Small holed haynets

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_Libby_

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my mare gets fed haylage and was eating it very quickly therefore i bought a net with smaller holes, not tiny, about 2 inch each side. Since doing this she wont eat hay out of it!

Do you think she is struggling to get it out? or hurting her teeth?

Also when i mentioned it to another livery she said she'd been advised by her vet not to use hay nets as they encourage horses to eat in an un natural way and wear their teeth abnormally? Never heard this before?!
 
Feeding from a haynet is unnatural as they normally graze from the ground. So feeding from a source which is high up is not natural.

Also, have you tried using a medium size holed haynet?
 
It depends on their dental conformation. One of mine was slightly parrot-mouthed, so feeding from high up would have caused problems, re. the wearing of his teeth. Feeding from the floor allowed his lower jaw to come forward and be in line with his top jaw. Something like that anyway!
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Horses thateat from nets develop precicely the wrong neck muscles.

They are also more prone to breathing disorders as the tubes arn't draining properly (ie, downwards!)

Also, the teelth constantly grab at the nylon, which wears them and knackers the enamel.
 
thats interesting, pretty scary though. Nearly everyone on my yard uses them, I'd never heard much negative press on the before. Wouldnt a hay rack be similar though and i know tonnes of competition yards who have these?

Is a haybar a better option or just off the floor? (in which case though it ends up dragged right through bed)
 
Yep, hay racks get the same bad press i'm afraid! My dentist (and most/all dentists) say hay nets & racks should be banned!!
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Haybars are the new 'thing'! Allow a more natural feeding position, but dont waste the hay or mess the bed up!
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I've been in a new yard for the last 2 weeks. They feed all their horses using haynets - i've never done this before. I currently feed Super with a small holed haynet now, and to get her started I pull a bit out for her and leave her to it. I don't think she has a problem as it's empty in the morning!

In all other places I've been, they've fed the horses hay loose on the ground. I think the new place do it as it's tidier?? TBH Super does make a mess outside her stable as she's so nosy and will chew hay over the door.

They say it's good for horses to eat from the ground as it helps clear their airways or something like that. I'd perfer to feed from the ground but I'll see what happens with the haynets.
 
I bought a hay-bar for my last horse about 3 months before he was PTS. Got my mare and she quids. She had plenty of dentistry since I bought her and dentist says she's as good as he can get her but she must have her haylage in a small holed haynet to slow her chewing down or she still drops plenty out of her mouth if she eats too fast. Had to sell the hay-bar. Bl**dy horses!
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I've just asked my friend whos a dentist, she advised haynets can cause dental problems however if your horse is really messy then they arent too bad, as long as you try to keep them below head height, basically as low as poss. without legs getting caught
 
Haynets a big no no!!Friend had a dentist bill and it was HUGE,he explained to her the effect of feeding the horse so unaturally,his teeth and jaw were in such bad shape and the poor bugger was only 6!!!I was shocked to be honest and this was 3 yrs ago,never realised that something as insignificant as a haynet could course soo much grief!!
 
We always feed ours from the ground. If you have one who is always dragging hay or haylage into their bedding then the best thing to do is buy a huge jumbo plastic tub from B & Q or the like, and fix two tie rings so that you can safely tie the handles of the tub to these. Fill it with hay or haylage et voila -a cheap Hay Bar!

There is so much evidence about how detrimental haynets can be we would never use them to be quite honest.
 
I use haynets but wouldn't tend to use them hanging about in the field / stable etc. I only use them for travelling / shows (tied up as tight as possible) and my shetland but for her I tie it really low so she doesnt have to move her head at an odd angle to eat it.

Generally I feed on the ground - the other horses (turned out 24/7) have hay in the field and also in the shelter on the floor and in a rack. I rarely use haynets out in the field due to the danger. One of my last ponies managed to put his hoof through one once.... Luckily we saw it happen and got him out quick.
 
I tried putting Barons on the floor and he wasnt interested. He much preferes his out of a net. His has small holes and he still goes through it rather fast. If I use the large hole ones loads spills onto the floor and he just leaves it. Maybe I just have a strange horse
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