are hay nets and racks bad?

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

i board at a barn with one other person bringing us to a total of 3 horses at our barn. we are going to start bringing the horses into their stalls at night once it starts getting colder so the horses don't kill the grass in the pasture (her idea, i'm not challenging it atm). i am going to be turning all three of them out in the am, and she will bring all 3 of them into their stalls in the pm.

so, with my boy coming in at night, he obviously needs hay.

my BO sells so-so quality hay and leader will eat it sometimes. but the other times he just throws it around his stall. this winter, i'm switching to better hay (and fresher! not too wild about BO's hay, but leader's been on 24/7 pasture all summer so we haven't really dealt with it too much).

i don't want him to throw his hay around his stall and i thought that a rack or net would be great. but the girl i board with says no. that racks cause them to inhale dust and they can get their hooves caught in nets. are both of these statements correct?

do you feed hay just on the ground? or do you use nets/racks?

[mybeau1999]

I have racks, and don't have any problems.

It depends how high you hang them. Mine aren't very high, and they eat out of the middle/bottom without putting their nose up in the air. Sometimes they will pull some out of the top, but nothing that worries me. I haven't seen them act/look any different.

They keep the stalls MUCH cleaner, too.

I'm thinking of getting small-hole hay nets to slow them down and make their hay last longer. I have no issues with using them either.

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

they can't get a hoof caught in the rack if it's that low, can they?

not that my gelding ever rears or freaks out at all... but you never know.

[shakeytails]

I prefer to feed off the ground. I think racks and nets cause the horses to inhale too much dust, and for some they're a safety hazard. That said, plenty of folks always use a net or rack and have no problems at all.

Rarely do my horses waste hay. I believe in free choice hay, but that doesn't mean giving them so much that they waste it. They get as much as they'll clean up between feedings.

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

on the opposite end of wasting hay, what if leader ends up eating all of his hay way before the night is over? will he eventually learn to make it last all night?

[mybeau1999]

Well the racks are over 2' tall so the tops are pretty high. And they are pretty close to the wall, probably open 9-10" on the top. So the horse would have to rear REALLY close to the wall.

If I had a horse that reared on a regular basis in a stall, I would definitely think twice about using them.

As far as eating all the hay. I don't think they'll learn to make it last. Next best thing, IMO, is to put a flake or 2 in a small-hole hay net. Since it's harder for them to pull out it lasts them longer after their other hay is gone.

[HoofHeartSoul]

I prefer to feed off the ground. I think racks and nets cause the horses to inhale too much dust, and for some they're a safety hazard. That said, plenty of folks always use a net or rack and have no problems at all.

Rarely do my horses waste hay. I believe in free choice hay, but that doesn't mean giving them so much that they waste it. They get as much as they'll clean up between feedings.

YEP, agree.

when horse eat with there head head up and not on the ground they inhale more dust and can't clear there airways properly.

also with hay nets or racks.. they wear there teeth in a way that isn't natural and that can cause problems.

[shakeytails]

on the opposite end of wasting hay, what if leader ends up eating all of his hay way before the night is over? will he eventually learn to make it last all night?

No, you adjust to meet the eating habits and needs of the horse. Don't forget that they don't eat constantly- 3 of my 4 in the barn are sleeping flat out right now and one is snoring. If I were to check on them at 3 am, they probably wouldn't have more than a tiny bit of hay left, but honestly- they'll live. I've had to feed super early before and the horses seems to be annoyed that I woke them up to feed.

I have one horse that I constantly have to adjust hay for. He'll get in moods where he'll eat a just a couple of small flakes at night, at other times he'll eat twice that much. When he starts wasting I adjust downward. If he has no crumbs left he gets more. DH feeds more often than I do lately, so when I feed hay I always have to ask "How much hay is the big horse eating this week?"

[Foxtrot's]

There is a theory that if a horse has an odd shaped foot it might be because it always puts that forward when eating and that foot may get a lower heel than the foot that is always back. This does not happen while grazing because they move around one foot in front of the other all day. Just happens in a stabled situation when the hay is in a pile on the ground and the horse is right handed, so to speak. A feeder makes the horse stand more or less square. My vet uses corner feeders - he does not seem to think it causes a respiratory problem. Several farriers have advanced the one foot forward theory, including a farrier to a top 3-day rider in UK that we know.

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

i think i'm going to be feeding two flakes of coastal and one flake of alf every night. i'm getting such opposite responses on the net/rack question lol. i guess it's all about whats right for that particular horse. i'm just scared of what could happen if leader doesn't do well with either. maybe i'll put it in a tub to keep it all together? or does that really not help?

