How do you feed your hay?

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Haybar. More natural and easy to fill. I HATE haynets....

Though my mare takes great delight in pulling all hers out and into her bed.
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I use to use haynets, then I went to a show where we had to stable overnight. Went to see my boy at 6am and found him with his back leg stuck in the haynet. The haynet was tired really high up! I was so lucky he was ok just a bit sore for a day or so. I always feed from the floor now. Only use a hay net when I can be with him or in the trailer.
 
haynet - because we cant afford for any horse to waste their haylege. we have enough haylege to last us until april, and then we are stuffed
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we have the haynet filler thingy which is amazing - can fill 16 haynets in the time i would normally have filled only 5!
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I chose 'other', my horse gets 1/2 on the floor and 1/2 in a haynet. I read somewhere that horses find it more interesting to have their hay in more than 1 place in the stable, so thats what I do! I think I'm the only one on my yard that does though!
 
Off the floor. I had haynets up but put extra on the floor one night as I wouldn't be as early in the morning a usual. She ate the hay off the floor, didn't touch it from the haynet.

As she is tidy in that she doesn't spread it everywhere I now just feed it from the floor. Saves me time too!
 
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I chose 'other', my horse gets 1/2 on the floor and 1/2 in a haynet. I read somewhere that horses find it more interesting to have their hay in more than 1 place in the stable, so thats what I do! I think I'm the only one on my yard that does though!

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i do this too
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Off the floor...friends horse had no end of teeth problems due to eating from a haynet!!
fed my lad haylage from a net for a mnth(he kept choking..greedy piglet,lol),was gobsmacked when i saw the muscle developing under his neck....bit the bullet went back to the floor and everything ok,muscle now gone and topline built back up!!
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everything moves naturally when they feed from the floor!!
 
Horse don't always eat off floor in wild as they are browsers, though poss not as high up as we hang hay.

Use haynet, have never had a problem and never known anyone with a problem. can't see him getting his leg up there, would have to rear or buck and that would be too energetic! I normally change the strings to something better though.

He often ends up with some on the floor too as he pulls it out.

Depending on situ I might not leave him with one in a strange stable overnight as aware he might be more of a fidget in a strange place.

He has his haynet in 2 spots as he wears his teeth down unevenly and dentist said they will always eat towards the door so we are trying to even him up!

If they were in all the time would prob feed some on the floor but are out 11 hours a day for drainage.
 
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Ah VictoriaEDT is it really true eating from a haynet affects the grown of their teeth?? Have you had experience of horses that have been affected??

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my friends horse had terrible teeth...she was told by edt it was very much contributed to by yrs of haynet use,unnatural use of the teeth??
 
Off the floor.
If I feed my mare in a haynet I find that she will eat the hayledge from the net but won't touch the stuff thats fallen out onto the floor and therefore wastes loads. However if I feed it off the floor she wolfs it down and doesn't leave a scrap so wastes alot less! Thankfully she doesn't drag it around her bed or anything. Plus it is more natural for them to eat off the floor. I have known horses to get back problems from haynets..
 
teeth, and respiratory system.

A horse does browse hedges, yes, but in the wild would spend most of his time with his head down, this allows for 'drainage' of bacteria etc and also correct airway function. So always better to feed from the floor (though not always economical!)
 
I ticked other. I put half on the floor and half in a net. Prefer horse to eat off floor as I feel it is more natural but I am watching his waistline so compromise with a some in a small net haylage net which takes longer to eat.... and the rest on the floor.
 
Haynets - the IV horse ones with the tiny holes. Ours are out 24/7, so putting on the ground means that it gets blown away / wasted. Would put in haybars in the field shelters, but one of the horses hates going in the field shelters. Also, the tiny holes make the hay last a bit longer. I do agree that feeding off the ground is more natural, and also better for respiratory issues, but it just isn't practical for ours unfortunately!!
 
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Ah VictoriaEDT is it really true eating from a haynet affects the grown of their teeth?? Have you had experience of horses that have been affected?? [/quote

it doesnt affect the growth rate of the teeth as such but it does prevent the rostro/caudal (front/back) natural movement of the lower jaw, thus increasing the liklihood of developing rostral and caudal hooks.
Also, increases the muscle development of the bracheosephalocus (sp?!) in the neck and so does not help with riding!
 
Think off floor is easier with slices from small bales, ours was baled in large round bales this year which are a pain, would end up with hay mountain in bed and couldn't weigh it very well (only weigh as find it reduces wastage and keep an eye on intake)
 
i feed mine in a haynet as he wont eat it all if it isnt soaked and i hang it quite low.

when he moves to the new yard on sunday :S (very nervous)
i think i will try a haybar

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