slowing down hay consumption whilst still feeding from the ground

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Walrus

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I'm in a quandry about the best way of feeding hay to fatty pony in the stable. Currently he has small holed haynets hung in the usual way. However he has a rather impressive muscle under his neck which clearly goes into overdrive when he's wrestling with his haynet.

Whilst the muscle can clearly be blamed on our terrible schooling I don't think the haynet is helping.

Don't want to feed him from the floor as he'll hoover his hay super fast.

Am considering a haybar with a haynet tied to a ring right down inside it. But haybars are expensive!

Any ideas gratefully received!
 
There was a thread here a while back, that suggested as long as the horse being fed is without shoes, then leaving a small-holed net loose on the floor shouldn't cause any problems - I have yet to try this method!:)
 
I give my fattie haylage (can't get good quality hay) in her haybar and also give her a trug of plain oat straw chaff. She rarely finishes the chaff, so I know she has enough to eat but she is still losing weight - we monitor weekly.
 
If they are unshod and sensible I tie the small holed nets very low, almost touching the ground and have never had a problem with neck muscles or them putting feet in, for safety they can be tied to bale string.
 
I wonder how something like a small wire dog crate would do - works like a haynet but it can't get tangled up. Ah no, they'd never get the bits at the bottom.

Someone had a pic of a wheely bin with ahole in the side at the bottom they used as a field bale feeder - something smaller but solid with a small hole would trickle feed it. Linned plastic storage tub with feeder hole cut in at bottom?
 
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7822-S200-Munch-Station.jpg


Munch station: http://www.battles.co.uk/products/0...el-feeding-equipment/7822/munch-station-s200/

Along the lines of the old style hay racks when hay was thrown down from a loft. Expensive to buy, but do you have a handy soul who could cobble up something along similar lines in the corner of a stable for you?
 
Quite a few people get on well using a Trickle net as a pillow on the ground. Horse must be un shod though.
 
I was going to suggest the trickle net too, don't have one myself but I've heard of a lot of peple using them on the ground so that their horse can eat more naturally without gobbling too fast.
 
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