SLOW FEEDING: How getting closer to nature can make your horse -- and your wallet -- happier and healthier
In recent years, many people have started to discover that a diet
closer to what horses eat in the wild – mostly forage with little or no grain –
can have great health benefits, including a lower incidence of gastric ulcers
and colic. However, it turns out that how wild horses eat may be just as
important as what they eat. Proponents of “slow feeding” – using feeders
that cause the horse to consume their hay more slowly – believe that this
practice has many benefits – for both horses and owners.
Studies of horses
living in natural environments have revealed that horses generally graze up to
16 hours a day, rarely going without eating for more than a few hours at a
time. As native grasses tend to be relatively sparse, free-living horses often
get only a few blades of grass before they must walk to the next little
mouthful. This type of grazing takes time, providing a small but steady intake
of food – which is exactly what the horse’s digestive system is designed to
handle. “The horse has a very small stomach relative to its body mass and
metabolic needs,” explains Candace Platz, DVM, of Maine Equine Associates in
Gloucester, ME, “and as such it is designed to be a continuous or ‘trickle’
feeder, rather than something like a cow that takes in a lot of food at once
and then goes off and digests it.”
The ‘trickle feeder’ model is
further born out by the fact that the stomach of the horse secretes hydrochloric
acid on a continual basis, regardless of the presence or absence of food. This works well for an animal designed to
take in small amounts of food almost non-stop. Unfortunately, the acidity of
the stomach can become dangerously high rather quickly in the absence of food,
putting the horse at risk for the development of equine gastric ulcer syndrome
(EGUS) – an extremely common condition in domestic horses. One 2009 study, performed by Nanna Luthersson and
colleagues at the University of Copenhagen, found that a prime risk factor
associated with the development of EGUS is when the interval between forage
feedings is greater than six hours.
Another factor that can contribute
to high acidity is the way horses secrete saliva. States Platz, “The horse does
not secrete saliva continuously, as we do, but only in response to the
stimulation of chewing. When they chew, they produce bicarbonate saliva that
buffers the acid of the stomach, protecting the stomach lining. However, if the
horse is not chewing for any significant length of time, the acidity of the
stomach is unopposed by any bicarbonate, contributing to excessive acidity.
Thus we are starting to hear experts talk about the importance of ‘chew time’
for the horse – the more the better.”
The
common practice of feeding horses large meals twice daily, with long gaps in
between, may therefore be problematic. This is even more true for horses with
metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and Cushing’s. While it is
generally known that such horses should not be given feeds with a high starch
or sugar content, it is less well known that even hay can cause significant
fluctuations in levels of glucose, insulin and leptin when fed in large meals separated by long periods of
time. “Hay is
essentially ‘grass jerky’,” says Eleanor Kellon, VMD, an equine nutritional
specialist with a particular interest in metabolic disorders. As she explains,
“Hay is a much more nutrient dense food than fresh grass because most of the
water has been removed. When horses go for a long time without eating and then
get fed a big meal of hay, this causes insulin ‘spikes’ – the same phenomenon that has been
documented when humans eat breakfast. This is not natural for any horse, but
when a horse has a metabolic disorder, you especially want to try to avoid such
peaks and valleys, as they may exacerbate the condition.”
Kellon points to the work of Joshua Cartmill, PhD, of
Louisiana State University, whose study on leptin levels in horses documented
how different feeding regimens can affect not only leptin – a hormone important
in regulating hunger and body condition – but glucose and insulin as well.
Meal-fed horses demonstrated the greatest fluctuations, while horses given
continual access to hay “had low and constant concentrations of glucose, insulin, and
leptin, with no apparent fluctuations”.
With these facts in hand, it
becomes evident that feeding large meals 2-3 times daily is not ideally suited
to the physiology of the horse. However, the reality is that many of us don’t
have access to unlimited, year-round pasture, and feeding many small portions
of hay spread out over 24 hours is generally impractical. Providing free-choice
hay may be a workable option for horses that don’t put on excessive weight, but
it is a risky practice for those that do pack on the pounds, and the wastage
involved can make it expensive.
Proponents of “slow feeding”– the
practice of using restrictive hay feeders designed to extend the amount of time
it takes a horse to eat its hay – believe that they have found a solution.
