We have discussed this topic before and even have a reference page for it in our FAQ and now this Blog because it is a VERY common question that we receive. Recently one of our USA customers kindly did a sequence of photos for me to show how the net performed and behaved as her horses ate the bale of hay down.
These photos were taken over a 16-day period. We sincerely wish to thank Carri for going to the trouble to take these photos every couple of days. There were 4 horses eating from this net. Her horses are not shod, therefore there isn't risk of shoe/hoof entanglement. It is also very important to make sure that the smallest hoof size, is always bigger than the hole size of the netting.
Carri used a GutzBusta 6x4 4cm Knotless round bale hay net on her HUGE bale of hay that measures roughly 5 feet x 5 1/2 feet. We don't have any bigger than 6x4 round bales of hay in Australia. However our Large Export Square Bales may facilitate these larger sized bales of hay. To be sure, please check our measurement guide and also review our hay net dimensions.
The following sequence of photos shows you what happens to the netting and how the horses use the net as it is grazed down.
If your round bale was in danger of getting wet, then we would certainly recommend throwing a tarpaulin over the top of the bale to keep it dry until the storm passes. You can just leave the bottom showing, so the horses can still graze from the net, however the bulk of the bale won't get wet.
One comment we receive fairly regularly from our customers is that they notice that their herds demeanour towards each other is greatly improved when feeding this way and that there is a general improvement in the happiness of the herd.
As they say, a picture shows a thousand words. These photos are a brilliant illustration of how our hay nets save on hay wastage by keeping the hay within the confines of the netting. This stops horses from scattering the hay about, tossing it around, having it blown away, laid on, used as a toilet, or trampled, and stops them from picking the 'nicest' bits of the bale out.
They, therefore, save massively on wastage!!
For unshod horses, it is fine to have your net like this. For shod horses, you need to have a hay ring or some sort of physical barrier between the feet and the nets to keep shoes and nets separate.
We also have a Blog on our Australian website that shows some more photos and gives a little more information on this topic.
❤️❤️Thank you to Carri who is a wonderful GutzBusta USA customer. Our nets are now available around the Globe with us having just set up a warehouse in Texas to meet the demands of our USA customers. ❤️❤️
However, this does require management and observation to ensure that nets and shoes don't contact each other!
Here are some great ideas our customers have shared with us over the years. 🥰 Below are some of their ideas!
