solution to hay mess in horsebox?

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webble

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I have a Renault master and it's great but every time we go out the hay from the nets gets everywhere. I have tried nets with smaller holes which helped a bit but I was just wondering if any clever person had come up with a solution?
 
Hi Webble,
Not tried one...but a friend swears by a hay bag....she got hers from Robinsons...she says far less is dropped on the floor.

Good lick:)
Bryndu
 
Have you tried a haybag? I find they are less messy, don't know if other people do.
Or cover your stuff that's getting covered in the back of the van, with a sheet?
 
Will be interested in replies to this as I have exactly the same problem. Have partially solved it with an old waterproof exercise sheet which I cover the stuff on the floor with, saddle is in a cover and most of the rest of the stuff hangs up but we still manage to get hay all over the floor and in all the nooks and crannys.
 
Wet hay! I always travel horses with it wet now, as I don't like the thought of introducing dust into a closed environment, and have noticed far less mess since I started doing that.
 
Best answer: regularly lend your horse box to a reliable friend who will clean it out for you! :) I have given up leaving anything except buckets out in the little compartment in mine (also Renault Master) as everything gets covered in those horrid little short bits of hay that you can't do anything with!
 
Or, controversial answer, don't feed hay in the box. I don't travel with a hay net, most competition horses don't, I give him hay before we leave while I am getting ready, pop hay net in a plastic bag, then he has it once he's off the box.
 
I've seen a picture on a website - pretty sure it's Oakley - of a 3.5 tonne with a cover that you can clip on that presumably keeps the hay off everything - did think of trying to get one for my Marlborough
 
My solution was to put a partition up between the horse and grooms area. Obviously this was done more so to stop horse jumping over but worked a treat for the hay problem to.
 
I don't give horses hay when travelling either - have heard of too many horses getting choke. As my horses live on grass 24/7 ulcers aren't top of my list of concerns and if I am ever travelling more than 4 hours I plan a break and pick of grass for at least an hour half way. Have travelled for 15 years like that and have never had a problem. And if we are just an hour down the road, I'm sure he can manage just fine - after all he will be working for at least that long if not more. We can both eat when we are done.
 
I don't want to contradict you, sorry, but I don't want people to start worrying about this, so I must say I've travelled for thirty years, never without a haynet, and even my horse with a tie back never got choke and this thread is the first time I have ever heard the idea that they might.
 
I've also spent many years on the road with horses, several of them as an event groom to a top rider. We always travelled them with hay, unless it was a quick trip down the road to go x-country schooling or to the local comp centre. The only time the horses ever had hay taken away was an hour before going x-country - we certainly didn't travel them the length and breadth of the UK with nothing to eat!

Also never seen choke in a travelling horse
 
I've always travelled horses with a haynet. Been doing it on and off for forty years. Riding ponies, showjumpers, hunters, Polo ponies. Never heard of choke from it. Note: leadrope/ties must be long enough to allow the head to go below whither height, so airways can be kept clear.

The only time we didn't we when moving a number of ponies in one go and they were in there for less than half an hour.

Horses are trickle eaters. If no hay whilst traveling plus obviously no hay whilst competing, plus one assumes therefore no hay whilst waiting, how many hours would that add up to without that trickle feeding?

In answer to your question OP, does it matter if there's a bit of a mess? You'll be sweeping up to check the floor anyway won't you?
 
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No it's not the end of the world Mrs m I just wondered if someone had come up with a clever idea

I wouldn't want to travel without hay even on a short journey in case we got stuck in traffic or broke down and they were without for a while

I used to travel all over to competitions and always put hay nets in
 
Agreed - I have a 3.5t renault master and when using it twice a week, with 2 horses munching, the mess does become a pita! The problem is that it falls into the 'grooms' area so any tack/kit ends up covered, so not only are you sweeping out the floor, you are having to pick bits off your equipment.

tbh I only feed hay if on a long journey, or when they are hungry and travelling home after hunting. If we do any comps/fun ridess usually we park on grass so always let them have a munch on arrival and before travelling home. Howevere I always carry an 'emergency' net, just in case if breakdown etc.

When they do have a net I lay an old rainsheet over anything I can to keep the hay off, which helps a little.

Jay 89 - I have used vita munch whilst travelling, and although the horses love them, they do end up dropping a lot too, so doesn't eliminate the problem.
 
Holidays_are_coming said:
The quickest way to give horses ulcers!!
Click to expand...

Really?! I rarely travel more than an hour to hour and a half to go out competing, so I am sure that is highly unlikely to get ulcers. Should I stop on our rides to let him eat all the time then, we often go out for a couple of hours and he won't have eaten anything for 3+ hours by the time we've got back and he's gone to bed or out in the field?!
 
Haybag + 'hammock' is my solution.

The hammock is a sturdy dust sheet that runs the width of the van from the breast bar out about 2ft + a dip. Length of wood glued into each long side and ties at the ends secured to the window bars. I even have ties on the breast bar side so it can be rolled up like a blind when I'm staying away and want more room in the back.

It catches the worst of the hay which you can just lift out at the end of the day. A quick whizz round the back with a dustpan and brush does the rest!
 
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sidewaysonacob said:
Haybag + 'hammock' is my solution.

The hammock is a sturdy dust sheet that runs the width of the van from the breast bar out about 2ft + a dip. Length of wood glued into each long side and ties at the ends secured to the window bars. I even have ties on the breast bar side so it can be rolled up like a blind when I'm staying away and want more room in the back.

It catches the worst of the hay which you can just lift out at the end of the day. A quick whizz round the back with a dustpan and brush does the rest!
Click to expand...

Ooo i like this idea do you have any pics please?
 
I know this is the one downside of having this type of box, the dropped hay goes everywhere. I just cover my saddle and anything else stored in my groom area with a tarpaulin, then shake it off when I get to my destination.
 
I know a few people have suggested it, but I bought a haybag and found it turned round and the horse couldn't really get at the hay once it got low (maybe he's a bit thick). You could probably tie it more securely to keep it straight but it didn't keep the mess off in any case as a lot still got dropped from his mouth. (I therefore have a spare haybag if you want to try it OP!).

I haven't found a solution yet except to keep all my stuff the other side of the box, and just sweep out each time. It doesn't take long.
 
We sell these horseboxes... I have had the back blocked off in my personal one however one of our clients had a great idea to reduce hay mess. She had a roller blind fitted just underneath the lip on the partition from horse area to living. This rolled out and attached to a couple of hooks placed higher up on the back doors. This means the blind is at a slant and all the hay just rolls back to the horse. Easily unclips when you arrive at your destination :)
 
I only take soaked hay and I put all my stuff in the cupboards, never leave it out in the grooms area, and I always take a dustpan and brush handy for clearing up with.
I also put my horse in the first compartment of the lorry when at a show and hang the haynet so its hanging over the doors not hanging in the grooms bit so he can stand and eat and look about this seems to work better than tying him to the side of the lorry.
 
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