safely hanging hay nets

I started using the small-hole hay nets, hanging them from a ~4" screw-eye drilled into a post on the wall, tied in a quick-release knot. The problem is that my boys really love their food, and in the process of trying to get it out of the small-hole nets, fling the nets around and rip them off the wall. They appear to simply come untied. Is there a way to tie the hay nets safely, but securely?

Should I tie them to a string of baling twine through the eye with a regular knot? Or should I not worry about it and just tie it in a regular knot to the eye screw? I think with all the lifting/swinging and the thick hanging string of the net, the quick-release knot just comes loose. Or does someone have other ideas for hanging hay nets?

On a related note, one literally flung his hay net over the 5' wall the other day, out of reach. Any suggestions for how to prevent that from happening? All of the stall walls are that height; moving it to a different wall isn't an option. They're hung at about 4' now.

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=morganpony86;6675118]I started using the small-hole hay nets, hanging them from a ~4" screw-eye drilled into a post on the wall, tied in a quick-release knot. The problem is that my boys really love their food, and in the process of trying to get it out of the small-hole nets, fling the nets around and rip them off the wall. They appear to simply come untied. Is there a way to tie the hay nets safely, but securely?

Should I tie them to a string of baling twine through the eye with a regular knot? Or should I not worry about it and just tie it in a regular knot to the eye screw? I think with all the lifting/swinging and the thick hanging string of the net, the quick-release knot just comes loose. Or does someone have other ideas for hanging hay nets?

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Okay, I know it's not as safe, but I just clip a double ended snap to the tie rope, after doubling it. Then we run the snap through the ring on the wall (which isn't going to work with small screw eyes, we use tie rings) back through the bottom of the net then snap it to the ring. Our rings are at human eye level, so at least 5 feet off the ground (I'm 5'11".) An empty haynet should never be hanging below the point of the horse's shoulder. This system works for me, and I've been using haynets to feed for 30 years. The only time I have ever had a horse get stuck in a haynet was a 2 year old Saddlebred stallion with padded shoes on, who got his shoe stuck in the net somehow (even though it was above shoulder height.) The only thing I can think of is that he reared and pawed at the net. He got his hay on the floor after that.

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On a related note, one literally flung his hay net over the 5' wall the other day, out of reach. Any suggestions for how to prevent that from happening? All of the stall walls are that height; moving it to a different wall isn't an option. They're hung at about 4' now.

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Maybe a second ring in the wall, further down, to hold the bottom?

They can't really get a foot stuck in the small mesh nets unless they bite/rip the netting, so I think you're safe hanging them with a regular knot/snaps. That's what I do with mine.

I fill my SMHNs and then instead of tying a knot at the top of the drawstring to hold it closed, I loop the other end of the string to the bottom of the net and tie it through some netting there. (makes a half-loop like a purse strap) I leave a bit of extra, tying it so the half-loop isn't really long.

In the stalls I have a clip that I then clip onto the "purse strap" string. My horses can swing the net around without it coming undone. The weight of the hay in the net holds it closed when it's hanging.

I do similar outside...only I loop the pull string around a fence post over one of the coated wires and then tie the end to the bottom of the net. Keeps their hay off the ground and mud/poop free. Using SMHNs inside and out has reduced hay waste to about 1% for me. :D And it's fast and easy to use the nets...I fill the day's worth of nets once every 24 hours, takes about 5 minutes, then grab what I need for each feeding.

I hang nets in my run in sometimes if it's nasty out and I prefer them hanging out in there. I run the cord thru the bottom of the hay net as many times as I can (to keep the bottom of the net as high as possible) before I secure it and I use snaps to keep it high on the tie rings I have about 6 feet high on the run in walls. My hay nets stick OUT more than hang down. If I'm around, I will go check them and either top them off or see if I can tie the bottoms up a little higher. I'm not worried about feet when they're that high. I wouldn't keep a halter on though because somehow my black horse would become attached to the net-guaranteed.

