Trickle nets - any good?

[Pasture Mix]

I saw someone mention trickle nets on here a while ago & I'm currently rethinking my girls' management for this winter now SS has recovered from laminitis & I can implement more permanent routines..
This is the net that was mentioned: http://www.tricklenet.co.uk/ - as you can see, they are quite expensive. This doesn't really bother me - as long as they actually work!
So, has anyone used one of these? And how did you find them? Did they make as much difference as they claim to? And did they stand up to frustrated horses?
All opinions welcome

 

[Jesstickle]

Every year I think about buying one and never do. Maybe this year will be the one!

 

[mjcssjw2]

the frustrate my horse and he ends up snatching and grabbing at the haynet, I feel this is bad for his neck and back, he is much calmer and slower given hay of the floor, trickle net for sale anyone lol

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes very good was the breakthrough we needed in fattys diet plan.
I think they are best if you have two rings about four and a half feet up to tie them to( 16.2 horse ) you put the rope through one thread through the next ring then through several of the Haynet rings and then tie so it forms a sort of sausage along the wall .
This stop them yanking it and hurting their necks.

 

[Nancykitt]

I thought they were really good at first, but husband's cob got the thing sussed after a couple of weeks and developed a technique that meant he could empty a trickle net in the same amount of time as a normal net. The nets themselves are incredibly tough, but the pull-through rope at the top broke on both nets after quite a short time. I also found them hard work to stuff and we have now gone back to 'normal' nets.
Having said all this, I know people who swear by them and say that they really do slow down the horse's haylage consumption.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

I was given one and no, I don't like it.
Feeding isn't slowed down any more than double netting with small holes. I dislike the cord because the horse has to use its lips to get hay out. The cord is thick and rough, I'd have numb lips if I spent hours pulling at it.
It's difficult to pull the top closed and never closes completely like a regular haynet.
Its over priced and sitting unloved in my feed room.

 

[jrp204]

Really like it although we have no horse now so it is sitting in the stable, may need rehoming.

 

[Jesstickle]

Isn't the point that they use their lips like they would grazing?!

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Isn't the point that they use their lips like they would grazing?!

Can't claim to be an expert but surely it's different ? The texture of the cord is very rough, not the same as the sensation from grazing and the neck muscles are used differently.
Watching a horse graze, head down, the lips and teeth work smoothly, no snatching or twisting.
The tricklenet seems to make the horses work harder to pull out the strands of hay in an unnatural position. It's the thickness and texture of the net that I'm not comfortable with.
Although my horse sussed it out very quickly, given the choice, he'll go for the small holed, double net. The time difference, with him, isn't much different. He looks unhappy using the TN.
The concept is a good one, but the cord isn't.

 

[debbien]

I was given one and no, I don't like it.
Feeding isn't slowed down any more than double netting with small holes. I dislike the cord because the horse has to use its lips to get hay out. The cord is thick and rough, I'd have numb lips if I spent hours pulling at it.
It's difficult to pull the top closed and never closes completely like a regular haynet.
Its over priced and sitting unloved in my feed room.

This. My mare was extremely frustrated, she was actually striking out at the net in annoyance, the marks are still on the stable wall. It also made my lovely pink nosed cobs face very sore. I found them unpleasant to use, rough and hard to fill. As horserider says, I have two sitting unloved in the feed room, feeling poorer but wiser.

 

[Landcruiser]

I have a different type...I can't remember the brand, but it's the same principle. I have used them with my fatty exclusively for about 3 years, and they are still OK. He eats his net in about the same time as my other boy...in a normal haylage net he'd eat in half the time of my other one. I've also tied the rope and threaded it inside, and chucked the bag on the floor. The holes are way too small for them to get caught up on, so I have found this quite successful.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Oh golly! Yet ANOTHER "trickle net" thread. Sorry, being unashamedly tongue-in-cheek as this subject has been rather done to death on here and my suspicious self did wonder whether it was a ruse of the company for publicity, BUT laying that aside........... (and looking at the whole thing practically and objectively):-

Personally I would NOT be prepared to spend £30 a pop on a single "haynet". OK so I know they're not just "haynets" per se, they're bummed up by the company to be super-duper, all-singing-all-dancing. And YES I do hear what they're saying when they tell you that "you'll save money on hay in the long term".

