Haynet alternatives

[xxKatxx]

Hi,
I'm looking for suggestions on alternative ways to feed hay for a greedy laminitic cob who can no longer have hay nets due to repeated eye injuries as her eye sight isn't great now since she's an older lady. The obvious solution is to feed her from the floor, which is fine in the summer but she's a very fast eater so I'd like to have something in place to slow her down when she's stabled more over winter. But I'm coming up short on solutions for shod horses!

I'm not sure that anything will be able to be fixed to the wall (livery yard) so mangers are probably out.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Griffin]

You could look at something like an Eazigrazer but they are not cheap (and I have not tried them myself). You can also get 'hay bags' which may be more suitable but they don't tend to hold much hay. You could try a few big plastic trugs to put your hay in but they won't really slow her down unfortunately.

 

[Bernster]

Hay lo (which is what I have), or haygain forager. My boy is pretty rough and has snapped the fittings on the haylo but you can get replacements for them.not cheap though.

eta neither is cheap, not meant to be a ref to the replacement parts Which are £10.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Hayballs? They’re quite big, you can choose the colour to make them more obvious. I have 2 for my good doer cob, they hold under a slice off a small bale, so overnight, that’s supplemented.

 

[Coblover63]

Soak the hay first so that she can have more?

 

[Lady Jane]

Haylo/Easigrazer/Haygain - all work out abou the same price with postage/fittings. I have the Haylo but only got it about 4 weeks ago. I don't think it slows him down as much a two layers of small hole nets but I'm happy with it as I want him to be eating off the floor and his technique with haynets is not good for him. I tried a Hay Pillow (not recommended for shod horses but I was told by physio it would be fine). Barely slowed him at all and doesn't hold much. I soak in plenty of water to remove as much sugar as possible

 

[Sossigpoker]

You could replace some of the hay with TopSpec TopChop Zero,.very few calories and it really does extend the chewing time.

 

[xxKatxx]

Thank you, I’ll have a look at the various feeding systems, there’s some I hadn’t heard of!

Should have said, she already has soaked hay so is having as much as possible already, she’s just extremely greedy!

I like the look of the Hay Pillow but the bags I’ve seen really don’t seem to hold very much.. Did you try the hanging version, they seem to suggest it can be quite close to the floor?

 

[xxKatxx]

Also a (probably obvious) question about the feeders - how do they reach the hay at the bottom!?

 

[NLPM]

Usually the grid drops down as the horses eat, so it's always resting on top of the hay. There's a lid you attach to the feeder after you've put the central grid in on top of the hay, which means the top opening is too narrow for the horses to lift the grid out - hope I've explained that OK.

This is half the price of the Haygains etc. but might not be as sturdy, I've never used one:

https://www.jsw4jumps.co.uk/shop/yard-stable/the-hay-saver/


Just edited to delete my other recommendations, as I somehow missed the 'no attaching to the wall' - sorry! Worth checking with your YO though.

 

[Lady Jane]

Also a (probably obvious) question about the feeders - how do they reach the hay at the bottom!?

Mine catch reach the last bit but its only a tiny bit. I let him finish it off without the grid before I reload

 

[Lady Jane]

I like the look of the Hay Pillow but the bags I’ve seen really don’t seem to hold very much.. Did you try the hanging version, they seem to suggest it can be quite close to the floor?

I didn't hang the pillow as I wanted him eating from the floor but the volume was the biggest issue and putting the hay in is not that easy as the opening is quite small

 

[xxKatxx]

Thank you! I’ve been really struggling to work out how they can actually eat from the feeders ?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We use Eazigrazers in our shelter. The biggest problem (apart from the price) is the you have to fix them in place somehow, or the horse tips them over. Ours are tied onto an upright post with a chain or blue rope and carabiner. We like them very much the regulator on the top of the hay drops down as the horse eats, so they can eat from the bottom easily enough. If you want to you can soak your hay in situ and then drain the water off at the bottom. The tub is easily moved and not heavy without water.

 

[stimpy]

I have tried HayLo and eazigrazer and I much prefer the Easigrazer, it is much easier to clean and the constant thump of the grid on the underside of the HayLo drove me mad. I fix my Easigrazer to a single ring on the wall using a safety tie through the handle. This has worked perfectly with all of my highly destructive ponies and I really like that you can buy different sized regulators for the Eazigrazer.

 

[cauda equina]

Usually the grid drops down as the horses eat, so it's always resting on top of the hay. There's a lid you attach to the feeder after you've put the central grid in on top of the hay, which means the top opening is too narrow for the horses to lift the grid out - hope I've explained that OK.

This is half the price of the Haygains etc. but might not be as sturdy, I've never used one:

https://www.jsw4jumps.co.uk/shop/yard-stable/the-hay-saver/


Just edited to delete my other recommendations, as I somehow missed the 'no attaching to the wall' - sorry! Worth checking with your YO though.

I have Hay Savers and they work well. The greedy cob does tip his over, but the ponies don't

I also use these on the ground, but mine are unshod
As they're made of thick webbing type stuff they might be safe around shoes; probably no worse than a hay pillow anyway
https://www.kramer.co.uk/Stable-Pasture/Stable-Arena/Haynets/Haynet-Strong

 

[Lady Jane]

I have tried HayLo and eazigrazer and I much prefer the Easigrazer, it is much easier to clean and the constant thump of the grid on the underside of the HayLo drove me mad. I fix my Easigrazer to a single ring on the wall using a safety tie through the handle. This has worked perfectly with all of my highly destructive ponies and I really like that you can buy different sized regulators for the Eazigrazer.

Its not way I went for the Haylo but thought why use the top ring with my Haylo? He can pull the regulator out without it! The Haylo does have 2 sizes of regulators. Have you found either more durable than the other?

 

[stimpy]

Its not way I went for the Haylo but thought why use the top ring with my Haylo? He can pull the regulator out without it! The Haylo does have 2 sizes of regulators. Have you found either more durable than the other?

I got rid of the HayLo so can't say anything about its durability. I have two Eazigrazers and two of my ponies are well known for testing most things to destruction but so far the Eazigrazers have held up well.

One thing to be aware of with the Eazigrazer is that if you use it to soak hay and then tip the barrel over to drain the last of the water then the drain plug gets deformed where it rests on the ground and eventually you can't get the cap on with a good seal. It's not a huge deal as you can buy new drain plugs for about a fiver I think but I built a little trolley for mine to sit on whilst it is draining so that the drain plug is held off the ground.