[shakeytails]

i think i'm going to be feeding two flakes of coastal and one flake of alf every night. i'm getting such opposite responses on the net/rack question lol. i guess it's all about whats right for that particular horse. i'm just scared of what could happen if leader doesn't do well with either. maybe i'll put it in a tub to keep it all together? or does that really not help?

An old horseman used to tell me when I asked for his advice - "Do what you want, you will anyway!".

Whatever you do, it's not really that big a deal either way so don't stress over it.

[mybeau1999]

I'd hesitate to use a tub on the ground - more accessible to the horse to find a way to break them/hurt himself. Hay racks/nets can be put out of the way, so to speak (unless, of course, your horse hugs the wall ;)). You could always try a hay net first, if it doesn't work - take it down and feed off of the ground or out of a tub. If they do their job and the horse doesn't mind - make them permanent with a rack.

[mybeau1999]

An old horseman used to tell me when I asked for his advice - "Do what you want, you will anyway!".

Haha, so true, shakeytails!

[twofatponies]

Everywhere I've boarded just tosses the flakes into the stall. A little gets trampled, but 95% gets eaten.

[In the Air]

Half the horses in my barn have the nibblenets and the other half have the small hole hay nets. They are both wonderful. The Nibblenets we hang on the lower half of the wall, off the bars. The nets are hung up on the upper bars and never sag as they are hung high enough and correctly. I would never go back to floor feeding as I can't stand waste. Hay is too pricey to use as bedding. No one as ever had a problem. It also makes it so easy to soak hay and hoist it up to feed...:yes:

[tpup]

Last barn and new barn use racks - never had any problems or issues - all healthy horses with no inhaling dust problems. They are very neat and clean, and the horses seem to love them. Much prefer that over hay bags that collect dirt, dust and debris in the bottoms.

[JB]

There are 2 issues with feeding hay off the ground in a stall:
- there IS more inhaling of dust particles - just can't get around that.
- the horse spends a lot of time with his stall, standing, not moving, with his head and neck in a level or higher position. The nuchal ligament is one of the structures that helps support the back when the head is down. Watch a horse's back when he had his head up, vs when he puts it down to graze. Unless I really had to, I wouldn't want to do that to a horse.

If the new hay is yummy enough, the horse won't be flinging it and tromping through it an not eating it. Yes, some will get tracked around and mixed in, but that's life with hay in a stall. Horses can figure out how to pull large chunks of hay out of racks a do that anyway, especially if it's less palatable hay.

[mybeau1999]

There are 2 issues with feeding hay off the ground in a stall:
- there IS more inhaling of dust particles - just can't get around that.
- the horse spends a lot of time with his stall, standing, not moving, with his head and neck in a level or higher position. The nuchal ligament is one of the structures that helps support the back when the head is down. Watch a horse's back when he had his head up, vs when he puts it down to graze. Unless I really had to, I wouldn't want to do that to a horse.



These are 2 issues with feeding hay off of the ground? Sorry, kind of confuses me. Sounds like hay rack issues with the "...his head and neck in a level or higher position...". Could you clarify?

[saultgirl]

I just wanted to note that a horse doesn't need to be rearing in it's stall to get a leg caught in a hay net/rack. I've seen a horse get a hind leg in a haynet, most likely while rolling in the stall. You would need to put a net/rack quite high for a hoof to not reach it when the horse is upside down!

I think it's better for the horse to eat off the floor.

No, your horse won't learn to make his hay last all night if he finishes it all within the first few hours. I certainly wouldn't be concerned if he is out on pasture all day otherwise. I also wouldn't be concerned if the hay is kind of crummy, if he is eating good pasture all day.

[Jealoushe]

also with hay nets or racks.. they wear there teeth in a way that isn't natural and that can cause problems.

Can you elaborate on this please?

I use hay racks, at just below chest level. The horses love them, never had any problems, and no wasted hay. I wet my hay so I'm not too worried about dust.

[JB]

These are 2 issues with feeding hay off of the ground? Sorry, kind of confuses me. Sounds like hay rack issues with the "...his head and neck in a level or higher position...". Could you clarify?

Off the ground, as opposed to on the ground, sorry for the confusion :)

[Jealoushe]

I just wanted to note that a horse doesn't need to be rearing in it's stall to get a leg caught in a hay net/rack. I've seen a horse get a hind leg in a haynet, most likely while rolling in the stall. You would need to put a net/rack quite high for a hoof to not reach it when the horse is upside down!


The bars in most hay racks are way too close together to allow a foot to slip through.

[JB]

Hmmm, I'm curious too how picking hay out of a net/rack makes them chew any differently :confused:

[FairWeather]

I've had bad experiences with hay racks--i feel to make them safe, you have to put them too high. I've had a horse get a head stuck in one (years ago, when they were very wide).

