Alternatives to hay nets (to slow down forage consumption)?

[midnight_ashes]

Is there anything I can use, other than a haynet, that will slow down the horse's forage intake when stabled?
By "haynet" I meant hay net, haylage net, or any other kind of net with holes in which hangs from the wall!
I'll explain the situation - my TB needs his forage restricting slightly due to last year's bout of stress laminitis. However, he has a tendency to put his poll out and I have been advised to steer clear of haynets (I don't like them anyway) because of the fact that he has to "pull" to get to the hay inside. I also prefer to feed from the floor.

[Louise]

How about a hey net with the holes sewed up.

[little miss cavalier]

what about a munching station, if your in the UK then look on ROBINSONS or DERBY HOUSE.
its like a hay rack but on the floor in the corner of the stable, a corner manger covers the top.
i was going to get one for my horse as ground feeding is much better for the horse, but its costly, about £85.
would add a link, but im crap with computers and don't know how

[Euphoria.]

This is tricky, the best thing I find is to invest in a large haynet but with very small holes in it, you could also try doubling up haynets. On the other hand if your horse is eating all the hay it is a sign the horse needs more, then you should be giving more haynets or bigger ones. Dont use hay racks as hay always ends up on the floor!
x

[Amy S]

You could spread the hay out around the stall, like shake it loose. Then the horse has to pick up scraps. Keeps them busy and they're generally very good about only picking up hay, not bedding. Or use a double hay net

If your horse won't eat straw, you could try mixing the hay with straw so he would have to pick through it.

[Capt. Crapadoodle]

I would get a stable grazer of any kind. There are some that are set to timers that will allow you to place the rations to where they are released at a certain time. You can grain this way too. Since frequent smaller meals are better for all horses, especially those with laminitis and IR issues, then it can also cut down chore time for you.

http://www.stablegrazer.com/features.html
http://www.profeeder.com/
http://www.stallskins.com/grcustomer.html
http://www.doublel.com/haygrazer.html


Also foal feeders are great.
http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_equine_supplies-ft1_horse_feeding;pg106830.html


Hope this helps.

[Buffy]

You've got two things working against you - the act of somehow restricting his ability to "chow down" requires physically making it harder for him to grab large mouthfuls. The only way to do this is with a hay bag or net and adjust the available space through which the hay can be pulled. This totally goes against your need to feed from the ground rather than from a hanging hay net.

I personally agree with you, the hay net is not the safest thing - I have had better luck with bags that completely enclose the hay leaving only a nose-sized hole through which they pull the hay.

the very only thing I can think of may be a grazing muzzle. This is a muzzle made of nylon and plastic that goes over the nose and has a strap over the ears, like a halter. There's a small hole in the middle of the plastic cup - the intent is that the horse pushes it on the grass and gets to only bite what pokes up through the hole. Not sure if this will work with hay though. You might be able to make the hole larger so the hay can poke through but he can't grab a mouthful at a time.

Good luck!

[Debi]

Oh now that is tricky......
Here's a thought - if you fitted a haybar in the corner and then filled a haylage net and stuffed the net into the haybar......
Obviously you'd have to find some way of anchoring the net at the bottom of the haybar to stop him dragging it out.

I'll think some more on this one.

[RACHEAL D]

at the stud where i work we have hay-bars. they are a rubber.you put them into the corner of your stable.they go down to the floor.the horse leans in to eat from it. wouldn't slow the horse down in how much it was eating. two hay net(1 inside other) would do that but you don't want to ue them.
not sure there is anything else.
good luck

[pooh bear]

haylage nets are much smaller guage than normal haynets.
You could also put the net inside another net.