Feeding from the floor

[Rachael42]

Hi all,
I’m looking for ideas for feeding my horse from the ground. I refuse to use nets for the damage they cause to muscles and teeth. He’s also very short necked therefore a haybar doesn’t work for him ??‍, I’ve tried just putting the hay on the ground but he just wastes it dragging it through his bed and pooing in it. He’s on restricted grazing and soaked hay so it’s not like he’s not hungry. Does anyone do anything different that I could try? Thanks

 

[Esmae]

Have you thought of shortening the haybar idea? Carve a chunk off the bottom of one maybe to drop the height, or maybe make one out of wood or something that would fit him? That way he could possibly cope with his shorter neck. Just a thought. It is maddening when you try to do your best for them and they don't help you.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Haybar do make a pony size.

 

[MarvelVillis]

I bought a second hand baby travel cot cheap off Facebook market and they make ideal cheap hay crates

 

[KINDMARE]

I feed soaked hay from a big trug - i thought it mightg et dragged into the bed - but surprisingly it doesnt.

 

[Bernster]

Expensive and I’m sure there are cheaper options, but I’ve been using the haylo. Works well, you can soak hay in it, it has optional tops to slow feeding, and it saves mess. You could probably just use a large bucket and secure it.

 

[cobgoblin]

I used to use a rubber trough when feeding soaked hay.

 

[Kay Burton]

I've done this thing myself. I think it's a good way to save some extra money. I've just didn't know what to do during the guaranty really, so I thought it'ss a nice idea. There are some good youtube videos that you can look at if you want to.

 

[Milliechaz]

I bought a second hand baby travel cot cheap off Facebook market and they make ideal cheap hay crates

OMG this looks a great idea, how did you secure it and how do you clean it out?

 

[MarvelVillis]

OMG this looks a great idea, how did you secure it and how do you clean it out?

Our stables are in an old barn and divided up with metal gates so I've just tied the legs to the metal gates. Not sure how you'd do it in a traditional stable, although once they're full of hay they're pretty heavy so don't tend to move around a lot! I've not had to clean it out yet but was intending to wash it down with a jet spray and hope it doesn't rust! But if it does, it was only a tenner off Facebook market.

 

[Dyllymoo]

I used a haycube for a while. J loved it (he did manage to unhook it from the bar it comes from so we wratchet strap it down and that's worked!). It can be a bit annoying to clean out every day, but is great to soak in as well. However I'm not allowed to use it at the new yard due to the amount of water it needs to fill... so back to the drawing board!