I bought Nibble Nets and small mesh haynets, and like both. The nibble nets in the 2" don't slow them down much, but I think the 1.5" ones would, if that is your intention. They are SUPER easy to load, and hold a lot of hay.

The small mesh hay nets I was hanging on the fenceline, but yesterday I tied them off and put them on the ground (for horses with no shoes) and had no problem at all.

I'm going to be building hay racks into the corner of my stalls with either the barrels or the wood like this:
http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/FZ42PWf5S33X5KCmlt3hsA356696/GW513H342

I picked up some small mesh haynets in the UK last week--they are smaller holes, but HUGE and hold a LOT of hay--i wish we could get them here.

[Lori B]

Some of the stalls in our barn have hay racks high in the corners, others don't. My mare's stall does have a rack.

I read somewhere else that the angle was bad, dust, yadda yadda.

But then I watched how she eats from the rack: she mainly pulls what she wants out, lets it fall to the ground, and then she eats it from there. So the dust / angle / etc. concern seems to be, in practice in her case, pretty irrelevant. Occasionally she will take a mouthful directly from the rack, but mainly, she drags it out, lets it drop, and eats from the ground.

Anyone else actually watch how their horses use racks?

[mybeau1999]

My gelding uses his rack like your mare does, Lori. My mare however digs right in and eats directly out of it.

[Phaxxton]

I, personally, don't like hay racks and won't use them for my guys... but some people swear by them.

I won't use them for several reasons -- one of my guys chokes and must eat everything at ground level. He'll choke on his hay if he has to eat it out of a rack, and yes, it's happened. I won't risk it happening again. He also used to choke on his grain until we started feeding it at ground level and not in an elevated feed bucket. My other two have eaten out of racks, but I really don't like it (and they don't now). It's an unnatural position for them to be eating for such a long period of time and I do find they cough more when fed in racks.

I've also found that too many people hang the racks too high. I've had some vets tell me that the racks are okay as long as the horse's neck is level with its withers or lower. Too many people have them positioned so the horse has to reach up for the hay. If I had a horse that kicked the stall wall during feed time, I'd be hesitant to have a rack. A properly positioed one could be low enough that a horse could kick it. Probably a very small chance of that happening, but still worries me. (And I don't have a stall kicker!)

Still, I've been at a couple of barns with lots of horses eating out of racks with no problems whatsoever. I think they can be good for really easy keepers who inhale their hay too quickly or for the particularly messy horse who wastes a lot of hay. At the same time, if the horse is wasting a lot of hay, he's probably just getting more than he needs / wants... If you have a horse prone to choke, a horse who kicks the walls, or a horse with any type of breathing problem, I'd avoid the racks. Otherwise, it's your choice. Just make sure the racks don't hang so high that the horse has to reach up to eat from them.

[Phaxxton]

Some of the stalls in our barn have hay racks high in the corners, others don't. My mare's stall does have a rack.

I read somewhere else that the angle was bad, dust, yadda yadda.

But then I watched how she eats from the rack: she mainly pulls what she wants out, lets it fall to the ground, and then she eats it from there. So the dust / angle / etc. concern seems to be, in practice in her case, pretty irrelevant. Occasionally she will take a mouthful directly from the rack, but mainly, she drags it out, lets it drop, and eats from the ground.

Anyone else actually watch how their horses use racks?

Yup. At some point in time all of my horses ate out of a rack, and I've watched them. They all ate pretty much directly from the rack. In fact, they only put their heads down to eat what spilled on the floor when the hay rack was empty.

[trubandloki]

At the same time, if the horse is wasting a lot of hay, he's probably just getting more than he needs / wants... .

I am sure that is true in many cases. In others there are simply those horses that like to waste food just for the sake of wasting it.

My mare loves to spread her hay out and then manure and pee on it and then have a temper tantrum that she does not have any food.

She is much better if I use a hay bag (fabric bag with hole in the front). I will not use a rack or net with her since she is inclined to paw and kick things. I also make sure the mats are swept clean under her hay bag so what ever falls on the ground is not contaminated by the evil stall bedding. Hay with sawdust is not edible in her eyes.


My gelding that eats too quickly (easy keeper that would happily eat every ounce of hay you are willing to put in front of him) I use a small hole hay net.

I think the use of a net or rack or anything like that is a horse specific decision.

Personally I would prefer to feed on the ground. But these two horses make that difficult.

[mybeau1999]

Here is a picture I took this morning of my gelding (shortest horse in the barn at 15.1) next to his hay rack. It's kind of a weird angle and his neck looks HUGE, but you can see the height. I've really only seen him put his head up a tiny bit more than that to grab chunks out of the bottom/side, never with his nose above his eyes.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=3097565&id=660536020

[deltawave]

Are they bad? Well, that depends. :)

On the one hand, a hayrack/net makes a horse eat in a position that isn't 100% natural.