Ranging in design from simple, small-mesh hay nets to elaborately constructed
feeding boxes, restrictive hay feeders or “slow feeders” are becoming a
must-have for some horse owners, who credit them with improving the mental and
physical well-being of their horses. Some creative people design and build
their own slow feeders, but a growing number of ready-made products are
available for sale, as well.
One place to get a good overview of
different kinds of slow feeders, both DIY and store bought, is JoAnn Johnson’s
“wiki” website: paddockparadise.wetpaint.com. “I first became intrigued with
the idea of slow feeding about 15 years ago,” says Johnson, “but it wasn’t
until 2006 that we were able
to get set up for keeping our own horses at home and really start trying it. By
2008, I thought I had slow feeding mastered, and I started the website as a way
to share what was working for me.” Other people started contributing their own
ideas for building different kinds of slow feeders, sparking new creativity
with input from people in far flung locals.
Says Johnson, “I once thought that further innovation beyond grids or
hay bags was impossible and that the wiki had outlasted its raison d'être.
Then, Cheryl posted her hybrid small mesh hay net/barrel slow feeder
concept -- it had hard sides AND mesh. That's when I realized that the
ideas bounced around there will continue to help build a better slow feeder.
I've certainly been humbled and constantly inspired by ideas contributed
to the wiki from around the globe.”
What all slow feeders have in common, whether home made or
store bought, is that they use some kind of netting, grid or holes to restrict
the horse’s access to the hay. The openings must be large enough to allow the
horse to extract some hay, but small enough so that the horse can only pull out
a few strands at a time. The openings in traditional feeders are typically much
to large for this purpose. Regular hay nets, for example, have openings that
may stretch to 6” or wider when the net is full, while the openings on a small
mesh hay net used for slow feeding will generally be 1-2”. The smaller the
holes, the greater the level of “challenge” for the horse, and the longer it
takes for the horse to eat the hay.
While the benefits of consuming hay more slowly have not
been extensively studied, the anecdotal evidence is overwhelmingly positive,
and some veterinarians are reporting quantifiable improvements in conditions
such as gastric ulcers and in rates of colic among their clients who implement slow
feeding. One such vet is Fred Beasom, DVM of Tehachapi, CA, who now
recommends slow feeding to all his clients. “This is simply a more natural way
of feeding, keeping food in their stomach all the time vs. gorging them 2-3
times a day like so many people do. Not only are the horses calmer, quieter and
demonstrating fewer vices, but I’m seeing a marked reduction in the incidence
of ulcers – I’d say about 75%. Consuming the hay more slowly also reduces the
likelihood of choke, and it lowers the risk of impaction colic, as well.”
Race horse trainer Matthew Chew has
observed all of these benefits among the horses in his stable at Santa Anita,
CA. Says Chew, “Slow feeding has been great for us. For one thing, ulcers are a
very common problem in racing stables, and we have an intensive program to try
to reduce the incidence of ulcers in our horses. We had a number of measures in
place for years – preventative medications and such – but we still had lots of
horses with ulcers. When we decided to try slow feeding, I had every horse
scoped to get a baseline, then we went back and scoped them again after six
months of using the small mesh hay nets. I was very pleased to find that our
incidences were greatly reduced, and with the horses that had had severe
ulcers, the inflammation was quite a bit less. I think this is because they are
eating more as if they were grazing in a natural process, and the stomach isn’t
sitting empty for any significant period of time.”
Chew has also seen his rate of
impaction colics drop to zero. “Maybe we’re just on a lucky streak, but since
we started using these nets, we haven’t had a single incidence of impaction
colic. In a racing stable, it’s a very controlled environment, but you can’t
watch and monitor everything. Sometimes, a groom will put a horse away that’s a
little bit hot, and that horse goes sucking hay down, taking large bites, and I
think that helps to promote colic because the horse’s body can’t process that
amount of hay that fast, especially if you have a little bit of a warm belly
because they were put in a little soon or something agitated them in their
stalls. I don’t think you’re ever going to completely get rid of the twisted
gut colics – those just happen. But as far as the impactions, I definitely
think slow feeding helps to prevent that.
