You name it, I have the
haynet. I have spent a great deal of
time sourcing and trying various types of haynets which will do the job I
require… to allow slow continuous feeding.
Wolfie, Buttons and Honey all require restricted amounts of hay. They
are all stabled over night in winter and can be standing in anywhere from 4pm
to 9am the following morning. For anyone that is able to do night checks and
put haynets in last thing at night and first thing in the morning, I envy you. Like
many people I can leave the yard at 6pm content in the knowledge that my horses
are comfortable and have plenty of hay and water. However, if I return to the
yard at 9pm, I can guarantee that they will have very little hay left, if any,
meaning they will be standing for up to 12 hours in their stables without
anything to eat. This to me is not acceptable and I’ve been trying haynet after
haynet to get around this issue. In an ideal world, I would have the facilities
to keep them outside all year round with ground feeders, areas of dry hard
standing in all weathers and a good field shelter. However until I win the lottery, I, like most
people, keep my horses at livery, so we have to make the best of what we have. Personally
I find it much easier to feed a horse up than to restrict feed intake. Managing
a horse on a restricted forage diet takes time and effort and the easiest
answer is often just to give them more hay as opposed to trying to slow them
down.
I soak all of my hay in excess of
12 hours. Depending on their condition scores (which I do monthly) I feed them
at 1.5-2% of their bodyweight, so extending feeding time is vital. Horses are
not designed to stand without forage for long periods of time as it is
unnatural and unhealthy for normal gut function and can increase the chances of
the horse developing an ulcer. For horses and ponies who have had laminitis or
are insulin resistant, being fasted for a prolonged period of time and then fed
can cause an insulin surge beyond normal levels which could be harmful. Eating
hay slowly and consistently helps steady and maintain normal glucose levels. There’s
also the psychological effects of being enclosed in a stable for hours on end
with nothing to eat, possibly causing or contributing to vices and
stereotypical behaviour.
So, I require nets which are
strong, rot resistant due to being soaked, with holes small enough to reduce
intake without making it completely impossible to get the hay. I want to keep
them busy, working to get the hay but I don't want to stress them out or leave
them completely frustrated. I use 3 nets in the stable for Wolfie overnight, to
try and encourage him to move from net to net, I then have to have 3 nets
soaking for the next night, which requires me to have a lot of nets! This is also to save time so I am not
transferring hay into different nets. I
want nets which are long lasting and good value for money.
Here's my honest reviews of 8 of
the nets I’ve bought, tried and tested. They are a mix of nets suitable for
horses and small ponies like my Shetlands. Have you had similar issues trying to find the
perfect haynet? Please feel free to post your comments. You might even have the
name of a net I need to try next!
Shires Fine Mesh Haynet (30mm holes small or large. Retails around
£6.95 plus postage)
I have tried various versions of
the fine mesh small holed haynets, including Shires. The Shires is a good size,
probably holding at least 3 leaves of hay and it is a lightweight net, with a
metal tie ring and a good length rope. It is also easy to open and fill
although I think it is generally best suited to feeding dry hay through. These
fine mesh nets do not withstand being continually submerged in water and
stretch very easily so your 30mm holes soon become 60mm plus holes. This means
they are better for horses who are not overly zealous with their nets. With a
little practice, horses become very adept at eating out of small holed nets,
and the Shires is really is no problem for Wolfie. I tend to double-net and put
a more robust net on top of this one.
Even for this price, I really would be expecting something a little tougher
and am not convinced these nets are going to last the rest of the summer never
mind making it through a harsh Scottish winter.
IV Horse Miser Net (40mm holes.
Retails between £14.00 - £15.65 plus postage)
Based on trawlernet technology,
the trawler net uses fixed knots, making it very strong. It is UVA and ammonia resistant and designed
to be used anywhere from the stable, to travelling, or in the field. It is a large net which could hold 3-4 leaves
of hay. It has a good long rope and plastic tie ring at the bottom, making it
easy to tie up at a safe height. It is pricey for a haynet but I have been
using 2 of these for soaking hay and feeding for the last 2 years and they are
still very strong and they withstand pulling without fraying. To me these are
‘safe and dependable’ nets if that makes sense as I never worry about Wolfie getting
anything caught on them. A solid, sensible net in the haynet world, expensive,
but a good investment if you need a tough, robust net and want to maximise
eating time.
Elim-A-Net (Made by Parell Products.
(Inner net design and retails at £10.00 and above plus postage)
“More than your average
haynet”. The Elim-A-Net people say that
the ‘inner net design’ creates a physical barrier which alters the shape and
size of the holes compared to a standard haynet to prevent rapid forage
consumption and over eating. I bought two of these nets last year when Wolfie
was on box rest after his virus. When I discovered them I was so excited (yes I
do get excited over haynets). The idea and concept of these nets is brilliant. It
is designed to eliminate the need for double netting. However, the braiding of
the nets is very poor and weak, the inner net stretches and breaks which
actually distorts the holes to the extent that Wolfie can stick most of his
head in. I have really only used these nets with dry hay as I didn’t feel
confident that they would survive being submerged in water, and within a couple
of days there were holes in them. The idea is great, but more work and thought
has to be put in to the actual materials used.