On the other hand, without one many horses inhale their hay in a fashion that isn't altogether natural (or ideal), either. Not to mention wasting it and making a gigantic mess of their stalls.

And sure, they can kill themselves on a hay net, a rack, or a ball point pen under the right circumstances. ;)

Me, I feed hay OUTSIDE, saves me the aggravation of picking trampled and wasted hay out of the bedding. Obviously that's not an option for horses kept in stalls at night or whenever. To slow them down, I use Nibble Nets--rugged, indestructible, safer and easier (IMO) than nets and I can take one with me to shows if I need to, hang it in the trailer, whatever.

At shows I put the hay in a haynet to keep the bedding cleaner and the hay from being wasted. Hang it at about withers level and say 100 hail marys for forcing my poor horse to eat in such an unnatural position. After the 10000 hail marys for forcing it to stay in a stall, wear tack, and jump over things. :D

[Phaxxton]

I am sure that is true in many cases. In others there are simply those horses that like to waste food just for the sake of wasting it.

My mare loves to spread her hay out and then manure and pee on it and then have a temper tantrum that she does not have any food.

She is much better if I use a hay bag (fabric bag with hole in the front). I will not use a rack or net with her since she is inclined to paw and kick things. I also make sure the mats are swept clean under her hay bag so what ever falls on the ground is not contaminated by the evil stall bedding. Hay with sawdust is not edible in her eyes.


My gelding that eats too quickly (easy keeper that would happily eat every ounce of hay you are willing to put in front of him) I use a small hole hay net.

I think the use of a net or rack or anything like that is a horse specific decision.

Personally I would prefer to feed on the ground. But these two horses make that difficult.

Yup, I agree with you - I said probably, not in all cases. I've seen some horses who are disasters with hay in their stalls. Luckily, mine are not. :lol:

[HenryisBlaisin']

I agree with everyone who says to feed on the ground. My horse is messy and spreads his hay everywhere, but by morning it's gone unless it's very poor hay. If he's wasting hay, I would check A) the quality of the hay, and B) his teeth. They don't, IMO, learn to make it last, but most horses don't have an issue with running out. If he's destructive when he's bored, try a hanging toy to keep him occupied.

Unless the bars on a hay rack are, like, 2" apart or less, I would never count on a horse not being able to get something caught in it. I hate hay nets-even if you can get them high enough when full, they get lower as they empty (and to get one high enough it has to be practically above his head to start with!), and even most hay bags with a hole are a potential danger. I worked with a very well respected, big name vet and their clinic feeds on the floor whenever possible-there is far less dange to the horse eating on the floor of a stall. He said the only exception to that is if the ground is very sandy, and then it's better to put it on a low pallet or an old tire than in a rack or net.

[FatDinah]

What about using a big plastic trash container or a muck bucket to hold the hay?

[witherbee]

At the racetrack we put hay nets hanging outside of the stall door. The horse can reach out and get it (it's right at face level and sticks out into their doorway, so they are not stretching thier neck around). This way, the haynet is not actually in the stall and they are less likely to injure themselves on it. At home on the farm, we just ground feed the hay in the stalls and paddocks.

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

I'm going to be building hay racks into the corner of my stalls with either the barrels or the wood like this:
http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/FZ42PWf5S33X5KCmlt3hsA356696/GW513H342


i love that, i wish i were that handy to actually make one of those.



If you have a horse prone to choke, a horse who kicks the walls, or a horse with any type of breathing problem, I'd avoid the racks. Otherwise, it's your choice. Just make sure the racks don't hang so high that the horse has to reach up to eat from them.

my boy is prone to choke :/ he used to choke on his pellets really badly, so i switched him to textured feed and he's doing great. but i still am on edge about it. and he also has broken wind. i'm not sure if dust will aggravate that, but why take the chance? plus he rolls in his stall (esp after baths/grooming). i think i am just going to feed off the ground. my boy is a pig, so i'm sure if this new hay is good, he will eat every bit of it.



thank you guys for your input :)

[Equestryn]

Here is a picture I took this morning of my gelding (shortest horse in the barn at 15.1) next to his hay rack. It's kind of a weird angle and his neck looks HUGE, but you can see the height. I've really only seen him put his head up a tiny bit more than that to grab chunks out of the bottom/side, never with his nose above his eyes.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=3097565&id=660536020


That is almost exactly where my hay racks are in my stalls. Many of the horses also pull the hay out and drop it on the floor. It makes the stalls a bit cleaner as they don't have the pile on the floor to track around. I was tossing the hay on the floor but the horses began thinking it was a good potty and it was all going to waste.

