new conclusion, hay bars?

[bca13]

After researching pretty much every possible hay net, feeder and bucket, i have come to the conclusion that hay bars seem like a great investment. Has anyone tried them, what are your opinions? Will be getting a pony sized one so cleaning out not too much of an issue, did you find they just gorged on all the hay?? Will be used on an ulcery fatty so slightly worried she will just eat it all quickly and be left with nothing overnight. Any opinions appriciated

 

[janietee_5]

Hay bars a brilliant. We had one that could overeat given the chance and we just tied his hay in the haybar in a large holed hay net. Slowed him down without the tugging associated with small holed nets. Eventually he regulated his intake and we could put hay in loose.

We did sell hay bars in the end as horse 1 was diagnosed with KS and we wanted his head as low as possible when eating hay and horse 2 (an oldie) decided he would prefer to eat off the floor. Funnily enough, 5 years of haybar use made them less likely to drag hay round bed - which was why we got haybars in the first place. ?

As a bonus, we got the same for the hay bars as we paid for them 5 years ago.

 

[asmp]

Mine’s used for storing rugs in the stable! I have a pony who eats his hay as fast as he can so he has to have it in a small hole haynet. Might try the suggestion above though.

Other horse has one and it does mean you don’t have the faff of filling a net.

 

[Red-1]

Mine has a haynet tied over and in the hay bar. It slows her down and catches all the little bits that fall out. I then dare to let her run a little short, as she then spends a long time sifting through the dropped bits.

The only issue with them is if you don't clean them daily. I had mine put on so it is not on the floor and there is space at the bottom. It needs totally cleaning every day or it would be disgusting. I simply fork out any remainders, then bang the bottom with a fork and it falls through to the ground underneath where it can be swept (hung it high enough to fit a broom underneath).

I have saved a load of hay, only have 1 shovel of waste a day, and no bedding wasted at all as it simply doesn't mix. It has saved a load of £.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I have had hay bars for years and I think they are great. I thought them expensive for what they are but they are very robust and pay for themselves through less wastage and time. You do need to position them carefully so you can clean the seeds and leftovers out and sweep underneath as Red-1 says. I had a pony that used to empty his hay out onto the floor and I found the grill accessory very effective at stopping that. Apart from the ease of use and time saving angle they are safer than hay nets and better for the horses dentition.

 

[TPO]

I had hay bars for years and they were a great alternative to hay nets (for backs, necks and teeth) or feeding from the floor (wastage).

They were easy to clean out but there was still some wastage as certain horses still liked to push the hay out into the floor then drag it into their beds ??

I ended up buying haycubes and I much prefer them.

They are more expensive but is closer to ground eating without the wastage.

 

[VioletStripe]

I've only ever heard good things about them generally. I've also seen tutorials (I think on here) where people have made their own out of rubber matting, as Hay Bars themselves are pretty pricey. Might be worth a google...

 

[bca13]

How do people soak hay in hay bars

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Unfortunately they do not stand up to being sat on by large cobs!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Unfortunately they do not stand up to being sat on by large cobs!

????

Or petite warmblood ponies. DP well and truly squashed his scratching his lovely little bottom on it.

Other than that they are brilliant.

 

[Redders]

I made mine out of a carpet off cut and two spare bits of wood to secure to the stable walls. Didn’t cost me a penny and doing a great job.

 

[Pinkvboots]

How do people soak hay in hay bars

You soak the haynet of hay then tip it in the hay bar.

 

[Polos Mum]

I made my own, the shaped official ones seemed a little small and v expensive. I use 4 spare solid plastic planks (from Monarch internal stable partitions) which are horse proof / safe. and the slot into the corner so easily lift out to clean / sweep.
This isn't the best photo (post stable spring clean) but you can spot it in the corner)

 

[emfen1305]

It took 2 days for my cob to fully destroy a haybar - luckily it was free so settled on a hay cube as it is slightly more robust. He does like to sit on it so it has split on the corner but doesn't affect the use at all. And you can soak hay in them as it has a plug at the bottom to drain and wheels to drag it around!

 

[Sugar Plum]

I bought mine as my horse is quite messy and I didn't like the unnatural position of a hay net. I have an issue with the cleaning side as YO doesn't clean out the Haybar everyday so I have to do it on the weekend. I worry about the dust with all the bits and seeds left at the bottom.

 

[Maryann]

I have had mine for 10 years now and although they are getting a bit battered by the usual suspects they are still going strong and I love them. I didn't get them for the horses' sake - I got them for mine as I just couldn't face haynets any more due to slightly arthritic wrists.
I put a water tub inside one once as the horse was not allowed to get his foot wet after an operation. It worked really well as even when the tub was knocked over the water ran out of the bottom of the hay bar and not on the bandage and it wasn't as tempting to play with in there.

 

[MagicMelon]

We made our own with wood - just cornered off the corner basically, worked well

 

[hopscotch bandit]

After researching pretty much every possible hay net, feeder and bucket, i have come to the conclusion that hay bars seem like a great investment. Has anyone tried them, what are your opinions? Will be getting a pony sized one so cleaning out not too much of an issue, did you find they just gorged on all the hay?? Will be used on an ulcery fatty so slightly worried she will just eat it all quickly and be left with nothing overnight. Any opinions appriciated

I bought a second hand one for £15 that had a crack which we've repaired with plenty of reinforcement tape around the top and it works fine. But I find my horse sorts out her hay and pushes a lot out onto the stable floor to rumage through it later.

As she probably has exactly the amount of hay she needs in terms of appetite it does all get picked up but occasionally i find hay in her shavings bed which is frustrating.

But they are certainly better for horses necks than hay nets.

 

[sjp1]

Mine shoves his hay out with his nose to 'pick through it all' if its loose. So it is in the bed, in the water bucket and all over the place. So I put a haynet in and lovely fellow livery has made me a 'shelf' that slots into the corner half way down. This means it is a much better eating position for my lad but not so easy for him to hoick the whole lot out searching for that 'perfect piece of hay'!!

 

[Green Bean]

I bought mine due to a KS diagnosis so interested in why janietee_5 changed due to KS. I prefer the HayBar, although my horse isn't a gobbler. She still tosses a little on the floor but doesn't really drag it around the stable. My only comment on the HayBar is the height and size. On reflection, I may have been better off with the smaller version as the large one takes a lot of hay, which is fine if your horse is on box rest, but not ideal under normal conditions.

 

[southerncomfort]

I have 2 in my field shelter (were there when I moved here). Too high for the mini shetland, and the 13.2hh can only reach halfway down.

To be honest they seem to be mostly used as beds by local stray cats!

 

[janietee_5]

I bought mine due to a KS diagnosis so interested in why janietee_5 changed due to KS. I prefer the HayBar, although my horse isn't a gobbler. She still tosses a little on the floor but doesn't really drag it around the stable. My only comment on the HayBar is the height and size. On reflection, I may have been better off with the smaller version as the large one takes a lot of hay, which is fine if your horse is on box rest, but not ideal under normal conditions.

We were advised that eating off the floor would stretch the spine more than eating out of the haybar.