Hay net fiasco!!!

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Missladypotter

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Okay so heres the question when you go into the stable to hang up a hay net with the horse in the stable should you go about it in the same manner that you would when feeding concentrates?Tying up a hay-net is a lot more fiddly then bringing in a bucket.My boy Harvey gets pretty annoyed when I’m hanging up the hay net and will raise a hoof if he thinks it will get him his hay faster!:confused::confused: Hes only young so can be unpredictable!:p:p
 
Yes. Ask him to back up and respect your space. Once you're out of the way, he can have his hay.

Do you value your fingers? Easy to get one broken hanging up a net with the horse yanking the hay out.

ETA: read too quickly and thought it said 'raise the roof', not 'a hoof'. In those circs, I'd take him out of the stable, put the hay in, then put him back in. (And do some groundwork to instill a few manners).
 
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I read raise the roof too !!! My youngster is bolshy when I'm carrying feed. He's a bit better with hay but it's a race against him to get his feed bowl either on the grass or in his shelter before he comes and barges me. It's difficult because they live out. But I have stayed behind the fence and made him calm down and stop this bolshiness then he gets fed. But it's not easy and I wouldn't mind a few tips on stopping him being so bargy when I have feed in my hands.
 
Mine aren't allowed near feed/hay til I've put it down and walked away. Damned if I'm getting squished by an unruly horse who thinks it's ok to snatch while I'm still putting food in front of them! They know not to start until I say Ok and pat them
 
The easiest way to instill manners is to insist on them without confrontation by controlling the horses movement, so I would create a habit of waiting away from where the net hangs by tying him up whilst you hang it.
Grooms mum I would do the same in your situation pop a head collar on him ad lead him to the feed under your terms if you don't have anywhere to tie him up, horses who are anticipating feeds are already stimulated and difficult to calm. I would make catching him the first things I did and feeding him the last so there is a decent amount of time between your arrival ad the foods arrival, is there hay left when you arrive or is he hungry (just touching on your thread about weight)
 
I have to admit I'm probably to blame for any bad manners my horses have as I tend to just put their buckets down in the field, they live out, but if I ask they both know to back up and will do it, even my arab who thinks he's the queen bee.
With hay nets, again I often just ignore them trying to help themselves but if I tell them to wait, they do need reminding (I keep my arm up just in front of their mouths) if I've not done it for a while but will stand until I step away.
Where I used to keep them it was easier to walk in front of them than around them with nets etc, I used to beep like a lorry reversing and my boy would back up so I could walk in front.
 
Certainly a good idea to teach some manners.
Another approach would be to try and prevent the situation in the first place. Has he run out of hay before the new net arrives? Is there a way of avoiding him running out? It is natural for a horse to get stressed about the arrival of hay if he has run out previously. You can still teach manners, but it's a bit of an uphill battle if you are trying to work against the horse's natural inclination. Or could you feed a small amount of hay loose before tying up the hay net, so that he is occupied?
 
Buffy moves back from the door as I approach and doesn't eat until the bucket is on the floor and I have walked away.

For her haynet she knows the word "no". She can stand at the haynet but isn't allowed to eat out of it until I have tied it up and walked away. She gets the occasional gentle nose tap to remind her of her manners. I value my fingers.

Also, the basis of horse ownership is a respect for "your" space. If my horse even thought to raise a hoof to me, there would be serious consequences. That is dangerous and unruly behaviour. They are far too big an animal to be waving feet about.

Tie the horse up or spend some time teaching him what "Get back" means. Getting back away from the door, out of your space, away from food etc. I muck out around my horse, move her over, move her bucket over so I can sweep under it. She would NEVER even dream of thinking of the even vague possibility that lifting a foot to me is acceptable.

I would also like to say my horse isn't scared of me (Far from it, little cowbag haha!) and isn't beaten up, I just run a tight ship and manners are always enforced. I keep ontop of it so I never really have to have an "arguement" with her. She knows she can never get away with it so doesn't bother trying.

Basic safety in my eyes.
 
Auslander said:
Mine aren't allowed near feed/hay til I've put it down and walked away. Damned if I'm getting squished by an unruly horse who thinks it's ok to snatch while I'm still putting food in front of them! They know not to start until I say Ok and pat them
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This. Jazz takes 2 steps back from his stable door whenever I open it, because he knows he's supposed to. He won't try to come near his feed bucket until it's been put on the floor and I've stepped away from it.

