Some people swear by using hay nets. Others have negative opinions about how hay nets might affect horse health and safety.
There are precautions to consider when choosing a hay net size and deciding where to hang it. However, hay nets can also offer several benefits. These benefits apply to both hard-keeping and easy-keeping horses.
In this article, you’ll learn about the benefits of using hay nets. You’ll also find tips for choosing and hanging hay nets. We also discuss precautions to take and recent research on how hay nets affect horse health.
The Pros of Hay Nets
Hay nets can be a great tool for many horses. They work by slowing down the hay eating process. This is helpful when there’s a need to limit hay or when offering free-choice hay.
The slower feeding method aligns with how a horse’s digestive system functions. Horses are designed for continuous grazing, and their stomachs secrete acid continuously. Slowing down hay intake mimics natural grazing behavior. It also prevents the horse from having an empty stomach for long periods, which can increase the risk of ulcers.
Hay nets can also help reduce hay waste. When hay is placed on the ground can be walked on or soiled, making it unpalatable for the horse. Hay nets keep hay clean and off the ground.
Additionally, hay nets can help prevent stall boredom. They provide mental stimulation as horses spend more time and effort pulling smaller portions of hay from the net.
Choosing the Right Hay Net for Your Horse
Traditionally, hay nets were designed with larger openings that did not restrict a horse’s hay intake rate.
Today, however, there are a wider range of hay net openings that can be as small as 1.25”. This can further reduce hay waste and slow down the horses’ rate of hay intake.
Depending on if your horse is a hard-keeper or easy-keeper, the size of the hay net’s opening can help you have better control over hay consumption and the rate it’s consumed.
For example, hay nets give you a great advantage when there is a necessity for limiting hay intake for easy keepers. Hay nets with very small openings are what would be best for the fast-eating horses or feeding limited amounts of hay to easy-keepers.
For harder-keeping and picky eaters, many will prefer hay out of a net than they will off the ground. Choosing a hay net with a moderate-sized hole would likely be ideal for this kind of horse.
Precautions When Using Hay Nets
Large, slow feeders for pasture use have also been made of varying materials. However, horse owners quickly learned that while metal grates slowed down how quickly a horse ate, there were also reports of excessive wear on the front teeth due to these types of materials.
Netted hay nets designed for whole square bales or to put over a round bale are now available instead, which avoids the problem of excess wear on a horse’s teeth. Keep in mind the placement of these larger hay nets so that shod horses don’t have the opportunity to catch a shoe on the netting.
When hung in a stall, hay nets, slow or regular, need to be hung at a height where horses can’t catch a shoe or leg in them when they’re rolling. It’s also important to think about how far the hay net hangs down when the hay net will be both full and empty.
Another negative opinion surrounding hay nets is that the horse isn’t eating in a natural grazing position. This concern does have merit, particularly for horses with cervical arthritis or issues with their poll or back.
If hay nets are too elevated above the horse’s head, this can also cause the nasal passages to not drain properly, which poses an increased risk of respiratory infections.
Some slow feeders are designed to allow a more natural grazing position. They can be considerably more expensive or may require some DIY skill when hanging them.
Recent Research Findings: The Way Hay Nets Affect Horses’ Dental Health and Body Condition
Historically, horse owners have hesitated to use hay bags, concerned that even netted hay bags could affect dental health or body condition scores compared to feeding hay on the ground.
Researchers recently conducted a study to examine how hay nets impact a horse’s overall health.
In the study, researchers randomly assigned thirteen horses to either a hay net or a ground-fed hay method and observed them for a year. After a year, researchers switched the horses to the opposite hay feeding method for the second phase, which also lasted one year.
Throughout the two-year study, researchers took pictures and recorded any changes in the horses’ teeth and body condition scores.
The good news is that the study found feeding horses with hay nets did not impact incisor length or cause bevels on the incisors. While horse owners have worried hay nets were too abrasive on a horse’s teeth, the horses in this year-long study showed the same number of dental abnormalities regardless of whether they ate from a hay net or not. This concluded hay nets didn’t negatively affect dental heath in accordance with the study.
Feeding with hay nets gave them more control over managing a horse’s body weight, and in turn, body condition scores per this study. The horses eating hay from hay nets in this study also kept within healthier body condition scores overall.
The study also confirmed that hay nets can be an extremely valuable way to reduce hay waste, which can save horse owners money in the long-term. The study showed hay waste was reduced by 20% when hay nets were used.
As long as they are safely installed at the proper height and with an opening that is best for the individual horse’s needs, hay nets offer a more prolonged way of feeding horses. This can positively affect horse health overall by decreasing boredom when stalled and provide a more customized rate of feeding that can better align with a horse’s natural digestive system.
References
DeBoer, M., L. Keener, J. Layeux-Parks, O. Schueller, L. Johnson, and K. Martinson. 2024. Effect of hay nets on horse bodyweight, body condition score, hay usage, and dental health in mature adult horses. Equine Science Society Symposium 2023. Available online 24 March 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2024.103987.
Article Source: Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition – Nicole Rambo, Ph.D. and Sarah Welk Baynum