I would think there'd be dust particles on the floor as well from the bedding. I use pine/cedar shavings in the stalls and they aren't dust free.

[Blinkers On]

I feed a flake of alf. on the ground and have a low hangining hay net so they eat off the top or side. I have had zero trouble

[devcubber]

Hay racks are no-nos for my horses as they are usually too high, which compromises respiratory health as well as strengthens the underside of the neck (from vigorous tug of war with the hay), which no one really wants. Also, the hay seems to get pulled out and ends up on the ground, trampled and pooped on.

Hay nets are great, if you have a horse that will keep her hooves out of them (I don't). You have to hang them high so that they won't catch a hoof, which then you are in the same position as above for repsiratory and neck issues. Canvas hay bags, which I thought were going to make my life easier, were actually worse, cause my mare could pull out the hay in about 3 bites, then get mad at the bag for being empty and pull it down with her teeth, tearing the straps and then sticking her hoof in the central portal.
She's ultra naughty.

I was a tester this summer for a new product called the Health EZ Hay Feeder. It's the greatest! It can be hung low, maximizing respiratory health and neck position, keeps the hay in the feeder and off the ground/poop/bedding, and it has small openings all the way around so that they eat more slowly and they stay occupied! And it's not a hoof trap! Yay!

They are easier to fill than any bag or net I've encountered and easy to carry.
Love them. www.healthezhayfeeder.com (http://www.healthezhayfeeder.com/)

[deltawave]

Gosh, the holes in that hay feeder cube seem just the right size for a small horse or pony to stick its foot right in. :no: No way could I have one of those around my Shetland.

[trubandloki]

Oh my, that thing looks like an accident waiting to happen for sure.

[devcubber]

it's not! I wouldn't use it on a pony or small horse, the openings are just smaller than a 00 shoe/hoof. But it's been tested extensively on 100s of horses and by vets and farriers, with rave reviews. It's patented too, and had to prove all sorts of things before it could receive its patents (I was a tester for the product this summer, had to fill out all sorts of questionnaire type things). My mare was so injured in a rack and a hay net, I was out of options. She destroys hay bags even quicker, though with less injuries, but I got tired of buying 5 each month to hay feed her. So this was really a great thing for me to try, and once I opened my mind to the trial (and didn't fixate on just hay nets or just hay bags as my only earthly options), the health ez hay feeder is now the only thing I'll use. Super sturdy, super safe.

When so many horses have been so injured in a hay net, why do people still use them? Because they "have to"? And especially in this litigious society, why on earth would a person put a product out there for the most accident prone animal on earth that would CAUSE a problem? The guy who invented this hay feeder is a racehorse breeder and trainer, and invested $$$$ in the R&D of this product, with rave reviews from professionals and regular riders (like myself).

[Bogie]

I've been using hay racks for 8 years.

I have them in the field because they keep hay from being wasted, and often in the stalls.

I talked to the vets at Tufts to see if they saw any health issues. They told me they feed their horses from racks.

I wouldn't use nets in the stalls in case they got caught up in one, but I've never seen any health related issues from the racks.

Save Hay & Money with a Pasture Feeder (http://www.equineproductsreview.com/?q=content/save-hay-and-money-pasture-feeder)

[sketcher]

I just wanted to note that a horse doesn't need to be rearing in it's stall to get a leg caught in a hay net/rack. I've seen a horse get a hind leg in a haynet, most likely while rolling in the stall. You would need to put a net/rack quite high for a hoof to not reach it when the horse is upside down!



About 25 years ago I saw a pregnant mare roll one time and get her hind foot caught in the hay rack. The hay rack was seemingly high enough but she kicked one leg up in a weird way in a vigorous roll. It was awful, she foaled later in the night so when she was caught she was fighting it in a panic and squirting colostrum everywhere. We went into the stall and somehow got her unhooked, she rolled over, scrambled up and leap out the door which we had left open in our haste to reach her and try to calm her down, into the aisle and over all of our hay bale beds, bedding, chairs etc...it was quite a scene. She was unhurt but that was a major stroke of luck - I can't imagine what would have happened if we couldn't get her unhooked from the rack. I have never had hay racks in my own barns and do my best to avoid them in boarding barns since then.

[Trevelyan96]

On the ground is supposed to be better for them as its a natural grazing position and helps their respiration.

I have racks... and it really doesn't matter anyway. Mine pull it all out of the racks then tromp, crap, and pee on it anyway.