I put a ring about 6 feet off the ground in a good sturdy upright post, and then tied a small loop of baling twine to it. I take the hay net and after it's full, grab the strings at 3:00 and 9:00 and pull them out to the side, then together and tie a single knot in them, pushing it as close to the body of the net as possible (sorry if that's confusing...) I snap a double-ended snap as close to the hay net as possible, below the knot, through two of the strings (boy, I'm making this confusing) so it hangs tight and high and the extra string is up high. Even when empty, the bottom of the hay net is still about 3 feet off the ground. When full, the horse's head is roughly at shoulder height. So far, so good.

A friend made it even simpler. She removed the string, cut it down so that it's just long enough to go through all the loops, and made a loop at one end and a snap hook at the other. She fills the net, runs this new shorter cord through the top, snaps it back to itself and hangs with the snap hook.

Get a heavy-duty caribiner. Take up 4 or more lengths of the draw string into the caribiner and snap it over an eye-hook. Done!

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Originally Posted by ChocoMare

Get a heavy-duty caribiner. Take up 4 or more lengths of the draw string into the caribiner and snap it over an eye-hook. Done!

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Ooh! this would work really well with the bags I have now. And I think I have enough caribiners for all the bags, since I leave them for others to hang. thanks!

I would not use carabiners around horses as it is quite easy for them to catch a lip, eyelid, halter etc if the horse rubs on it - and we all know horses like to find ways to injure themselves.
I am referring to these:
http://www.rei.com/product/471041/bl...oval-carabiner

If you get something that is locking, that would be okay.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have a few ideas now for my set up.

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Originally Posted by MistyBlue

Using SMHNs inside and out has reduced hay waste to about 1% for me. :D And it's fast and easy to use the nets...I fill the day's worth of nets once every 24 hours, takes about 5 minutes, then grab what I need for each feeding.

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Exactly, which is why I'm quite dedicated to making this work. The difference is striking.

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Originally Posted by tle

They can't really get a foot stuck in the small mesh nets unless they bite/rip the netting, so I think you're safe hanging them with a regular knot/snaps. That's what I do with mine.

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That's kind of what I was thinking. While I'm sure they could figure out some way to kill themselves, especially around the draw string, I think if I can keep it shoulder/wither height they should be fine. One horse physically can't rear if he tried due to an old injury, and the other is too lazy. I'm far more concerned with them getting wrapped up if the net falls on the ground.

Guess I chose the wrong word. Tis not a caribiner but an Interlocking Spring Snap

They are smooth edged and come in a JUMBO size.

My hay nets have a metal ring at the bottom. I just fill the net, attach a double ended snap to the string, run the string through the hitch ring (or over the tree limb in the pasture) then snap it to the meatal ring at the bottom. They hang about 5' high and when empty, at about 4'.

No time to read the above post----I use a double end snap on the bottom of my hay bag and wrap the drawstring around bars of stall then flip bottom up to top and snap there. Holds it all up so no legs get tangled.

Initially, when I tied my nets up, I used a 3" ring that I tied into the top of the net. Then added a double end snap to the ring and snapped the other end onto a screw eye attached to my outside barn wall. Horses swung the hay net around and around and around and the screw eyes would come out. :(

So I added another double end snap at the bottom ring of the hay net and another screw eye far enough away that the haynet is stretched out sideways, like a hammock, instead of hanging down.

I untie the knot at the end of the drawstring so the horses don't get their feet caught.

Now the only major problem I have is that the one horse literally tears large holes in the hay net, lets the hay fall out and doesn't eat it off the ground. :mad: My hay nets are black with lovely blue baling twine mending the holes. :sigh: I started with 4 hay nets 3 yrs ago, bought 2 more and have so far tossed one completely out. I did save the bottom ring and the drawstring. You never know when one or the other might come in handy. :D