Haynets on the floor?

H

Horsekaren

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 March 2017
Messages
1,300
Visit site
Does anyone use a standard haylage net (smaller holes than the standard size but not the nibble type nets) on the floor not tied to anything? Im considering trying this to slow them down but worried it might be dangerous. I was thinking if i took the hanging part out and replaced with short bailing twine that i cut down to size once tied i can create hayballs safe for the field. Non of the horses are shod but one is a bit clumsy.

Does anyone do this or something similar?
 
A friend does this for her unshod horse but for the stable. She's taken the string out and closes the net with a climbing carabiner. A bit fiddly as you have to thread it through every time but much safer. She's used to it and does it in seconds now. It takes me forever.
 
I have done, but again for an unshod pony. It is one of those square holed tough canvas ones so is really tough and well up to the job.
 
I compromise by tying my haylage nets to a low ring, so he has to stretch down to eat them, but they aren't quite on the floor. I wouldn't do it for anything particularly destructive, or young though-mine is pretty sensible.
 
You would have to be sure that they could not get a foot caught in it or - if they are playful, could not toss it and get caught on something. I don't know what your fields are like but in mine something like this would be trampled into the mud beyond rescue so it might be that you would loose few haynets as well! There are purpose built hay cubes and balls which might be more robust?
 
Or another idea would be to tie the handing bit of rope around a tire so it cant come undone and will weight it down a little bit :/ (standard sized tyres so they cant stuck in them) i would tie them to the floor low but non of the posts at the current place are strong enough.

This would be for the field.
 
hopscotch bandit said:
View attachment 41910How about one of these instead? I have one and they are useful in the stable as well as a dry field (impossible atm lol)
Click to expand...
I like these but i know my boy would give up, he used to give up with a treat version in a stable. Then there is the risk of them rolling into the neighboring paddock and starting world war three amongst the horses in the starvation paddock lol
 
Horsekaren said:
I like these but i know my boy would give up, he used to give up with a treat version in a stable. Then there is the risk of them rolling into the neighboring paddock and starting world war three amongst the horses in the starvation paddock lol
Click to expand...
Ahh bless him, I have the same problem with my horses ball rolling into her neighbours paddock so I have to make sure I put the ball in a natural dip in the field so it won't roll too far. 9 times out of 10 it works.
 
I do, in field only as they’d just end up covered in dung in the stable. I have thick elastic ‘string’ which isn’t knotted so nothing to get stuck in.
 
I used to tie my nets to a tyre in the field. It worked great as long as you tied the string back on itself. The lady I shared with at the time wasn't as careful and tied it like you were tying it to a ring and one morning we found B1 in the next field (electric fencing) with the haynet and tyre attached to his back leg. He was OK, but very concerned that a black round monster was chasing him!
 
dorsetladette said:
I used to tie my nets to a tyre in the field. It worked great as long as you tied the string back on itself. The lady I shared with at the time wasn't as careful and tied it like you were tying it to a ring and one morning we found B1 in the next field (electric fencing) with the haynet and tyre attached to his back leg. He was OK, but very concerned that a black round monster was chasing him!
Click to expand...
Uh oh! I was thinking of just keep wrapping it round and roung then knot it so they cant get attatched.
Well that is my entertainment for this evening sorted :D playing with hay nets and tyres
 
I replaced the string with chain and fastened the chain closed with a carabiner so the two ends were loose and there was nothing to catch a foot in.

.
 
We have done with two unshod horses. I just wove the string through all the holes necessary and then knotted at the bottom ring with a double knot. Never had any problems and it's useful if you need the hay blowing away.
 
I have half a blue barrel. The net goes in the barrel and I tie it through the two holes on the bottom. It does occasionally get chucked about but theres nothing really to get stuck on, and it keeps the hay together. I also love my hay ball! Keeps them slowly moving so it mimics grazing and really slows them down
 
I have recently "invented" a way to feed from the ground in a slow hay net. Firstly because hay is bloody expensive and I'd rather it not blow away or be eaten all at once! And secondly because I had nowhere to tie a haynet to. I bought a biggish heavy rubber feeder (tyre feeders, if you have them over there?) and put that in a half bale slow feeder net. I just stuff the net/bowl with the hay and knot the net closed. Works a treat and I am sure it takes my mare a busy half night to eat all the hay. Wouldn't do it with a shod horse, but this has been a great compromise for me :)
 
They worked a treat :) knotted them to the tires and then put the tires outside the fence with a full water canister to hold it down :) Slowed them down massive amounts! Strawbs managed to find the small rip in the net though lol Clever!
I feel mean but they are only going to be having a small haynet once a day until they move as losing a few pounds wont do any harm!

If anyone wants to try i'd say that net is going to be nibbled for about 4 hours!!! as opposed to a 30 min scoff if not netted.

On a slightly different note its breaking my heart seeing his hind and hips look so dippy, i didnt realize how much muscle he had until he has lost it all. Can anyone think of any exercises i can do to help build him up a little bit. (wobbler so uncoordinated, not ridden. Would walking him in hand for 20 mins a day do anything? any ideas welcome! just to ease it a little bit.

couldn't resist a picture or two :) 1.PNG4.PNG
 
Northern said:
I have recently "invented" a way to feed from the ground in a slow hay net. Firstly because hay is bloody expensive and I'd rather it not blow away or be eaten all at once! And secondly because I had nowhere to tie a haynet to. I bought a biggish heavy rubber feeder (tyre feeders, if you have them over there?) and put that in a half bale slow feeder net. I just stuff the net/bowl with the hay and knot the net closed. Works a treat and I am sure it takes my mare a busy half night to eat all the hay. Wouldn't do it with a shod horse, but this has been a great compromise for me :)
Click to expand...
Can you post a pic, Northern? I am feeding in their feeders, and on the ground, the hay is everywhere and at $300 for 16 small bales it would be good to try and reduce waste..
 
KEK said:
Can you post a pic, Northern? I am feeding in their feeders, and on the ground, the hay is everywhere and at $300 for 16 small bales it would be good to try and reduce waste..
Click to expand...

Here we go, this was this morning so shows how much she can get to (I call that all of it!). The hay nets you can buy online from a place called Aussie Grazers. The other side of this net has a (deliberate) hole in it which I used first to encourage her to eat through it. She caught on very quickly though :)

1583357346467.png
 
Northern said:
Here we go, this was this morning so shows how much she can get to (I call that all of it!). The hay nets you can buy online from a place called Aussie Grazers. The other side of this net has a (deliberate) hole in it which I used first to encourage her to eat through it. She caught on very quickly though :)

View attachment 41972
Click to expand...
Oh thanks! Looks great! Think this is this weekend's project.. looks like you have grass as well..!
 
KEK said:
Oh thanks! Looks great! Think this is this weekend's project.. looks like you have grass as well..!
Click to expand...

We've been lucky, it was a horrific summer but we had good rainfall about 3 weeks ago, and we have now had 60mm+ over the last 24 hours too from ex-TC Esther. The grass is coming through and everything looks green again :) Hope the rainfall continues (and that you get some too - your paddocks looked pretty bare in the photos you put up :( ).
 
I am using the hanging free swinging method this year double netted with haylege nets it works a treat to slow them down .
 
Lois Lame said:
And best of all, we have rain.

Oh, you beat me to it, Northern.
I'm southern, in Canberra. It's been blissful for the last 2 days.
Click to expand...

I'm in Canberra too ;) Isn't it nice to just lie in bed with the windows open, listening to the constant rain. I know our UK friends are sick of the rain, but I'll celebrate it here for the moment ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top