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

About 25 years ago I saw a pregnant mare roll one time and get her hind foot caught in the hay rack. The hay rack was seemingly high enough but she kicked one leg up in a weird way in a vigorous roll. It was awful, she foaled later in the night so when she was caught she was fighting it in a panic and squirting colostrum everywhere. We went into the stall and somehow got her unhooked, she rolled over, scrambled up and leap out the door which we had left open in our haste to reach her and try to calm her down, into the aisle and over all of our hay bale beds, bedding, chairs etc...it was quite a scene. She was unhurt but that was a major stroke of luck - I can't imagine what would have happened if we couldn't get her unhooked from the rack. I have never had hay racks in my own barns and do my best to avoid them in boarding barns since then.

wow that is terrifying. my boy does roll, so i definitely don't want to take that chance.

[ShadyLover]

It is by far the most natural way to feed a horse from the ground. Obviously it is not as natural as grazing but it is the closet thing to it then having to worry about a hay rack or net and if your horse starts to have respiratory issues. Every barn i have ever gone to has feed from the ground (hay and grain).

If you are the one giving your horse hay at night try giving him less flakes. He might be one of those horses that picks all night without really eating much of anything. He does get a lot from grazing all day :).

[Dazednconfused]

wow that is terrifying. my boy does roll, so i definitely don't want to take that chance.


Umm...do you know of any horses that DON'T roll??:confused:

[RougeEmpire]

The bio mechanical structure a horses skill (top and bottom jaw) is designed to "fall into position" when the animal lowers its head to the ground to get nutrition. Horses are not designed as branch grazers like giraffes or even black rhinos. They have a lower jaw that slides back when the head is raised and slides DOWN when the head is lowered. When the head is up the teeth do not line up in a fashion that allowed for correct chewing. When the head is lowered the lower jaw slides down to allow the teeth to line up correctly for proper chewing and maximum grinding of grasses, hays and grain-seed. Its for this reason that hay feeds off the ground are not ideal. Hay feeders exist for HUMAN purposes, it makes it easier for US to feed the animal and reduce waist but that's all. The upright, non-"chewing position" caused by off the ground feeders leads to incorrect wear on horses teeth. But since most people have their horses teeth floated at least once a year they don't often notice any real issue. Me personally I always feed on the ground, incovient for me but good for my horses.

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

Umm...do you know of any horses that DON'T roll??:confused:

i meant in his stall lol

[SaddleFitterVA]

I feed mine the hay in 40 gallon, rubber water tubs. I've drilled holes and put U bolts on the tub edge and eye screws in the stall wall, and a snap to connect.

Yes, it is possible for a horse to pull a shoe on the U bolt.

It keeps the vast majority of the hay out of the bedding and is an improvement in work for me on the way I used to feed it. I used to feed it in the aisle, which kept it out of the bedding, but left me needing to sweep up.

Someday, I might build a couple of feeders like the one fairweather posted (and when I say "I", I mean get my husband to build). Mostly for the fatties. But, that will come after he builds me special cabinets for all the bridles and other things I hang in the aisle.

[TheJenners]

I think this is an "agree-to-disagree" situation if I ever saw one!! :lol:

Everyone will have different horror stories to tell, and everyone has a preference that works best for his or her horse, large and small, messy and neat.

My pony mare, when she is in a stall, has hay in a hay net. She's well-behaved and I don't worry about her a bit with it. Outside with the other two, they have a large hay feeder. The large hay feeder is tied to the fence because the BF's mare pushes it down and drags it around when it's empty. Do they sometimes tussle over it? Sure. Do I worry about my pony mare getting stuck against the fence and blasted by the bully mare? Yep. But this works best for all involved and not worth stressing. She'll learn to watch out. Would I feed hay on the ground in a stall? Sure, but I don't prefer it. Some horses I can trust with a net, some I can't. Never had a horse have an issue with a hay rack, but I see everyone's points.

[deltawave]

I think it comes down to which you think is better: a horse snarfing its hay off the ground in 20 minutes, leaving it with nothing (an unnatural state) or a horse eating with its head up (an unnatural state). If your horse has no problems with either unnatural state, you've got nothing to worry about. :)

the openings are just smaller than a 00 shoe/hoof

So my TB mare with size 00 feet, my pony, and all the foals I've ever had would be unsafe around the thing.

[devcubber]

I wouldn't use any type of hay net with a foal, period, just due to their silly curious nature, and would be very wary where I hung a hay net with any 00 horse. As someone said on another post, or maybe this one, a horse can hurt itself on anything...the health ez hay feeder is not foolproof, anymore than a hay net, hay rack, hay bag or even a bottom board of the fence can be. Sheesh! Common sense people!

