As some of you may know, I’ve tried been thinking about restricted, free access hay feeders for a while. Here is the first try and the update. So, I was still looking for an easy to use solution that worked for me, the horses and the barn staff.

I heard about using hockey netting for making large (and small) hay nets on an email list (a sister list to the EquineCushings yahoogroup). A link was posted to Arizona Sports Equipment. I went ahead and ordered eight linear feet of ten foot wide netting. It cost me under $30.

I meant to make two large nets for my horse’s stalls. The first one took me about thirty minutes, the next fifteen. I cut the net in two for pieces about 5′ x 8′. I hooked the short end to the stall bars with cheap aluminum carabiners from Target. Next was folding them in half and lacing up the sides with baling twine. I used bright red for one and blue for the other. I trimmed about two feet off one net, so that it wouldn’t drape on the floor when empty. The other I left alone. I wanted to see how each would work.

The nets are very easy to fill. I simply unclip one side from the middle few carabiners and stuff flakes in. I can fit nearly a full small bale. I am sure that a whole bale would fit if I took the net down and put it over the bale before removing the strings. Lily is really enjoying having hay available all the time. For now she does seem to be eating a little more than before. She was fed two flakes for breakfast and three for dinner. Though I am sure that varied due to who was feeding her. Now she always has hay. I think that she’s pretty happy about that!

I’ve been using these stall hay nets since February 25th and I’m quit happy with them. I fill them every 3 days or so. They have yet to be emptied. My horses are ready to go out earlier, not needing an hour plus to eat their morning hay.

Lily pawed at the net at first, but soon gave that up. She seems more contented now too. I ended up liking the shorter net better for the stall. I think that the larger net will work for a whole bale in the pasture. I’ll find out about that this weekend….