Keeping your horse warm with hay

One of the main things that keeps your horse warm in winter is eating HAY. Digesting and fermenting hay in the hind gut produces warmth. Grain is not a substitute for hay and won’t produce the same amounts of warmth. If your horse doesn’t have access to good fibre in winter they’ll eat other sources like bedding, wooden fences or trees. 

Slow feed hay nets make it easy to give your horse access to hay at all times without wasting it. 

Choose the right hay net for your horse

There are lots of choices when it comes to haynets. Here’s how to choose the right one. Definitely go with a soft knotless net. These are MUCH better for your horse's teeth and last so much longer. That's why these are the only ones we stock. 

For horses that are good doers, choose a haynet with 3cm or even 2cm holes. For older horses and those that lose weight in winter, choose a haynet with 4cm or 6cm holes. 

You can get haynets that hold 1 biscuit, 3 biscuits, half a bale, whole bale and round bale. The size you choose will depend on how many places you want to tie up haynets (having several tied at different heights is great for your horse’s body), how often you want to refill them, and how you carry them from the hay shed to the paddock (a cart or wheelbarrow is great).  Round bale nets are fantastic for several horses. Smaller nets are great for stables, in the float and yards.

 

Get your haynets here.

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