How do you feed your hay overnight?

I feed hay from:

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Floor. I am mean enough to say if he poos in it then tough. He has straw so he can his bed instead. He never has though and its much better for teeth and neck.
 
On the floor. I'm too lazy for haynets this year and neither of them seem to be making a mess so will carry on I think. I feed haylage so it's kind of all stuck together in a lump anyway, so sort of like a built in haynet!
 
I never worry about the tangling... that is just you tying it up badly if it comes down?! :confused:

I have been told that the floor is better for their neck muscles though - they strength too much on the underside of their neck pulling against the net. I was told this by a dressage judge, rider and instructor. I would recommend putting it in a trug or bar though to prevent their pee/poo getting mixed up with it!!!
 
Gannet horse (Tara) - off floor. Never a scrap left and she can eat as much as she wants.

Older 27 TB (Phili) - mostly off floor for easy life but sometimes in a net if she is in during day to stop her wasting it.

Tara also hovers up Phil's wastage so it works out ok.
 
It gets churned up in the bed and wasted if on the floor, in a haynet at the moment but when I have a mo, I'm going to make a couple of hay bags. Although at the moment I don't know why I bother, i'm lucky if I manage to get a small bale a week at the moment because they are rather partial to eating their bed:eek: I got 70 odd bales for the winter and at this rate I'll have enough for a year and a half!
 
Massive, small holed haynet. If its on the floor my boy will poo on it and it goes in his bed. Never had a problem with his haynet.
 
Haybar, horse used to have it on floor & was very neat & tidy with it. However I fancied a haybar so
got one few winters ago & I absolutely love it!
 
Small mesh hay nets almost on the floor. The holes are too small for the horse to get caught in and my horses are barefoot anyway.

I love this way of feeding as there is no waste and it really makes the hay last longer.

I remove the strings and use a quicklink to pull all the loops together at the top. Then I put the link on a strand of bale twine so that if a horse gets caught up the bale twine will break. Seems very safe and I've used this system for more than 2 years with absolutely no mishaps.
 
I feed from the floor as I've heard it is better for them to be in their natural grazing position. I have a big sack that I carry it in from my feed room to the stable.
 
Haybet and floor. My 3 live out. Old horse has a large net of haylage in his shelter. Fat ponies have a bit of hay onthe floor.

During the day they have hay on the floor.
 
Carefully tied, high haynet as otherwise hay is dragged through bed and wasted. Last bale cost us £75 so can't afford to use it as bedding!
 
A hayrack and a net with large holes as my boy HATES the smaller holes and won't eat from them! He's not too bad on waste either as he goes around like a Hoover after picking up everything he drops :)
 
Had a hay rack but didn't like it, now use two medium sized nets on either side of the stable to encourage a little bit of movement! OH puts hay on floor for Flint which I hate, it wastes loads and gets mixed up with his bed, unfortunately he's too flippin' lazy to use haynets. :mad:
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, very helpful.:)

I think im going to go back to haynets as one of the boys needs slowed down (he is a hay hoover!) :rolleyes:
 
Just off the floor, I prefer the more natural position and I think it helps not develop underside of neck and good for her back. Thankfully she is so tidy and doesn't soil it or take it in her bed. :)
 
I try and avoid nets unless something is boxresting or needs restricting. I have floor corner mangers in each stable and greedy horses that hate to waste good hay :) In the field they get it on the floor, sections put in different places daily. in really bad weather I have a Swedish net that takes a whole small bale and that gets hung off a xc jump plus stuff off of floor.
 
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