Haynets - pros and cons

[flintybaby]

Haynets - you either use them or you dont. Why?

This morning my sister found one of our ponies upside down in his stable with the haynet wrapped around his foot (haynet still tied up). Luckily the quick release knot worked and pony was free. Haynet had been really tight round his leg and had cut off circulation. Pony was shivering and in shock.

Personally I hate haynets but we used them for him because he wastes his hay :rolleyes:. He is now back to having hay on the floor! Why do we use haynets when the natural way for a horse to eat is off the floor?

Discuss! :)

[Siogfinsceal]

I only ever use a haynet in a horse box. I believe its natural for a horse to eat from the ground so am glad that in our yard the horses are fed hay on the floor.

Friends horse had an accident in horsebox with one that was tied a little low. He pawed, caught the haynet aroundhis fetlock, panicked, reared and this caused it to tighten round his fetlock. Thakfully I was driving behind. He was calmer once he saw her and we cut it off him. So glad I always carry a pocketknife.

[Julz S]

Always disliked haynets for that reason but now have to use them in the field or all the hay just ends up wasted in the mud. I have the small holed nets tho which I feel are a bit safer as the holes are too small for a horses leg!

[Sammii]

I use haynets (doubled up small holed haynets) to limit and slow down red's eating. It's the only way to control his food intake and beat our weight issues.

My haynet rings aren't ridiculously high so that he's straining his neck nor are they ridiculously low so that a foot could get caught (although even a foal would have difficulty trying to get a foot into my haynets).

[flintybaby]

You just never think its going to happen to you though do you? I dont know how long poor pony was left tangled up but it must have been a while. He did have poo in his stable not where he was laid but he was cold when he got up. :(

[1 Crazy Mare]

arr poor pebbles :( maybe we should give hay back on the floor but not as much as we used to (i used to give them a weeks worth of hay in 1 day)
bless him ill fetch him some carrots in the morning!

[Daffy Dilly]

I have a haybar in my stable, but we don't use it because if we do he gets terrorised from next door and doesn't actually get any of the haylage! Once the pecking order is established we might go back to it.

I hang my haynets quite low, he'll not get a foot stuck in one because the holes are small. If he has a rug on that fastens with clips I'm careful though, he got caught on one (tied at a normal height) once, so I make sure the clips face inwards and can't get caught.

If we feed haylage on the floor he just wastes it unless he's really hungry.

[*Sez*]

The problems I tend to have heard of haven't been feet through the holes in the nets, but feet (or heads!) through the long excess of string that you tie it up with.
With all the back issues Salsa has had, I stopped using haynets in favour of feeding from the floor. Unfortunately, he likes to squish his droppings into the hay, so I had my OH cut down a clean wheelybin into a hay-bin :D It works really well and because it's on wheels with a handle, it means it's really easy for me to fill up and move around.
When I'm washing him, or having a good grooming session, I can wheel the bin out to the tie-up point and let him get on with eating without all the mess that woudl otherwise be involved.

[magicalmac]

Hope the pony is OK. I wont use nets for that reason. TBH Id rather have a bit of hay wasted by feeding on the floor than run the risk of an acident like that happening.

[flintybaby]

I think the pony will be fine. He wouldnt put his foot on the floor at first but I suppose he would have been getting pins and needles type effect from the loss of circulation. We made a fuss of him and he slowly came round, stopped shivering and was walking fine on it.

I think sometimes it takes a shake up for you to realise how much they mean to you!

[carthorse]

I don't like them but I do use them.

Little Un just will not eat his hay off the floor. He looks at it, walks through it, pees on it & then tells me he's got nothing to eat :mad:. I've tried & tried but he just doesn't seem to get the idea so I've given up.

Jim is currently on shavings so I have to feed in nets or I end up throwing away too much bedding. When he's on straw I feed on the floor.

I always make sure my nets are tied up high enough & there's a weak point so that if they do get caught up the net will break.

[flintybaby]

Hmm ours were on a tie ring!

[Drummer & Eli]

can i double 2 small holded haynets so D eats slower can i ? not hurt his mouth? :)

[coss]

i use haylage nets, the holes are too small for their feet to get caught in and a few times they've pulled the haynet down and come to no harm. i don't like the haynets as they have huge holes so my horses pull the hay out and drop it on the floor and they could get caught up.

[flintybaby]

I wouldnt have thought it would hurt his mouth. I would be more worried about the extra string you'll have at the top especially if he was to get caught. Cant you get a haylage net?

[Bozzy]

I feed from a net as Forrest is so fussy with his hay, I'd be wasting tonnes of the stuff if I fed from the floor. Plus he's really messy in the stable and doesn't care where he poos!

[Soot]

Many years ago, I brought my pony in from the field in the dark. Only realised once he was tied on the yard that he had a haynet all wrapped around his hind leg. It was dragging behind ... luckily he couldn't have cared less so didn't panic or get injured (phew!) ...

In the paddock, at the moment I have hay on the floor by a wall. The wastage is ridiculous, even though the hay is right against the wall. They actually turn around to poo on it and then obviously refuse to touch it. So I'm now investing in a hay manger for the paddock.

In the stable, all hay is on the floor. I have one haynet outside the stable door so they can look out and munch at the same time. If it falls, however, it'll be on the yard rather than in the box.

[Daffy Dilly]

I can recommend the haybars, I do like them and so does Daffy, it's just next door sticks his head over the wall and then Daffy backs away from him and next door gets the haylage. :rolleyes:

[Denbenj]

, so I had my OH cut down a clean wheelybin into a hay-bin :D It works really well and because it's on wheels with a handle, it means it's really easy for me to fill up and move around.
When I'm washing him, or having a good grooming session, I can wheel the bin out to the tie-up point and let him get on with eating without all the mess that woudl otherwise be involved.

what a great idea!