[Amwrider]

The bio mechanical structure a horses skill (top and bottom jaw) is designed to "fall into position" when the animal lowers its head to the ground to get nutrition. Horses are not designed as branch grazers like giraffes or even black rhinos. They have a lower jaw that slides back when the head is raised and slides DOWN when the head is lowered. When the head is up the teeth do not line up in a fashion that allowed for correct chewing. When the head is lowered the lower jaw slides down to allow the teeth to line up correctly for proper chewing and maximum grinding of grasses, hays and grain-seed. Its for this reason that hay feeds off the ground are not ideal. Hay feeders exist for HUMAN purposes, it makes it easier for US to feed the animal and reduce waist but that's all. The upright, non-"chewing position" caused by off the ground feeders leads to incorrect wear on horses teeth. But since most people have their horses teeth floated at least once a year they don't often notice any real issue. Me personally I always feed on the ground, incovient for me but good for my horses.

You beat me to it. My equine dentist says the same thing. Feeding from racks or nets contributes to the formation of ramps or caudal hooks on the hind teeth I think I remember him saying. He did mention that the lower jaw slides down to position the mandible properly for chewing.

Edited to add that I found the verbiage on my equine dentist's website:

http://www.advancedequinedentist.com/rostral_hooks

[Lori B]

AMWRider & RougeEmpire, what you say is ONLY true if the horse eats directly and exclusively from the hay rack. I think there are a number of observers (including me) who have watched our horses pull hay from a rack, let it fall to the ground, and THEN eat it. Maybe she grabs a mouthfull now and then straight from the rack, but mainly she eats from the stall floor.

I don't think this is a question that lends itself to simple absolutism.

And I also think that if any horse is more comfortable eating hay from the ground, it's simple enough for the hay to get there, by the above method. It's not like anyone is tying the horse's head to the rack in an upright position and forcing them to chew in that position.

Your analysis would apply in that case, but I'm not sure it's so compelling otherwise.

[Ponyclubrocks]

I once had a mare sever her hind superficial digital flexor tendon while bucking in her stall. She did it on a metal hay rack hung high up in the corner. She was one of those horses (OTTB) who could find a way to hurt herself in a padded cell. I prefer to feed on the ground.

[JohnDeere]

Option #412--make a corner "manger wall" from 2x4s with a floor about 10" deep, triamgle about 18" from wall at its biggest, about 4' high. Horse stands still (unnatural) lowers the head slightly (more natural) and keeps the hay in the freekin' feeder (no wasted hay=unatural). Can hold nearly 1/2 bale.

[JB]

keeps the hay in the freekin' feeder (no wasted hay=unatural).

Unless the horse goes digging for better hay underneath, then he flings hay out ;)

Horses will always find ways to make a pigpen of their stall.

[JumpWithPanache]

My stall had a corner hay rack when I moved in. I tried it with a flake or two in there and the rest on the ground to see which she liked best. I was secretly hoping for the hay rack b/c horse likes to stall walk AND loves to spread her hay out and pick through. Of course she didn't like the rack, so I ended up feeding off the ground. I left the hay rack in until I had to rescue a chicken... then I took it down. If I ever need to feed with a hay net in the stall, I prefer to hang it in the doorway, less chance of getting a foot into it.

[Lori B]

We want pics of the chicken that required rescuing. Where is a camera when you need one?

[BEARCAT]

This is one of my designs, which would work well in a stall.
http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/photos/album/89685/Bearcat%27s+barrels/photo/4394189/Barrel%2FNet+feeder+at+work


It was very cheap (free barrel, small mesh hay net).
I have since improved on it because I like to make feeding time super easy. No fiddling with taking off lids or wrestling a hay bag open.
I have raised it up, taken the lid off and replaced the bag with a different one (hockey netting.)
All I have to do is toss the hay in over the fence. You could easily put a whole bale in there if you wanted to.
Can a horse still get hurt? Possibly - some could get hurt in a padded room... Would I recommend it for shod horses? No, because of the risk a pawer might get a shoe caught.
However, if a horse did roll under it, paw at it, etc. , the net would break before the horse (or the net/barrel connection.)
There is a learning curve for horses with small mesh hay nets. You can't just go from loose hay to tiny openings and expect the horse to not get frustrated. However, if done propery, the transition can be seemless.

[tbracer65]

they can't get a hoof caught in the rack if it's that low, can they?

not that my gelding ever rears or freaks out at all... but you never know.

Friend of mine lost a nice show jumper to those metal racks in the back of the stall.....came in the morning to find the horse hanging there with a dangling broken leg. From that day on I won't us them. Hay bags I'll use, but hang them OUTside the stall to the side of the gate...

But I guess it could have been one of those 'fluke' things -- but just not something I'll chance... Her's wasn't hung that low, either, but with a 17.0hand horse---they can go up pretty high!

[Fancy That]

Its' called the Freedom Feeder. Just like the other SMHNs but HUGE load capacity.

