Haynets - anyone else had this?

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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My big lad is on a diet..... bad enough.... but i brought him a net with small holes in and he has rubbed his nose red raw on it.... now whom feels cruel..... anyone else had this ? did you carry on or give in?

Felt so guilty tonight i have just got back from giving him his "night hay" loose on the floor.. would usually have put it into his hay net - of normal size but he is really really sore on his nose.

Do i feel guilty a - for letting him get porky but even more so that he was hungry and sore tonight....
 
Never had this. My greedy hooligans just bite bigger holes!
Can you get hold of oat straw? If so feed as much as you like or mix in with soaked hay to bulk up. Then, as Mrs. M. says, no need for a net! Mine love oat straw (well any straw if they don't have hay tbh) but I find it quite hard to get hold of. Hope you find a solution.
 
lost said:
Mine chews away at the net till he has got a nice big hole to pull his hay out.
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My mare's exactly the same!! The amount of holey nets we have :P

The only other option other than suggested above would be one of those hay bags that people use at shows? (like a solid bag with one hole at the bottom) They seem to be softer than haynets so if your lad does rub his nose, it shouldn't make him so sore? Or, like a friend did with hers, use some form of manger with netting in it to stop him eating it so quickly? He shouldn't be able to rub his nose on it if its up in the air! I hope you find a solution!
 
I absolutely abhor haynets and would never use one. I also believe that horses should be allowed to eat as nearly as possible to how they would in the wild.
So we feed soaked (if necessary) hay and good quality oat straw from the floor, or haybar. then there's no danger of strangulation, or any other injury (including sore noses) and muscle development is much healthier, also sinuses drain. This solves a lot of problems.
 
Gingerwitch said:
My big lad is on a diet..... bad enough.... but i brought him a net with small holes in and he has rubbed his nose red raw on it.... now whom feels cruel..... anyone else had this ? did you carry on or give in?

Felt so guilty tonight i have just got back from giving him his "night hay" loose on the floor.. would usually have put it into his hay net - of normal size but he is really really sore on his nose.

Do i feel guilty a - for letting him get porky but even more so that he was hungry and sore tonight....
Click to expand...


I had this a couple of years ago when my horse got lami, he could only have 6lb of hay so my vet told me to triple net it, very sore nose, I just had to carry on, put cream on, still triple netted, had to, really really hard to say what to do
 
I think I would personally just soak the hay really well (12 hours ish) and feed from the floor... I wouldn't feed add lib but I wouldn't ration it too much either...
 
have a total hate of haynets I'm afraid - just a recipie for a whole range of awful accidents. Our two fattys have well soaked hay, eaten from the floor. As well as avoiding haynet accidents it is so much better for them to eat from that position too. If they eat their soaked hay too fast then that is just too bad! If we need to bring them in early, then they get less hay then, then the rest of their ration at a later evening yard visit so they don't just polish it off instantly!
 
I dont usually use hay nets - i dont like them and am always fearful when approaching the stables in a morning... but i was trying to spread the big lads hay as in all fairness to the owners they live on site, and are pretty good about the hours we can come and go.

As ~(hopefully) this will be the first and last year i have to restrict his intake (i let him come out of winter a little too well but i wont make that mistake again) and he has just had a fortnight off with a bruised sole

Thanks for the suggestions anyhow - ive gone for the long soak and hay on the floor (as i usually do) oh for a poor doer !
 
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