Feeding hay from Floor, Net or Har Bar?

[Salcey]

As the title says really.
Which do you do and why?

Does it help topline at all - opinions please

 

[spaniel]

I feed my youngster off the floor (dispite that fact that he drags a lot through his bed!) and my elderly cob from a net (he wont eat off the floor!).

IMO nets and haybars are only a compromise and to feed from the floor is best for the topline from nose to tail. Horses will browse at any height but not for long periods so to spend the major eating time with the head down is best as far as Im concerned. Also assists in keeping the lungs healthy of course.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Rocks used to have it on the floor but he ate it too fast

so now he has it in a small holed haynet lol

 

[sojeph]

I would always try to feed from the floor and if I had to use a net would always soak the hay first. I've not used one but haybars sound like a great idea to me as the only problem I can think of with feeding from the floor is wastage so I imagine a haybar would solve this.

 

[TiaPony]

from the floor. most natural position and horse doesnt get hay stuff into her lungs, or so im told
x

 

[Irishcobs]

Tubs on the floor. They live out so its the only safe way.

 

[Malibu]

i feed all of mine from floor, more natural, stretches there neck and back. no mess from mine and safer and better for them.

 

[RachelB]

I agree with spaniel, haynets and things like that should only be considered if you can't feed from the floor for whatever reason. But everyone these days seem to go for haynets first (including me until I found the benefits of the floor!)
Anyway mine is fed from a huge tubtrug on the floor. She's not too messy with it luckily, if she was I'd buy a haybar. I can't feed from nets as she gets nosebleeds and can't eat from higher than ground level for any length of time. She is slowly developing a topline, she came to me in June last year with no muscle whatsoever. I'm sure feeding from the floor is beneficial to topline and other muscles... my friend's horse has a naturally high head carriage, but IMO she works far too hard on schooling him to have a lower head carriage and better topline, and then sticks him back in the stable where he eats off a haynet tied about 4 and a half foot off the ground! Total waste of time! He has a huge under-neck!
And if I bought another horse that didn't have a medical reason not to feed from a haynet, I'd still start with a tubtrug, and then try a haybar/ similar, before resorting to a haynet!

 

[Super_Kat]

I wouldlove to feed mine from the floor but they mae so much mess with it and even the srtuff they drop from their hay nets they drag through their beds and then they don't touch it so I have to feed mine from haynets. I'm about to get a couple of haybars so they can eat a bit more naturally.

 

[johnsongreyhorse]

I feed my two who have hay off the floor (it took my filly a while to figure not to wee & poo on it though

) and my old gelding has haylage in a net because he just walks it into his bed otherwise

 

[gokartbandit]

I feed mine from a haybar.

It's a bit of a compromise - stops her hayledge getting too dirty, although she does tend to pull it out of the haybar and eat from the floor anyway!

 

[Baggybreeches]

I love to feed off the floor but my two waste a lot of hay that way so I use nets, I am trying to get the OH to stump up for haybar though.

 

[samsaccount]

I wish i could feed mine from the floor but he is very messy and would cause a lot of wastage so he is fed from a haynet, we cannot have a feed bar as one corner of the stable has the water, the other a fixed feed trough (sp?) and the gate can be opened from either side so cannot be fixed there

 

[madhector]

in the process of building haybars for my lot, at the moment they have it in nets, but would rather feed off the floor (very messy horses though)

 

[lillie]

i use hayledge nets (small holes) as he could easily eat through 3/4 or more of a bale of hay a night if he wasnt slowed down!

i also have 2 doors in stable which means i cant use a haybar unless i change whole bed 'set up' as there isnt a free corner! i also wet his hay so its easier if its in a net

 

[Salcey]

I use small holed nets for mine at the mo, but try and hang them as low as possible whilst still being safe.
I am seriously thinking of using the floor as the stables are quite big, but I'm worried as both of mine are greedy and they will eat it all so quickly that they'll have nothing all night.

 

[guisbrogal]

From the floor. I am too scared to use haynets

I bought two new red ones for my new stable the other day but only used them once. I worried all night about her getting her teeth stuck or a leg etc so we have gone back to the floor

Makes a right mess of her bed though

 

[fizzer]

used to feed on the floor but have had haybars a while now, are really worth the money, hate haynets, personally think they are dangerous, had bad experience with one and a youngster years ago, it was tied well up too

 

[_Jazz_]

Up until 2 months ago they were fed hay from the floor. Jazz still has it this way if we put a bit out in the field but at night she has it in a small holed net to make it last longer;she's on a diet.

 

[fizz-tally]

jay will not eat from the floor

fizz needs a net as she eats to fast on the floor

 

[skye123]

skyes on a diet at the mo so she has some on the floor but most in a haynet cos otherwise she would eat it too quick

 

[the watcher]

Mine are all fed from the floor, if I think they will eat it too quickly they just get more! Mone don't seem to waste too much of theirs

 

[alsxx]

I use haynets for mine but only because they drag the hay through the shavings and the girl wees on it if its on the floor!!

 

[JustKickOn]

hay off the floor. but its technically not on the floor, its in big tubs or trugs. coz its a natural way of feeding and they dont get as much dust in their eyes

 

[rcm_73]

I won't use hay nets since buying my horse who had no topline and a ewe neck. Ok so the topline still needs some work but the neck is greatly improved through using a market harborough and no haynets!! As she has a high head cattiage I will never go back to haynets for her. Might consider buying a haybar in the future.

 

[Ferdinase514]

From the floor. Doesn't waste any.

Have had to cut a panicing horse out of a haynet (caught between shoe and hoof whilst rolling) and a stupid Finni out of one when he's got his leg tangled.

Only use haynets in lorry and when tied up on yard.

Really do not like them in the stable.

 

[madgirl]

From the floor!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Haybar - No waste and more natural eating position.

 

[barkinghorse]

Floor for me! but thats coz i've not got a haybar!
Jo

 

[maxebraith]

A horses natural eating habit is to eat off the floor. Im quite lucky my old mare mixes it in with her bed so she needs a net but she pulls it out and then eats it off the floor. Best of both worlds!!!