Historical horsey question

[Lexi_]

This is probably a very dim question but when were haynets invented?

We're writing some interpretation for the old stables at work (built in the 1880s) and our curator, usually the most knowledgable man in the world, says he's not sure if the rings in the walls were for tying up horses or tying up haynets.

I'm pretty sure it was the former and that they'd have had their hay from racks but realised I have no idea how old haynets actually are!

 

[Houndman]

I think they go back into antiquity, for use by mobile cavalry. Interesting question. Try an archaeology forum! Of course being made of string, examples are unlikely to survive.

 

[Red-1]

When I started with horses back in the 70s most stables had a rack then. There were haynets, and some people used them, but most stables were still fitted with racks. It was the norm.

So, although I do not know when haynets were invented, I believe the rings in the wall were for tying up horses. I also believe rope and blocks were used as well as tying to the wall, so rings were at varying heights.

 

[Casey76]

Looseboxes were relatively uncommon in the past, and it was normal for a horse to be stalled. A rope with a block of wood too large to pass through the ring was attached to the headcollar so the horse could lie down etc, but not move around.

 

[poops]

Interesting! Have they always been made of "nylon, man made materials? If so, that would make them modern. Early 1970's?

 

[Ladyinred]

Interesting! Have they always been made of "nylon, man made materials? If so, that would make them modern. Early 1970's?

I worked at Norton Heath in the very early 70s and the haynets were made of tarred rope... hell on the hands but long lasting.

 

[Red-1]

I have seen some hemp-rope type ones in the past. Very heavy when wet and they rot.

Showing my age now.

I have also been on 2 yards where horses were stalled, up to 24/7. Not any more, and they were working horses so not foo foo horses doing 1 hour a day. When worked hard the stalling did not seem to cause problems other than days off, when swollen legs were the norm.

Not that I LIKE this way of keeping horses, but when I was involved in keeping working horses like that the horses did better than I expected.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Plenty older than me on here, but my mother used to grumble about tarred nets when she was head girl at a local yard (used to tell me about the grumbling) this was in the late 50's/early 60's.
This was mainly for the school ponies who were on logs overnight. The bigger boxes had hay-racks, but all had metal buckets which were removed overnight.

The 1st nets I remember were tarred ones but also hideous nylon ones (like the old electric fencer twine) in around 1970 when I did my 1st PC camp.

 

[cobgoblin]

Could the haynet have evolved from the nosebag? Nose bags came about to solve the question of feeding horses when they became popular for mass transport in the 18th century, though I'm sure they existed before that.

 

[LessThanPerfect]

My first pony was kept on my great uncles farm in the 70's, his stable had been converted into a loose box from 3 shire horse stalls and still had the stone feed troughs and hay racks. The rings were for tying the horses. Haynets Weren't in common use as far as I am aware but were starting to be seen and there was quite a bit of debate about their use as to whether horses would develop huge under neck muscles from yanking their heads and necks up and back to get the hay out of the net.

 

[autumn7]

I still have one rope haynet, untarred. Use it in trailer when returning from hunting as large holes. Easy for tired horse to wheedle hay out of, unlike all her man-made haylage nets. All nets were tarred hemp in early 70's. Ponies were field kept and tarred nets didn't rot. I remember mine with fondness. Can still smell it as I type!

 

[Tnavas]

It will be a tie up ring. It is safer to tie a horse to a point high up, they can't pull back as easily, and they can't get their leg over the rope either.

Tied high it's harder for them to bite you - they used a term called 'short racking'

Later when haynets became the norm they were a good height to hang the net safely.

 

[Houndman]

Try contacting the Imperial War Museum. They will have experts who will know the answers to such questions. Haynets would have been originally used by cavalry units.

We've still got an old large tarred net that was originally for a haystack (hayrick), pre-bales era