“Another thing I like is that the
horses are chewing and digesting their hay better, so we’re not seeing
incidences of choke, and there is also more consistency in their manure. You
can see that the bits of hay in it are finer, and the manure is well-formed
with a lot less diarrhea. Add to this the fact that we now have almost no
wastage, whereas before we were seeing about 10-15% of our hay lost to wastage.
I hate to sound like a commercial for the darn things, but this one change has
made a big difference.”
What is particularly interesting in
Chew’s case is that his race horses always had free-choice access to hay
whenever they were in their stalls, so one would think the horses would have
been “grazing” whenever they wanted to already, and therefore, there would be
no real added benefits from slow feeding. According to Chew, however,
free-choice does not have the same results as slow feeding. As he explains, “A
lot of times what would happen in the past is that a horse would go into the
stall, particularly after training, and they would eat quite rapidly. When they
suck down the hay like that, eating large bites of hay, and they would get
fuller quicker. Once they got full they would back off, and then they would
either sleep or just stand in the back of their stall. With the slow feeders,
it forces them to eat at a slower pace, so it takes longer for them to get full
and they never really ever do get totally full, so they’re constantly picking
at the hay, and that’s really they way they were designed to eat. It even helps
with the picky eaters, because it seems to keep them more interested. Of course
this is all just my opinion, but I can tell you that my neighbor, racing hall
of famer Richard Mandella, has seen the results I’m getting, and he’s now using
the nets for a bunch of his horses, too.”
Another population that may benefit
from slow feeding is senior horses. Cindy Daigre runs a retirement home for
senior horses in TN, and finds that the practice of slow feeding reduces
quidding, greatly reduces the incidence of colic and ulcers, and helps the
older horses stay in better weight. As
she explains, “The reason that the nets help with
quidding is that the horses are
taking much smaller mouthfuls at a time – often only a few strands of
hay. That leads to proper chewing and improved digestion and absorption,
which in turn reduces so many of the problems often associated with senior
horses.”
Slow feeding also appears to help
horses that exhibit stereotypic behaviors, commonly known as stable vices.
Beasom has observed a reduction or in some cases elimination of stable vices in
horses put on a slow feeding program, and other vets concur. States Platz, “We
are learning that intermittent feeding may be at least partly responsible for
stable vices (a term I don’t like because it tends to blame the victim). Wood
chewing, wind-sucking, weaving, and so on – can all be caused or exacerbated by
the horse only having food for very short periods during the day. The horse is
programmed by nature to exhibit certain behaviors, and one of those major
behaviors is chronic eating. You take that away from them, they are going to do
something with that mouth – and that’s often something you don’t want and
that’s not good for them. Give that back to them, and you’re likely to see a
reduction in those negative behaviors.”
Elizabeth Carr, DVM, PhD, Dipl.
ACVIM, Dipl. ACVECC, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State
University, agrees that slow feeding is likely to be beneficial in numerous
ways. As she explains, “I like the slow feeding concept because it more closely
mimics natural grazing, and it gives the horses something to do for a longer
period of time. I think the psychological benefits of that are obvious, because
eating is what horses like to do. Another good aspect of using slow feeders is
that they may make group feeding easier. If you have to group feed with loose
hay, you sometimes get one horse who inhales it all and then the skinny horse
doesn’t get enough food. Using slow feeders kind of evens it up, forcing the
easy keeper to eat more slowly and giving the other ones more of a chance to
have adequate access.”
Carr also recognizes that slow
feeders can make life easier for the owners, as well. “I’m just like any other
modern horse owner – I try to feed my horses four to five times a day, but
there are days when I can’t and I feel bad about that. In that respect it’s a
huge benefit, because you can make those two or three meals last 12 hours –
that’s awesome. If you are reducing the time gaps between meals, I think that’s
a real positive. There doesn’t seem to be a “con” to using slow feeders, other
than buying them or making them.”
Still, Carr cautions that some
claims made about slow feeding have not been researched and that anecdotal
evidence is not definitive. “Hay, in general, takes a long time to be
digested,” she says, “so in terms of protecting the horse’s digestive health,
I’m not sure it makes a huge difference if an amount of hay is consumed in say,
one hour vs. three. When we scope horses’ stomachs, we tell people to take them
off food for about 18 hours at least so that our view won’t obstructed by hay.
