Plastic Hay Bar deformed

[RickHomer64]

I am not the horsey one, my wife is!! and I recently fitted a plastic hay bar but William (Black Gelding) has decided, after being attacked by every biting insect in Warwickshire, that he would rub his tail on the new Hay Bar - it has deformed but is still attached to the wooden walls! Has anyone got ideas to reshape the hard plastic and also a way to stop a horse rubbing them themselves raw on them and so destroying it. He is in permanently as grass too rich at the moment and he is not young!! My wife maybe horrified that I have stepped into her world by using this forum!

 

[Iznurgle]

Depending on the plastic, you may be able to remove it from the walls, soak in boiled water, and reform when heated - though you'll need BBQ/heatproof gloves and safe knowledge of whatever type of plastic it is and it's ability to be heated. You should be able to find a stamp on it indicating the plastic, and google from there. Depending on the damage, a haynet with small holes may be the way to go to slow his eating. Also, at my yard we recently installed some brush heads and old stiff horse brushes mounted on the wall for a particularly itchy goat - this could be something to consider, though risk/reward is worth keeping in mind!

 

[RickHomer64]

Hi, thanks for that. The reason for the Hay Bar was to force his neck down but sometimes has soaked hay and this went mouldy! So I asked, innocently, why you can’t hang a hay net low and she said getting hooves caught! So I may not be able to reform the Hay Bar and may seek an alternative . As for rubbing, brushes etc a great idea but I think my wife is going to concentrate on a wrap around fly rug, to really keep everything out! Any more ideas would be very appreciated, still cannot quite believe I am on a horse forum! ??

 

[EllenJay]

Try putting Killitch on his tail. That should stop him rubbing

 

[RickHomer64]

Hi thanks but Killitch was the first of many - my wife’s latest remedy I don’t even know the name of! - the flies & midges are brutal this year!

 

[I'm Dun]

You can make a DIY hay bar out of wood and rubber matter if you have any sort of DIY skills at all, which is sounds like you do. Or a wooden crate, the ones that have tiles or paving stones in, can also be used.