How to properly install a hay net for horses?

As explained in our article on Feelnets hay nets for horses, these items offer multiple benefits: for better horse health, for overall sanitary reasons, but also to help breeders save money and organize better. But once the decision to use a hay net is made, the question arises: how to install it properly? Feelnets, the company specializing in the custom manufacturing of technical nets and fabrics for indoor and outdoor use, provides advice on how to best install your hay net.

Installing your hay net on a round bale or rectangular bale

Round hay bales are generally 112 cm in diameter and 122 cm in length. However, depending on the baler model and its settings, they can be found up to 183 cm in diameter (72 inches) and weigh from 225 kg to 450 kg.

It can therefore be very complicated for a single person to place a round bale into a hay net. This seemingly arduous task is greatly facilitated by various methods.

How to fill your hay net for horses?

The hay net filling support

These metal supports come in two forms: either a circle to hang on a wall or a three-legged stand that can be placed on the ground. Whichever model is chosen, the principle is the same: 5 to 6 pins, along the circle, allow the net to be attached. Then, using a pitchfork, the hay must be placed into the hay net.

Wall-mounted hay nets

Some rectangular hay nets for horses have 4 attachment rings at their four ends, allowing them to be hung on a wall with the opening at the top, to keep your hands completely free for filling with hay using a pitchfork.

Hay nets with easy closures

The easiest solution is certainly the hay net that “slips on” like a sock. Feelnets hay nets feature this easy closure system with a sliding knot. You simply place your net directly onto the round bale or rectangular bale, pull it down (or up if you’ve placed the hay bale on top) just as you would, for example, put a sock on your foot. Then, when you reach the end, you close the sliding knot.

Simple, fast, and effective!

Furthermore, our hay nets are suitable for both round bales and rectangular bales, and you can place them on the ground or suspend them with rope.

Where to install your hay net?

Whether you have chosen a small or large hay net, you can hang it in your stable, for example. To prevent the net from swinging in all directions and the horse from having to shake it to get hay out, we advise hanging it against a wall or partition. But be careful, it is important to hang it at the correct height (elbow height), to avoid uncomfortable positions for the horse.

For shod horses who might get their shoe caught in the net, you can hang your net above a wooden support or a barrel, which would be at the height of the horse’s hooves.

A large hay net, containing an entire hay bale for several horses and several days, can be placed on the ground and attached outdoors to a tree, to prevent excessive movement. To minimize waste, also try to place it in an area away from a water source for horses, to prevent the hay from mixing with mud and becoming unusable.

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