Normally, even after 12 hours of inappetence, I’ll still see a hay ball –
small, but there – in the ventral portion of the stomach. By that time it’s not
big enough to protect the upper part of the stomach that is more sensitive to
acid, but it does show how long it takes for hay to clear the stomach. In general, I agree that having a horse eat
more slowly over a longer period is a good idea, but what I can’t say is
whether that would mean there is a significantly larger amount that is
available to protect the upper portion of the stomach for a longer period of
time.”
Louise Husted, DVM, PhD,
an Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen who studies gastric
ulcers in horses, believes that any extension of the period a horse spends
chewing its hay is likely beneficial. However, she agrees that more work needs
to be done in this area. “In summary,” she says, “the time spent chewing
roughage is time spent buffering the acidic environment in the stomach. Longer
seems intuitively better in order to prevent gastric ulcers, but this is still
just theory. What we do know is
that when the gastric acid comes into contact with the stomach mucosa near the
region where ulcers are most often found (margo plicatus), this predisposes
horses to develop ulcers or at least erosions. This has a certain time
component to it, as it has been demonstrated in vitro that the mucosa does not
become damaged if the time frame is less than a few hours.
“The logical thing would
then be to avoid the gastric acid coming into contact with the mucosa
completely. Measuring the pH in the region reveals that when the stomach
contains feed material based on roughage (for example hay), then pH during most
of the day and evening will be around 7-8. During these circumstances,
development of mucosal erosions or ulcers are not favored. Hence, making sure
that the equine stomach contains roughage material most of the time would seem
like a favorable factor against ulcer development. This could be achieved
either by feeding small amounts of roughage feed throughout the day and night.
Alternatively, one could look at how the feed could last the longest, as is
accomplished with slow feeders.”
If you are interested in trying a
slow feeder for your own horses, it is also important to recognize that not all
horses have the same nutritional requirements, so you need to take their
individual needs into account when selecting a feeder and planning a program.
“I can’t let my horse have free access to hay, even in a slow feeder,” says
horse owner Jennifer Franklin, from Langley, BC. “My horse is insulin
resistant,” she explains, “and even on hay that would make other horses get
ribby, he gets fat if he gets too much.
“I tried free-choice feeding from
one of those very large, small-hole hay nets, but he started to put on too much
weight. I had been told to try it for a few weeks, that he would eventually
‘self-regulate’ once he realized that the food was never going to run out, but
that didn’t happen. And, since that particular net only works well if you keep
hay in it at all times, my horse ended up chewing big holes in it when I tried
putting him back on rationed amounts of hay and it would start to run out.”
The solution for Franklin has been
to find another slow feeder that cannot be easily damaged, even when the horse
is going after the last few stems of hay. “There are so many slow feeders on
the market now, and for me it was a process of trial and error until I found
which one worked best for me. I still can’t give my horse free access to hay,
but at least the hay he does get now lasts for hours, instead of getting
hoovered up in minutes.”
As for people who worry that loading
a slow feeder will take more time and effort than simply throwing a couple of
flakes on the floor, Franklin says, “Yeah, it probably takes me a whole extra
minute or two to load the feeders, but overall it actually saves me a lot of
time. I can now do fewer feedings because each feeding lasts so much longer,
and I’m also not spending time raking up wasted hay because it’s not getting
thrown all over the place and walked on.
“However, I want to say that even
if it wasn’t saving me time and hay, I would still do it because the health
benefits are enormous and to me, quite obvious. Specifically, before I started
using the slow feeders, my horse colicked four times, and he hasn’t colicked
once since we started slow feeding. Of course that’s just ‘anecdotal evidence’,
but I’m convinced that his gut is functioning better and feeling better because
he has food going through it in smaller amounts over a longer period of time.
That alone is worth the price of the feeder and any extra time or effort it
could take!”
Mike Lane, a horse owner from
Redding, CA, doesn’t have horses with metabolic problems, but he is also
convinced that slow feeding is the way to go. “I was feeding a well-balanced,
properly supplemented diet three times a day,” Lane says, “but my horses were
obviously bored and hungry in between. They were chewing wood, chewing trees,
and they would practically inhale their food when they got it. It was also
difficult for me, because I had to hire someone to do their lunch feed, and I
was tied to the other two feedings every single day. Then someone told me about
the idea of slow feeding, and a big old light bulb went on in my head.”
