How to feed hay from floor but still keep ponio eating slowly?

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tillyd

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I currently feed my horse hay from a small holed haynet because she is a very good doer and would otherwise eat it in half an hour flat and be left stood with nothing to munch overnight, which I think is miserable.
But I hate feeding high up and would really like to go back to feeding from ground level. I tie her haynet up really high cos have heard horror stories about legs getting stuck/broken.
Does anyone have any suggestions of how I can feed from ground but still slow her eating down, and still be safe? I need an inventor!
 
Ours are all good-doers, particularly Mo & Dolly, so we soak their hay for between 8 and 12 hours. After that, there are very few calories left in it, so they can have as much of it as they want. If you did this you could feed from the floor, not worry about calories, and he'd have enough to keep him busy!
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My boy will sometimes eat it more quickly when it's in a net than on the floor. The pony may well eat it really quickly at first but when she/he realises that it isn't going away will probably regulate him/herself. Good luck. Also, if you do feed from the floor break the slices up yourself, it tends to last longer as the horse eats smaller quantities at a time.
 
Ditto soaking it. Daisy doesn't like it soaked so she just picks at it rather than wolfing it down. If you don't want to soak it my chiro told me you can get boxes with a mesh on top so the horse can still only get a little at a time.
 
I put mine in a large tub (no handles) and put that into two haylage nets and tie so there are no loops he can get his foot stuck in.

We've done this for a few horses and no accidents yet, though there will be some that disapprove!

Robinsons used to do a tub that had some sort on integrated grid that pushed down as the haylage levels went down, Think it was quite expensive as never bought it, and don't know if they still do it!
 
Get yourself a big tubtrug type soaking bucket and put the hay in that, then fill with water until the hay is submerged. They have to eat slowly as the hay floats on the top and its not possible to take great mouthfuls.

I feed one of mine this way as he needs as much water as he can get in his diet and ive noticed how this system has made him slow up compared to a net of wet hay.
 
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