Haybars - worth buying?

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Laska

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I though about buying haybars for my two ponies. I used hay nets so far and in Germany – where I’m from originally – the hay is mostly fed from the floor. I really want to get away from the hay nets because I think it’s not a normal position for horses to eat from the nets and it’s bad for their back and neck muscles. Feeding from the floor isn’t the best either cos there is so much hay spoiled. Do you have any experience with haybars? What are the pros and cons? Thanks for advice :)
 
I bought 2 hay bars - and generally I like them. If you have a horse that likes to make a mess anyway, the chances are that they will empty their hay out of the hay bar, and still make a mess with the hay! You know what horses are like!

My boy is really good with his haybar, keeps his hay in it, and they are so much easier to use than doing haynets. My mare on the other hand just kept sitting on her haybar, and after she had ripped it off the wall for the 3rd time, I gave up, and my sister took it to use with her horse!

On the whole I do like them - only a couple of my stables are really suitable to put them into (the unsuitable ones have funny corners and stuff!), otherwise I would put them in the other stables (where my mare isn't!! :) )

I know that some people have made their own using bits of rubber matting - I'm sure someone helpful will be able to explain how they did it!! :)

Oh - and if you do get a haybar - make sure that the corner you put it in isn't damp, and its easier if its not a corner that wee or water will run into - otherwise it makes a big gunky horrid mess in the corner beneath it - as I found out!! :)
 
I think if you have a tidy horse then they are excellent (but then you don't really need one because they won't waste the hay in the first place!).

However, my horse empties his hay across the stable floor so I put a tie ring on the wall at the botton of the hay bar, inside, in the corner and then tie a net to that. This way, he can't get his feet in the haynet, het gets feed from a more natural position and there is little or no wastage.
 
I have made my own with some plywood! You need two pieces of wood screwed into the wall and the ply front then slots into those across a corner of the stable. I also have a slatted base (which is loose) so that all the seeds etc. fall through the bottom. It is easy to clean out and I have used them for years without any problems and wouldn't be without them.
 
Hadn't thought about a haybar but why didn't I? Don't like haynets (unnatural). I used to be a public monitor of police horse welfare and they always fed their horses off the floor - to avoid respiratory and neck problems - and it converted me. Their horses were superb. How high does the bar have to be?
 
Wow! I never thought of that! I was going to buy a haybar but they are pretty pricey but the large black container idea is genius! I have one of those. It is a loft tank - we used to used it as a beer cooler at BBQs! I am going to have to steal it now - probably need to attach it to the wall though to stop my mare from using it as a football!
 
Hi, we use old black water tanks also, I just put the hay in and then pour water over it; the horses usually keep it in the container, but be careful of getting plastic that could shatter as you know how destructive our dear ones can be!!
 
i wouldnt be without my it so much easier and quicker than faffing with a haynet, saying that he does have a tendency to pull the hay out, but then he just eats what hes pulled out anyway so it doesnt really matter.
 
would have a haybar over a DIY contraption anyday.

they have been tested for safety (plastic doesnt shatter) and a good shape (no sharp corners, "lips" for teeth to be stuck under ending up with a broken jaw, huge gaps under the bottom for hooves to get stuck under etc

the fact vets, studs and yards (racing/showing/jumping/dressage) both nationally and internationally use them and reccomend them is enough for me :)

wouldnt be without mine
 
I have "DIY contraptions"... sanded down, no splinters, no edges, fit right down to the ground but slide out for cleaning under. One horse is very tidy and eats every scrap, my other tramples his hay into the bed so I have a tie ring fitted very low behind the "contraption" and tie his net to that.
 
not IMO - they're too expensive, when for the sake of a few planks of wood and a bit of time you can make a perfectly good version of your own. My dad used old scaffolding planks to create a square feeder for each stable, about 2foot x 2foot, and about 18inches off the floor so it doesn't get damp or trampled in. Works brilliantly.
 
love them saves so much time and have tidy beds, i left mine with a gap underneath big enough to get the brush in to sweep out the seeds
 
I bought one earlier this year and I love it! My horse used to drag his hay into his bed and make an absolute mess with it and waste half of it, now he eats it over his haybar in the corner and doesn't waste any. It seems to be fairly indestructible too! I quite like it also because of its position - in old stable he had a hay rack but it was up high. I didnt like the idea of my horse stretching upwards to eat so used to feed off the floor, hence he could drag it around. I've also left mine with a gap underneath so I can sweep in underneath it.
 
My older mare has always just had her hay in the corner and shes very tidy. My 2 year old had a home made hay bar as a yearling and for the first half of this year. Shes now learnt to be tidy with her hay so I've taken it out and she has a heap too.
 
I've just got one from a car boot sale last week all for the grand total of a tenner!!! he does tend to drag his hay around and now he in a smaller stable don't want it on his bed!!
 
I love mine too. Comments about leaving a gap are important cos it's a pain to try to scoop seeds out of the bottom. Otherwise you can fall in :)
 
Had always fed off the floor but the Haybar is brilliant and easy to clean out too. As posters have said, just leave a gap and clean out as and when necessary - normally twice a week for me.

The "contraptions" probably work very well but I agree that the strong plastic is better & safer than wood.
 
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