A neighbor of mine has one. I need to go check it out. I use the SMHN from Smith Brothers, and got the SHires ones too.


See it here: http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Freedom+Feeder+SMHN

I've had bad experiences with hay racks--i feel to make them safe, you have to put them too high. I've had a horse get a head stuck in one (years ago, when they were very wide).

I bought Nibble Nets and small mesh haynets, and like both. The nibble nets in the 2" don't slow them down much, but I think the 1.5" ones would, if that is your intention. They are SUPER easy to load, and hold a lot of hay.

The small mesh hay nets I was hanging on the fenceline, but yesterday I tied them off and put them on the ground (for horses with no shoes) and had no problem at all.

I'm going to be building hay racks into the corner of my stalls with either the barrels or the wood like this:
http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/FZ42PWf5S33X5KCmlt3hsA356696/GW513H342

I picked up some small mesh haynets in the UK last week--they are smaller holes, but HUGE and hold a LOT of hay--i wish we could get them here.

[Fancy That]

I wouldn't use any type of hay net with a foal, period, just due to their silly curious nature, and would be very wary where I hung a hay net with any 00 horse. As someone said on another post, or maybe this one, a horse can hurt itself on anything...the health ez hay feeder is not foolproof, anymore than a hay net, hay rack, hay bag or even a bottom board of the fence can be. Sheesh! Common sense people!

Guys - the true Small Mesh Hay Net, with the 1.5" openings are SUPER SAFE for almost ANY BAREFOOT HORSE.

See my 41" Shetland/Mini cross eating quite comfortably from it - both tied to fence and on the ground.

Eating from SMHN on the ground:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk150/elaineshickman/Tinkerbelle/cwvDm9asA3Lw9atmAbl5etGTDg.jpg

Eating from SMHN hung from fence:
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk150/elaineshickman/Tinkerbelle/DSC01805.jpg

[Fancy That]

Here's a safe hay rack that has everything OUTSIDE of the stall, so it's super safe.

It's mounted at ground level, and also slows the horse down (not as much as the really small-mesh haynets) and reduces waste.

It's the Slow-Feed:

http://www.slo-feed.com/

From the looks of it, you'd just want to make sure hoof size is larger than the grid-spacing. I went to look at some used ones nearby and thought they were a good compromise from the typical hay feeders....

[chelsealaurenmurphy]

i'm actually really interested in the nibble net. can you hang it down low like right at the bottom of the wall to where it is not even a few inches off the ground? that will keep their neck down, the net is 1.5 inches wide, so i know a hoof can't go through it, and it keeps the stall clean. hmmm.. i just wish it wasn't almost $50.

[devcubber]

i'm actually really interested in the nibble net. can you hang it down low like right at the bottom of the wall to where it is not even a few inches off the ground?

I don't think it's meant to be hung that low; although I've seen a friend use it like a "hay pillow" on the ground, but it got pretty funky dirty pretty quickly. My mare, eating off of a NN at chest height pulled the snot out of the net and sprung the snap, then stomped the bejeesus out of it on the ground. She's a holy terror.

[devcubber]

It's the Slow-Feed:

http://www.slo-feed.com/

From the looks of it, you'd just want to make sure hoof size is larger than the grid-spacing. I went to look at some used ones nearby and thought they were a good compromise from the typical hay feeders....

Exactly Fancy!! Someone was discussing the reason why they thought the Health EZ Hay Feeder (http://www.healthezhayfeeder.com/) was dangerous due to its 4" oval feeding portals that a horse 'could' get its hoof into; well, while the size of those ovals are smaller than a 00 hoof/shoe, some horse somewhere could get its hoof into it. And I think the above Slo-Feed device is brilliant but a horse, somewhere, could get its hoof into it. Common sense and a knowledge your horse(s) would be very important before putting any device in front of a horse!

So are both dangerous? NO!!! My friend's horse will always always always try to squeeze out of the escape man-door at the front of any trailer he's loaded into. Does that make the trailer unsafe, or the manufacturer of said trailer an idiot? NO! It just makes trailers with man-doors unsafe for that particular horse!

So before people judge a product with a one-size fits all blanket negative response, perhaps you should think of the specifics first!

[HoofHeartSoul]

Can you elaborate on this please?

I use hay racks, at just below chest level. The horses love them, never had any problems, and no wasted hay. I wet my hay so I'm not too worried about dust.

sorry just came back to this thread and saw this.


Apparently if a horse eats from a hay rack or bag (with his head above wither level) it causes the jaw to move differently than when they eat on the ground.

you say your hay rack is below chest level, so i am thinking when your horse eats his head is below his withers...which is why you aren't seeing a problem.