BUT I've got two horses - so would (obviously!) need two, which is an outlay of £60 up front, and I'd have to use a considerable volume of hay just to break even.

What I do at the moment is to double or even triple-layer their existing haylage nets, which works well and slows their eating down considerably.

The ONLY reason I'd ever consider shelling out £30 for a haynet is if I had a laminitic, for instance, and its intake needed drastically reducing.

Otherwise, no way. No offence, but £30 is ridiculously expensive for a "haynet".

 

[Charmin]

My mare got so frustrated, snatching at them and really yanking. She then started wind sucking on it.

Back to normal haynet now though she still windsucks. I feel so guilty. I used to give hay on the floor and the net, she normally didn't finish the stuff on the floor before I left so it was only when I stayed later that I noticed her frustration and yanking, and the windsucking.

However others down the yard love them as their horses are more suited to it.

 

[Jesstickle]

To be fair three normal small holed haynets would set you back £21 quid or so so not much price difference if you triple net...

I haven't ever actually seen one in the flesh. I assumed they were made of normal haynet type stuff but obviously not!

 

[picolenicole]

Oh golly! Yet ANOTHER "trickle net" thread. Sorry, being unashamedly tongue-in-cheek as this subject has been rather done to death on here and my suspicious self did wonder whether it was a ruse of the company for publicity, BUT laying that aside........... (and looking at the whole thing practically and objectively):-

Personally I would NOT be prepared to spend £30 a pop on a single "haynet". OK so I know they're not just "haynets" per se, they're bummed up by the company to be super-duper, all-singing-all-dancing. And YES I do hear what they're saying when they tell you that "you'll save money on hay in the long term".

BUT I've got two horses - so would (obviously!) need two, which is an outlay of £60 up front, and I'd have to use a considerable volume of hay just to break even.

What I do at the moment is to double or even triple-layer their existing haylage nets, which works well and slows their eating down considerably.

The ONLY reason I'd ever consider shelling out £30 for a haynet is if I had a laminitic, for instance, and its intake needed drastically reducing.

Otherwise, no way. No offence, but £30 is ridiculously expensive for a "haynet".

I wish there was a "like" button this is what I think, far to much money for a "haynet"

Although I have found some 1" holed meshing on line spent the same as getting a TN and should be able to make three - four nets, all I wanted was the small holes from the net.

 

[Mizzbecx]

I bought mine September last year as my boy loves making holes in my nets, gutted now though as after paying out on it has a hole in it

 

[Tarbs]

I'm on my second one. Have a laminitic that has to be kept on a strict diet and as much as I hate paying the £30 (plus £5 postage!) they are the only net I've found to work. I tried double netting, Elim-in-nets, double netting Elim-in-nets but nothing slowed him down. He was very cross when I first gave it to him but now has the hang of it and is ok.
It took him a year to destroy the first one (he was on box rest for 8 months so using it all day, every day) but it did hurt to shell out for a second!

 

[Purple18]

look up shires greedy feeder nets 15 pound each two of them for the same price as I the trickle net . same size holes can't see a difference personally much much better than the trickle net

 

[Lady La La]

Well, I'm impressed with mine in the sense that it does take longer for the fat welsh thing to devour her hay... but she has developed the oddest muscle bulge on her neck since using it, as it does force her to eat very differently. I now no longer use it tbh.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

I did a trickle net thread a few weeks ago & ended up getting one. It certainly slows the pony down & is very well made so am happy with it

Yes it's expensive, but so far I think it's worth it

 

[Serephin]

I bought a Shires Greedy Feeder net, holes are the same size, but cord is much thinner. Quite pleased with it and just couldn't justify spending over £30 for a haynet, so the greedy feeder net was a good compromise IMO.