With yours, I would definitely try tying him up either outside or at the other side of the stable while you hang his net. It will get him used to the idea that he's to keep out of your space and not snatch food from you.
 
Depends on what grass they are eating. If I move them to a better patch they will leave hay. If on the trashed area they will eat it all.
 
Groom Mum said:
Depends on what grass they are eating. If I move them to a better patch they will leave hay. If on the trashed area they will eat it all.
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If there is non left you are not feeding enough, personally with youngsters I don't give a bucket feed, they don't get hard feeds until they a being ridden every day and working hard
 
My girls would step back and wait, nothing to do with me, they came with good manners. They get fed outside at the fence, they wait at the same spot and I just toe their bowls under the fence. Never any shoving or barging. While they are eating I hang nets, they always have hay left in them so no nagging me.

On the other hand my free range guinea pigs that live in the barn have no manners at all, shouting, barging, chewing my feet ... :)
 
My youngest is really rude and bolshy. As soon as I won't fall over in the mud teaching him manners he's gonna learn them. My 8 yr old is as good as gold. Always waits never barges, he's a really good boy but I think it's more to do with the fact he's more timid than the little un. They are both absolutely fine with me hanging hay nets as long as the little one has his nose in his feed bowl. But he's gonna learn what wait means when I can stand up without having to hold on to something !!
 
My lad was a rescue pony. The vet honks he's burning so much energy trying to stay warm. He's not maintaining his weight as he should. My other one is fine.
 
Youngsters really don't want haynets, it is not a normal way of feeding for them. Simply drop a big bale in the field and let them stuff themselves on it.

The manners should have been instilled as early as possible and if he is being dangerous it really wants sorting out before he hurts someone.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Youngsters really don't want haynets, it is not a normal way of feeding for them. Simply drop a big bale in the field and let them stuff themselves on it.

The manners should have been instilled as early as possible and if he is being dangerous it really wants sorting out before he hurts someone.
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a large bale of hay dropped in field so youngster is not hungry may just solve the problem
 
AdorableAlice said:
Youngsters really don't want haynets, it is not a normal way of feeding for them. Simply drop a big bale in the field and let them stuff themselves on it.

The manners should have been instilled as early as possible and if he is being dangerous it really wants sorting out before he hurts someone.
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Agree , no haynets, its not worth the risk of entanglement, and its not a natural feeding angle.
 
No I said that if they arnt on the longer grass they eat the hay when I come in the morning there is small scraps of hay left. I don't go down overnight to give them hay. They have a 9kg net and two 6kg nets overnight. I'm getting through about 3/4 if not more of a bale of hay a day. They also have it scattered around their field. But my youngster just doesn't hold weight like my other one. It's how he is.
 
Groom Mum said:
No I said that if they arnt on the longer grass they eat the hay when I come in the morning there is small scraps of hay left. I don't go down overnight to give them hay. They have a 9kg net and two 6kg nets overnight. I'm getting through about 3/4 if not more of a bale of hay a day. They also have it scattered around their field. But my youngster just doesn't hold weight like my other one. It's how he is.
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Are they horses or small ponies ? If horses, 3/4 of a bale between 2 over a 24 hour period, it is no wonder they are hungry and fighting over food and the youngster is not doing well.
 
They are small ponies and they are both fed hard feed three times a day. Plus haylege. They are not hungry otherwise I'm sure their haynets would be totally empty every day. So are you saying they should be on more than a bale a day ? They constantly have forage.
 
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AdorableAlice said:
Are they horses or small ponies ? If horses, 3/4 of a bale between 2 over a 24 hour period, it is no wonder they are hungry and fighting over food and the youngster is not doing well.
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Also my pony is fine. I didn't say he wasn't doing well. He just struggles to hold weight. I'm doing my best for him. He's very well loved and cared for. It's damn hard enough without people making comments like "not surprised he's not doing well"
 
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Groom Mum said:
Also my pony is fine. I didn't say he wasn't doing well. He just struggles to hold weight. I'm doing my best for him. He's very well loved and cared for. It's damn hard enough without people making comments like "not surprised he's not doing well"
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If he is struggling to hold weight, he is either not getting enough food, or something is wrong with him
 
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