Hay Bar dilemma ?!

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horselife1

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so I bought my horse a hay bar a few months ago and he was fine with it but now that its winter and he stays in overnight he is dragging all the hay out of it and trampling it all through his bed and once its in his bed he won't eat it. I swear theres more in his bed than what he's actually eaten. I really don't want to have to go back to using hay nets and we have tried with it just on the floor and he's the same. I feel like theres probably nothing I can do but if anyone has any ideas they would be much appreciated:)
 
Yep mine just dragged all hay out. Fortunately ate every last blade from floor. Tried haynet tied in bar but she jerked hay out which was trying to avoid
 
I have a haycube, had it a month or so & its fantastic. Got it for a greedy Welsh cob to help with is breathing allowing his head to be kept down more than anything. He still has the same amount he'd have in a net but doesn't just stuff himself as expected just because its loose - I don't think he has the urgency to go ripping at is as he did a net, he just munches leisurely with no manic tugging. Loose on the floor he dragged it everywhere & he pulled it all out of a haybar too, but the haycube does the trick! Super easy for soaking too if needed.
 
horselife1 said:
so I bought my horse a hay bar a few months ago and he was fine with it but now that its winter and he stays in overnight he is dragging all the hay out of it and trampling it all through his bed and once its in his bed he won't eat it. I swear theres more in his bed than what he's actually eaten. I really don't want to have to go back to using hay nets and we have tried with it just on the floor and he's the same. I feel like theres probably nothing I can do but if anyone has any ideas they would be much appreciated:)
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My girl does it every night. I fill the haybar with an upturned tub so as she would struggle to reach the bottom of it and then put dampened hay on top. She drags it all out and then the upturned tub is always lying in the stable the next day with hay all mixed in with shavings but I think this is from the afternoon tub of hay the staff throw over the door- she's not hungry at this point as she has been out most of the day.

In the evening after filling the haybar I must shove the hay from the floor back in the hay bar about four times during the evening when I am on the yard - its so exasperating! I think she roots through it, unlike a hay net they can 'search out' the best hay and eat that first. She always eats the entire contents eventually even when coated with shavings!

Another livery has a haybar and she puts a net over the top of it and secures it some how to the sides and bottom, but I'm not entirely happy about doing that with mine as she would find a way to get some body part stuck in the net for sure!
 
Put a weight on top of the hay - a good solid log will do it, or there are some metal ones you can buy. I'd prefer the log, they like to nibble wood anyway
 
Red-1 said:
I am meaner than that, I have a small holed net tied above the haybar, but so the net hangs inside it.
Means no wastage whatsoever, takes her longer too. Good job as she laughs in the face of self-limiting!
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With respect, how does this differ from just using a haynet? I mean with regards to the 'benefits' of using a haybar at all (i.e. eating with the head down, not pulling at a net etc)

milliepops said:
how do these zombie threads get dug up? :rolleyes:
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Aaw well to be fair, the OP didn't get any answers when it was first posted!
 
Floxie said:
With respect, how does this differ from just using a haynet? I mean with regards to the 'benefits' of using a haybar at all (i.e. eating with the head down, not pulling at a net etc)
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No worries, I do my best to look after my horse to the best. Hence, I put in a hay bar. More natural eating and less waste, supposedly. My priorities changed when I then realised that restricting diet was going to enhance my horse's welfare above the level at which she eats, hence a small holed net, which I hand within the haybar.

I realised that this has brought about practically zero waste. What little drops out of the net or her mouth falls into the hay bar and is hoovered up.

OP was concerned about waste. I have a system with practically no waste. Ergo, I thought it may be interesting to OP especially with the added advantage of restricting intake.

The net can safely be left lower as it is protected by the haybar away from hooves, so actually at a lower level than a normally hung net, thus fulfilling her desire to feed at a lower level.

I see people have recommended a container with a plastic sheet with holes that slides up and down, to restrict intake. I suspect the horse would have to pull on that too, so jerking the neck muscles. One of them is very low, allowing a hoof to tread on the plastic sheet. I would not personally use one of those as I suspect if a large horse trod on the holey plastic sheet while it is higher on one side than the other, it could eventually crack, enlarging the hole, and allow a hoof to be trapped. That wold seem risky to me.


As restricting intake and preventing waste will always mean a degree of compromise, I am not sure why you, albeit respectfully, did not see the relevance of my comment, other than the fact that the thread was older than I realised?
 
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Thanks for explaining. I didn't say I didn't see the relevance of your comment. Just that as I understand the benefits of using a hay bar, using it in conjunction with a hay net would negate those, so I wondered why you did so. Which you explained :)
 
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