The Elim-A-Net might be OK, if the horse is a delicate eater but not for
one that gets torn into the net. A big
disappointment to me and in my opinion, really not worth the money. You would be better buying 2 cheaper small
holed nets and double netting.
Trickle Net (25mm holes and retails at around £30.00 plus postage)
A robust and practical haynet
which can hold just over 4 leaves of hay.
It is made from 4mm braided polyethylene and is rot proof. This is a
heavy duty practical net which is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. It is suitable for all types of forage
including hay, straw and haylage. The net is designed to promote the natural
grazing rhythm and the holes are supposed to be the optimum size to reduce
intake without restricting too much. It is a large net which is easy to fill.
Sounds perfect … but then there’s the price.
The nets are hand made and apparently production costs are high due to
the strong material and the labour involved in making them. Don’t worry, the
thought of paying £30.00 for a haynet still makes me break out in a sweat. I
bought it as nets with 25mm holes which withstand soaking and are not going to
stretch are hard to come by. Is it doing
its job? Yes it is. I’m not sure yet if
it is good value for money though … I’ll let you know if remains in action over
the next 5 years. For that price I want
my money’s worth! It is possibly a good
investment if you just feed using one haynet.
With this net there is a noticeable difference in the length of time the
horse is eating. The 25mm holes definitely slow horses down but it may be best
to feed alongside another net to begin with as it took Wolfie a couple of days
to get used to this net and the effort required to eat from it. People have
reported that it has reduced cribbing, box walking and door kicking in some
horses that have remained busy and less bored using the trickle net. It would
also reduce the time taken to double and triple net.
Hardwearing mesh nets (40mm holes £7.50 plus postage from Martsnets on
EBay)
Hardwearing net made from 3mm net
twine, again the same as used in fisherman’s nets. This is a huge net, probably fitting up to 7
leaves of hay (although there is a smaller one available). The holes are around
40mm and I was impressed with the long sturdy rope. These nets are available in
an array of colours, so if you don't want your nets getting mixed up with other
peoples at the yard, then these are for you. They are very eye catching and get
lots of comments. Proving to be robust and hard wearing, I have bought a couple
of these and use them as the top net when double netting as they are easy to
fit another net inside. The seller is very helpful, dispatches quickly and will
combine postage for multiple purchases. All in all, very good value.
IV Horse Mini Miser Net (40mm
holes and retails at around £12.25 plus postage)
A smaller version of the Miser
net and again made with fixed knot North Sea netting which is used by Fishermen
and is designed to be UV and rot resistant. These little square nets fit ½ to 1
leaf of hay, however, the ropes were a bit short and I re-roped both of mine. The
holes are small enough that little feet cannot get stuck in them and I’ve found
this to be a tough little net able to withstand the table manners of greedy
little ponies.
Wee Pony Haynet (25mm holes and retails at around £10.99 plus postage)
This is another net which uses trawlernet
technology but this time made more with smaller ponies in mind. It is UV
stabilised for rot resistance and can fit up to 1 leaf of hay. I sometimes actually
use this net in my horse’s stable to give him varying degrees of difficulty in
his nets. These are long narrow nets, almost like a sock, so they can be a
little awkward to fill, but are great once they are tied up. Again, the holes
are small enough to stop little pony feet becoming caught and they have
withstood being soaked and Buttons using them as a scratching tool. Both my
miniatures use these nets and it has really prolonged their feeding time and
their determined lips and teeth. It is quite
a versatile little net which could be used for ponies or horses. I would recommend these for any little ones
watching their waist lines.
Teenie Weenie Haynet (20mm holes and retails at around £8.10 plus
postage)
This net lives up to its name, it
is teenie on the tiny scale. It is supposed to be made from tough trawler
netting and designed to take up to 1 leaf of hay. I was lucky if I managed to
squeeze half a leaf of hay into it, it was really awkward to fill and the rope
was so short the net wouldn't close. Buttons was able to empty the hay out of
the top without actually having to use the holes. The rope was so short that once the net was
tied up, Buttons would have needed a step ladder to reach it. My ponies live in
a stable which is designed for miniatures, so all the tie rings are at a
suitable height for them, the rope was just far too short. Buttons had this net
for no longer than a couple of hours and he ripped a huge hole in the bottom of
it. He is quite hard on his nets but this is a fragile little net and more for
decoration than daily use. Alas, marks for cuteness in name and appearance are severely
let down in terms of practical use and I would not recommend it.
Size comparison between the mini
miser and the teenie weenie net
In summary, if you require to soak
hay and extend feeding time, then the Miser net is about the best value for
money. It's the Steady Eddie of haynets
and is long lasting against the elements and determined teeth. As for the trickle
net, well I'm still trying to get my head around the price tag! It is a sturdy
robust net and with the 25mm holes it really does extend the time spent eating.
It may be beneficial for someone with a horse on box rest who can't get back
during the day to add a lunch net. The nets made from North Sea netting and the
trawler technology definitely withstand endless soaking. I'm thinking I will
try and source my own netting and have a go at making my own nets. I used to
make nets out of baling twine when I was younger. I'll let you know how I get
on.
Remember when you are restricting
forage to feed a good balancer and, as always, teeth should be checked regularly.
