph right. Wish I could be a believer.

Just looked up and seen you joined in 2009 - 13 years ago - so I guess you really do understand the seasonality of posts on HHO!?

 

[meleeka]

I always gave it alongside a normal small holed net so it wasn’t the only option. Mine would eat the normal one first then not be as desperate for the Trickle net. They have to work out how to use their lips if they want to get the hay out.

 

[Burnttoast]

We've got one (among many other types of net) and we've just started using it again for various reasons. We're tying nets to the bottom of fence posts on the track to keep them going a bit longer overnight (previously feeding loose hay). My livery's pony was used to them (it was his net originally when he was slimming and he had it tied to an individual post then, which must be almost the most difficult way to eat from it as it can swing round) but mine wasn't and is normally an impatient eater, but he's taken to it really well, actually, to my surprise. Because it's on the ground it must be easier for them, but I watched him the other night delicately extracting one strand at a time from it - and he could have walked a few yards to an easier net.

 

[ponynutz]

I always put a full net inside of another net instead of buying an expensive one.
They really worked for us - the goal is to have hay left at the end of the night. Horses need to graze basically all day and night so if they have stuff left they'll also have healthy guts that are full

 

[TPO]

My mum's fat cob really struggled with them and wasn't getting anything out. He had almost the same amount of soaked hay am as pm.

Mum randomly saw an advert on fb for small holed nets that had long strings for tying up. I think it was £23 for two including postage. They arrived the other week and they've been great.

They really slow down his eating but he's still getting a steady trickle

 

[MereChristmas]

I have the smallest of these for the horsebox and a large one for the stable.
https://www.nibbleze.net/shop
I also have a large Shires net which is similar but I had to replace the string with para cord as it wore through.
My pony pulls a piece through the hole, chews it and then pulls the tag of hay left. When there is some dropped on the floor he pauses, eats that and starts on the net again.
His weight is OK. He is never without hay and so far his neck is alright.

 

[Peglo]

I also have the cheaper shires one. I would have a normal net and the trickle one. They were both done by morning

 

[PurBee]

I double netted with 1 inch square gaps a very compressed block 13kg bale. (Loose hay easy to extract from any size net, compressed hay blocks are much harder)
Over 8 hours 2 horses gobbled 10kg of it - so in my experience they might slow them down, but once they figure out a good nibble technique, they hone that skill to perfection!

 

[Abesmum]

I brought the more expensive ones that were quite thick and they had them for months and all three of my horses ended up with very worn front incisors!!! So much that someone thought that they were fence destroyers. great idea but will not use them again.

 

[Hepsibah]

Martsnets are excellent. They're hand made from the same stuff they use to make fishing nets. I've had two for a year and neither of my vandals have been able to damage them at all. I also hang them outdoors and the rain sun and wind haven't touched them. Not even a bit of fading.
They're both able to empty the nets but it doubles the time it takes to do it.

 

[AWinter]

Nibbleze are the only ones I’ve found to be hard wearing yet soft enough, the other brands I think are very hard on their teeth.

Ours eat 90% of their hay out of trickle nets of varying sizes and they all manage fine, some of them on the floor, some of them in feeders, some tied up swinging. No adverse effects on their teeth after years of this.

 

[SantaVera]

They are very good and work very well far better than the cheaper makes.

 

[meleeka]

Martsnets are excellent. They're hand made from the same stuff they use to make fishing nets. I've had two for a year and neither of my vandals have been able to damage them at all. I also hang them outdoors and the rain sun and wind haven't touched them. Not even a bit of fading.
They're both able to empty the nets but it doubles the time it takes to do it.

They would be my first choice. I’ve had mine for years and no holes yet. They aren’t as thick as Tricklenets so kinder on the teeth I think.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I tended to double net using small holes nets. The trickle nets were too frustrating for my horse. I don’t know if you could use hayballs as you say the turn out is sandy, they may not work as they may pick up sand, but Beau bloody loved his. We all bought them during the strangles outbreak for enrichment then just kept them.

 

[Chianti]

Are you giving them some loose hay or some in an easier net alongside the Trickle nets as you introduce them? If they're hungry they can get very frustrated with them. I use Nibbleze nets. At first my pony would get very obviously cross because he couldn't pull the hay out easily. I think this was made worse because his smaller filed companion got the technique very quickly. He can now eat of of them very easily and has developed a habit of pawing the net on the ground to move the last bits of hay around so he can get to them more easily.

 

[Boulty]

Yes they work but can take a few days for them to figure them out (& if they're not hungry they'll probably either ignore it pick at as not worth the effort). If you're after something that will still restrict intake but is a bit easier for them look into nibbleze (the best quality, most versatile nets I've ever used).

I find that all of these type of nets seem to work better with hay than haylage as they can tease it out without ragging at it.

I tend to use a mix of tricklenet, hay ball & nibbleze (I have some double net versions for when I really need to slow him down but I always use these alongside something easier) during winter

 

[Lintel]

Not with my cob - he just rips holes in them with his teeth... (sorry not really an answer to your question

Ditto.

 

[Spot_On03]

Mine is a net wrecker. However, the nibbleze I bought her still going strong after a year. I have the medium small hole and then a small double net one. She's always got some left of a morning, and a lot less waste compared to other nets I have used.