 

[freckles22uk]

I made my own, as I didnt want to fork out £90... I bought golf netting off ebay, (cost about £30 for enough for 3 1mx1m nets) cut and sewed the edges up, and thread a hose pipe through the top, and I use 3 clips to secure it closed rather than use a rope, so I dont even need to take it down to fill... Ive got mine hanging between 2 trees, now means the hay/straw lasts a good few hours, as ive got no grazing so I want to keep them occupied.. the 2 Ive got in the mares paddock are still going strong after a year (couple of small holes, Ive repaired with baler twine, but you get that with trickle nets)... the stallion on the other hand was quite rough with his, and made a few few holes but it was against a wall at the time, which didnt help, so Ive made him one with 'proper' hay net netting,

just to add... I had 2 clips to begin with, but they realised they could sneak their noses in the gap... so I use 3 clips now

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I have one.

I used it with great effect on BF (RIP).
However - I put half a section of hay into a std small holed net, so fatty-piggy could stuff immediately, then found she slowed right down to tackle the trickle net which was tied to the same ring
If I didnt put in the small holed net, she would get really angry with the t/net & grab/snatch it & bang about.

FLF has the knack with the t/net - I give her some hay loose on the floor & leave the t/net hanging overnight & she also doesn't beat it up - but did so till I added the loose.
For mine, its been the getting over the immediate stuffing of face when food/hay comes along

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

Bruces is about a year old and has no holes in it. He is the piggiest pig ever but has learnt to tease it out with his lips instead of grabbing it.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

much prefer the Swedish Hoof School type (I leave them on the wall and drop the hay in, hate filling nets) although with the cost of shipping them these days you need several people to buy them at the same time.

 

[laura_nash]

I have 4, they work brilliantly for my pig of a cob and are the only thing I have found that will slow him down to a reasonable rate with easting his hay. They have been going strong for over 2 years, normally my haynets last roughly 1 month, so I think have paid for themselves easily. I tie them at ground level, so a more natural position (my cob is unshod and the holes are too small to get his feet stuck). In winter I do also provide a small normal haynet when he first gets in from the field, as he does get stressed with them if he is really hungry. Normally though he "grazes" with his lips like the adverts describe and doesn't jerk his neck.

Only downsides (other than cost) is that they are more difficult to fill until you get the hang of them (really pull the necks open before you start) and more heavy to carry about when wet. If you do get one, don't worry if it looks totally deformed at first, they soon settle down.

 

[McCauley]

I've just bought myself a second Trickle net!! My 1st came as a Christmas Pressie and i thought i'd have another as it is such a good net,..no damage to it and no signs of any wear and tear either and it's coming up 9 months old.

As the colder months are approaching, i thought i'd have a second one (as i soak my nets and can have one in the stable, while the other is soaking)...

Money well spent in my eyes!

 

[Milkmaid]

another vote for the Shires greedy feeder, they are brilliant!
They come in two sizes as well. A 'normal' size 6kg and a 'giant' 9kg.
People I know who have bought trickle nets have mentioned that you can't fit enough in & that they are a tricky shape to fill

 

[galaxy]

I can fit 10kgs of hay in my TN....

Works well with my girl. Really slowed her down. She got through 4 normal haynets in the first 6 months I had her and her TN has lasted 2 years nearly so far! So good investment for me.

 

[dalidaydream]

the frustrate my horse and he ends up snatching and grabbing at the haynet, I feel this is bad for his neck and back, he is much calmer and slower given hay of the floor, trickle net for sale anyone lol

I could've written this as I found exactly the same with my pony and yes he did have to have several expensive physio treatments on his neck as a result.