How useful are hay nets, hay bags and co. for horses?
Hay nets for horses are essential as they can support the natural feeding behaviour of horses.
Horses are naturally continuous eaters, spending most of their day grazing or eating hay. In the wild, horses continuously consume small amounts of food, which benefits their delicate digestive system .
However, when feeding in stables or horse trailers, it can be difficult to support this natural feeding behaviour. This is where specially designed nets come into play. These hay bags allow horses to eat the hay slowly and continuously during the journey. This is not only reassuring for the animals, but also minimises the risk of stomach problems due to fasting.
The use of Slow Feeding Nets ensures that the horses do not waste their feed and prevents overeating, which could lead to digestive problems.
Hay nets for round bales and feed racks for horses are extremely practical
In addition, hay nets for round bales and hay racks are extremely practical for horses, as they ensure slower feed intake. The hay can also no longer be spread everywhere so easily. Hay nets and feed racks prevent wastage of feed and contamination of roughage. This type of feeding is more economical and hygienic for the farmer.
Overall, hay nets for horses help to ensure the animals' well-being by supporting their natural feeding behaviour , promoting digestion and optimising feed consumption at the same time. They are a practical and sensible solution for the species-appropriate feeding of horses in various situations.
How do horses naturally feed?
Horses' digestive tracts and their stomach in particular have adapted to this lifestyle.
Horses originally lived in the steppes and spent most of their day wandering around and eating the sparse vegetation on the steppe.
But why is this? The answer lies in the structure of the horse's stomach:
- The stomach is divided into two - the lower part, which has gland-containing mucous tissue, produces the hydrochloric acid that makes up the acid in the stomach. The upper part consists of gland-free mucous tissue which is very sensitive to stomach acid.
- Stomach acid is produced constantly, regardless of food consumption, stomach acid is produced 24 hours a day. The buffer is the bicarbonate contained in the saliva, which is produced by constant chewing. Breaks in feeding are therefore harmful to the stomach.
- Only a 12 - 14-litre capacity: the stomach is a type of "transitory" organ and the feed only remains there for 1 - 5 hours. Here, the food is "sterilised" and turned into a broth of nutrients for digestion in the small intestine.
- Horses' stomachs have very little capacity to expand!
Constant and slow feeding is therefore of tremendous importance for the health of the animals' digestive tracts.
- Oesophagus
- Small intestine
- Exit of the stomach (Pylorus)
- Gland-containing mucosal tissue (protected from stomach acid)
- Dividing line between the mucosal tissues (Margo Plicatus)
- Gland-free mucosal tissue (unprotected from stomach acid)
- Entrance of the stomach (Cardia)
Modern horse care and animal-appropriate feeding
Borrowing from horses' natural feeding behaviour, it is essential to provide the animals with access to hay 24 hours a day. Breaks between meals should never be longer than 4 hours. It is important to note, however, that horses should not be given large quantities of roughage without having to make any effort to consume it.
It's better not to feed horses like this!
In modern horse care particularly, which is often influenced by economic factors, animal feed is given without the opportunity for rationing. This means that the food is consumed too quickly and the break between feeding becomes too long. Since the horse's stomach, as previously described, is used to regular and small portions, incorrect feeding can, in the worst case, lead to long-term health problems.
Studies show that every horse suffers gastritis on numerous occasions over the course of its life. 60 - 90 % of all horses suffer stomach ulcers, depending on where they are used. Race horses are the most commonly affected. Even foals have stomach problems, especially during the weaning period.
In addition to the excessively long break between feeds, the ratio of the various feed constituents is crucial to horses' gastric health. The general recommendation is to feed at least two kilograms of hay per 100 kg of live weight per day. The proportion of concentrated feed should depend on the horse's activity level. Unfortunately here too, too much concentrated feed is often given, which the digestive tract cannot handle. Water and roughage are therefore the fundamental building blocks of nutrition for a healthy horse.
Example of rationing for a 600 kg warmblood doing light work
- Mineral feed
- Concentrated feed 0.5–2 kg
- Roughage 9–12 kg
- Water 20–30 l
To offer the horse the roughage in as appropriate a manner as possible, there are now countless variations designs of nets, pouches, containers, troughs and so on. One simple and inexpensive way of giving horses hay or roughage in a manner appropriate to their lifestyle is hay nets.
Hay nets etc. and their benefits for feeding
Hay nets and equivalent containers are used to slow down the rate at which horses eat and therefore encourage longer chewing. This stimulates saliva production and the increased flow of saliva contributes to a reduction in the stomach's acid content. There are studies indicating that this can help to reduce the risk of stomach ulcers.
Alongside the health-related benefits of feeding with hay nets and similar objects, the slow and steady pace of eating prevents boredom. Horses are occupied for longer with eating food and the time between meals is shortened. By slowing down the consumption of food, hay rationing products can also help ensure less roughage is wasted and is less quickly scattered and trampled underfoot. The additional benefit of this is increased hygiene.
with dust, which in turn creates an enormous advantage for horses with respiratory diseases. Another advantage of hay nets is that several can be hung up in various places, allowing every animal, regardless of its rank, to have its own feeding place and have access to sufficient amounts of roughage. Whether it be in the box, on the paddock or in the pasture, with our extensive range of hay nets, bags, boxes and racks, the horse-friendly feeding of roughage is possible practically anywhere.
Important special considerations when choosing hay nets, etc.
Hay nets are available with different mesh widths. The larger the distance, the faster the food consumption. Meshes that are too small, however, cause stress since too little food can be taken. The mesh is also exposed constantly to the horses' powerful jaws, which leads to faster wear.
Hay nets come in various designs. For a service life that is as long as possible, the material used, the structure of the cords, the diameter of the threads (monofilaments), the type of connection and the finish are generally the key criteria to consider. Materials such as polypropylene and a cord diameter of around 5 - 6 mm, made up of individual monofilaments, have proven to be excellent for this.
Hay bags or pouches are suitable alternatives to hay nets for slower eating. Care must be taken to ensure that the openings from which the hay can be eaten are properly arranged and not too small. A diameter of approx. 5 - 6 cm has proven to be ideal.
With troughs or boxes with mesh bars, a distance of 6 cm is also recommended. Here, too, care must be taken to ensure the correct, low mounting height so that the horse's posture is as natural as possible, while at the same time preventing the risk of injury by stepping on it or similar.