Soaking hay, without soaking myself. How?

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Janette

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Star has a cough and is on ventipulmin. The vet has suggested all the usual methods of dust control - turn out, removing the straw top from her shavings bed and soaking her hay.

I seem to be incapable of soaking hay without soaking myself and as I go to work straight from the stables, this is an important thing. (plus, when it's sub zero - who wants wet legs???)

Any suggestions?
 
A couple of things that I found useful...

wear tracky bottoms over your trousers. They won't be entirely water proof, but they will certainly help. If you get them a size larger than you normally wear, they should fit over even the bulkiest outfit. They will also keep dust and hay from clinging to your clothes. If you can't find trackies, maybe try dog grooming overtrousers (I get mine from a place called Technogroom) which are made of parachute material. I wear them to horseshows over joddies. :D

Also when soaking nets I use a great big rubbish barrel (clean though) and after 12 hours, I'd pull it out, hang it somewhere it can drain, hose it off (to remove the excess sugars and effluent) and the move it to the stable via wheelbarrow so I haven't got to try to muscle it along, with it banging against my legs soaking me in the process. The wheelbarrow also helps cos I haven't then got to try to hoist it that high to hang it. I use a trigger clip on the end of my net string so I can lever it up in the ring, and then clip it quick.
 
Use a wheelie bin and put a tap in the bottom. Drain the water out once its been soaked for long enough. Rinse the hay through whilst still in the bin leaving the tap open for the water to keep draining out. Then wheel the bin to the stable, tip it on its side and with a bit of luck you'll be able to get the net hung without getting wet.
 
ISHmad said:
Use a wheelie bin and put a tap in the bottom. Drain the water out once its been soaked for long enough. Rinse the hay through whilst still in the bin leaving the tap open for the water to keep draining out. Then wheel the bin to the stable, tip it on its side and with a bit of luck you'll be able to get the net hung without getting wet.
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Ditto this! We have this at work but ours has a hose attachment at the top so you can leave it running whilst doing other things and a strong luggage strap on the lid to strap it down to stop your net from floating and appearing out the top!
 
Waterproof trousers!!!! Recommend Rambo chaps!
We use a wheelybin. Tried the tap at the bottom but it got clogged with hay. We poke haynet down with a broomhandle and wedge it against the wall to keep hay underwater. We tip the water out every couple of days.
 
Ive got a laminitic at the moment so im soaking hay {ive never soaked hay in my life} and i HATE it, im lucky to have a fast running stream in my fields, so i leave it to soak in the deep end {and all the sugers get washed away} i really feel for all you people that have to do this all the time. {sorry im not much help to you ;)}
 
once you have tipped the net out of the dustbin/soaking vessel sit it on top of a beer crate for as long as you can. it drains and drips off, then the haynet is easier to carry and doesnt drip all over the stable. if you get organised you can put the next soaked net out to crate drip for the following morning/eve.
 
I have two water butts that I bought from B&Q and come with taps that fit to the bottom. They will each hold two medium sized haynets so I soak 24 hours worth in each bin. Fill to top, open tap when finished soaking, allow to drain, easy peasy. I don't get wet at all using this method. When it was really cold (-16), I added a kettle of boiling water to stop from freezing and soaked for a few hours instead. You could easily steam hay in them too. It is much easier than tipping a tub/container of water and you don't get soaked.

Sue
 
I have 2 bins on the go and use a large plant pot with holes in the bottom to weight it down, push it down on top of the hay till it fills with water then the water will hold itself down. Then i hang it on the fence to drain/feed from field or chuck the hay on the floor.
Also I have rubber mats and leave a clear space under the net if I'm going to feed wet hay in the stable. Good luck.
 
I have to soak hay too as my mare is prone to lami. It has been awful during the freezing weather, had to bring my nets home to soak as the tap at the yar was frozen.

I use 2 huge stubbs buckets, I soak them for 12 hours, rinse them and hang them on the gate to drain with water buckets underneath to catch the water.
 
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