[gordysgirl]

Sez - I have 2 random wheelie bins sat on yard which we obtained from somewhere...they have no use..& no OH has job for tomorrow!!! Excellent!:D
I've been soaking hay this year cos its rubbish & dusty, so that would save dragging very heavy bucket round yard!
Gosh you guys are so clever!!!x

[*Sez*]

Sez - I have 2 random wheelie bins sat on yard which we obtained from somewhere...they have no use..& no OH has job for tomorrow!!! Excellent!:D
I've been soaking hay this year cos its rubbish & dusty, so that would save dragging very heavy bucket round yard!
Gosh you guys are so clever!!!x
They're brilliant for soaking hay :D
Little picture that I drew of how my bin was cut. OH thinks he might be able to replace the wheels with something a bit bigger as well, because I was complaining that I was struggling on the gravel at the yard.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/Gothic_Sez/bins.jpg

[flintybaby]

That is an excellent idea! We fill barrows in a morning to save time at night and this would save space and our yard from getting covered in hay!

[TALLI3_BAYBEE]

I used to have haynets but my stable neighbour shakey was found with his head in the big holed haynet. I then saw his head he has two grazes on the sides of his head . then changed 2 a haybar . i didnt want my pony to have to suffer tht .

[showjumper-zoe]

Hate them, they are not natural

[vikkig]

i only use the small hole haynets as the holes are not big enough to fit feet or heads in, i mainly use them as he puts his hay in the bed.

i have seen horses get there feet stuck in metal hay bars also fighting with next door neighbours so i think both have advantages and disadvantages

[Skippys Mum]

Sez - I have 2 random wheelie bins sat on yard which we obtained from somewhere...they have no use..& no OH has job for tomorrow!!! Excellent!:D
I've been soaking hay this year cos its rubbish & dusty, so that would save dragging very heavy bucket round yard!
Gosh you guys are so clever!!!x

I know this is going slightly OT but Gordysgirl, get your OH to put a wee tap in the bottom of a wheely bin, a hole for a hose in the lid and put a bit of mesh or a old milk crate in the bottom and then you can put your hay in, wheel it to the drain, pop the hose in to fill it, and then open the tap to let it drain! Makes life soooo easy xxx

I'm now away to find something wheelybinish for my OH to cut down into a haylage feeding station.

My little ponies have hayracks on the walls but they dont hold enough for Arnie and my biggest problem is I am hopelessly allergic to haylage so OH makes up nets for me.

[mogadoga]

I hang my haynets quite low, he'll not get a foot stuck in one because the holes are small. If he has a rug on that fastens with clips I'm careful though, he got caught on one (tied at a normal height) once, so I make sure the clips face inwards and can't get caught.

My friends horse managed to get stuck on a haylage net.

Alex has always been fine, i tie them high. Dont agree that its best for them but if i put it on the floor he eats it all plus his bed! And i cant moniter the intake.

He has been caught. Pulled it down, and when i came up he had both legs through the holes and up his legs. Wasnt bothered in the slightest lukily!

[coss]

Hate them, they are not natural

what is not natural - the fact that its hay or that its high up?
hay isn't natural really but having it high up is. a very hungry horse will eat of trees, chew the bark etc, not what they want to do all the time but they will eat trees if they find they are hungry enough

[Vez]

Willow gets her hay on the floor most of the time but due to her being out 24/7 if it is windy or snowing we have to put haynets up overwise the hay ends up in the wrong field and I end up with a hungry pony :rolleyes:. I don't really like them as I'm always concerned about there safety but i don't think of them as not being natural as a problem. I sometimes find it hard to judge how high to tie so end up redoing it tons of times just to make sure. Also Willow gets viscious with hers and there is time where shes managed to pull it down, noone got tangled in it but i thought that itwas very concerning so thats why I feel alot more comfatable feeding it off the floor!

Vez :)xx

[Retty]

i prefer hay or hayledge on the floor. Although this can be very messy I think it has benefits to the horses respiratory system, with the haynet the dust can easily get into horses nostrils, on the floor this doesn't happen. The YO doesn't really like it but now that Max will be in box rest for quite some time it will definately be hay on the floor!

[NoviceNic]

can i double 2 small holded haynets so D eats slower can i ? not hurt his mouth? :)

Yes, he will tug harder to get a good bit out but it wont hurt and should slow him down. :)

[Nik-n-Kia]

I prefer to have a haynet or better still a hay rack as kia wastes more hay than he eats :rolleyes:

i believe that if a haynet is tied properly the only way a horse can get wrapped in it is if he/she rears and sticks a foot through it.

maybe its just the way I tie my hay nests but they are nere low enough for a horse to paw and get a foot caught.

Unless you have a horse that loves knots and can undo them then a haynet should be tied tight and high to avoid things like getting caught in it.

I had that drummed in to me when i was a yard worker.

Nikki xxx:)

[wildponies]

I normally use haynets/hayledge nets.

However at the moment clay needs weight AND topline building. So i am feeding him from the floor, i want him to eat as much as possible without having the aggravation of having to yank a haynet around. I also feed from floor to allow his neck muscles to stretch down nice and low when he's eating. :)

[chickflick1066]

Have used them with Stumpy before, and also done the 'on the floor' doing. Both worked well for her. I preffered 'on the floor', just easier ;)

[clydesdalelover]

I brought a manger for 20 quid and everything was sorted!

[clydesdalelover]

I brought a manger for 20 quid and everything was sorted! no more wasted hay, no more fretting that the nets still up. Also I found myself buying even better quality hay as i knew it wouldnt just end up in the bed!