Lane discovered Johnson’s wiki
website and tried out a couple of home-made designs before deciding to purchase
some small mesh hay nets. “I tried a few different kinds of nets,” he states,
“but the one I’m using now can hold a huge amount of hay, and it also really
slows the horses down. I can now load the nets up once a day, and there is
still some left when I go to feed the next day. The horses always have hay in
front of them, and you can just see how much more content they are. No more
wood or tree chewing, their weight is good, and no more anxiety around feeding
time.”
Another benefit Lane has noticed is
far less hay wastage. As he says, “Before I started using slow feeders, I was
throwing away a significant amount of hay. My guys seemed to trample and mess
on as much as they ate – it was like watching dollar bills being ground into
the muck. I had tried free feeding, and that was even worse because they would
pick through the bales and leave all the stems. Now, with the slow feeders,
there is practically zero wastage. The horses can only pull out a small
mouthful at a time, which they then chew and swallow. Some fine bits do fall on
the ground, but I put a rubber mat under the net and the horses clean that up
every few minutes, so I have almost nothing going into the wheelbarrow – it’s
all going into the horse!”
One further benefit has been a
reduction in the dust being inhaled by Lane’s horses. “One of my horses is
sensitive to dust,” says Lane, “and whenever he would break apart a flake or
stick his nose in a pile, he would always sneeze or cough a couple of times. I
used to water his hay to try to keep the dust down – when I had time. I’ve been
very happy to see that when he eats out of the slow feeders, he doesn’t sneeze
or cough at all. I think it’s because his nose never gets shoved into the hay,
so what dust does get created by pulling the hay out of the net just disperses
into the air, away from his nose. I had heard that slow feeders were better for
the horse’s gut and could save you money, but this was a bonus I didn’t know
would happen.”
Lane recently added another
slow-feeding tactic – a feed-dispensing “toy” that helps keep his horses busy
and interested while helping to encourage movement. “The only thing that isn’t
great about my horses eating from the nets is that they pretty much just stand
there, because the food is in one place. I wanted to get them to move around a
bit more, so I got a couple of these toy things and I put little hay cubes and
treats in there, and the horses push and roll these things all over the place
to get the stuff out. I like to see them moving, and I think they actually find
the toys fun. Overall, I really think my horses are happier now, and hey, I can
head out for dinner and a movie and not worry about getting home in time to
feed. I just don’t see a down side to
slow feeding at all.”
Platz agrees. “Between the savings
of money from not wasting hay and all the physical and psychological benefits
to the horse,” she says, “to me it’s such a no-brainer. I used to go out a lot
at night to check my horses and re-feed to make sure they had food in front of them. And now, we just fill
their nets – I have two per horse of the ones I use – and that takes them
through until morning and they still have hay left. That amount of hay would
not have lasted them before. They would have picked through it, walked on it,
made a mess of it and left over the ruined hay – and then they would have stood
there hungry. Honestly, unless you have your horses on 24-7 pasture or you’re
okay with them wasting a ton of hay with regular free-choice feeding, I can’t
see why anyone wouldn’t switch to slow feeding.”
If you would like more information
on slow feeding, check out: http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Slow+Feeders
where you will find discussions, photographs and ideas for many different types
of home made slow feeders, as well as links to a variety of commercially
available feeders.
Sidebar: One horse owner talks about her DIY slow feeders
B. Bolliger of Brentwood, CA, currently uses a combination
of commercially available small mesh hay nets and several slow feeders she
built herself.
“In 2008 I received a flyer about a
clinic given by Swedish Hoof School owner, Ove Lind, and heard raves about
it. I talked to one woman who had
attended the previous year and she mentioned he would cover slow feeders, and
she in fact already had built one and would give me more information at the
clinic. I attended, and found out many
of the reasons why barefoot feet, slow feeding, low sugar diets, and lots of exercise
are so good for horses. I was so
completely sold on the slow feeder concept that I came home and had one built
immediately. It was exactly what I had
wanted to do for a long time!
“For the first horizontal feeder I
used one of the 85 or 110 gallon water tubs, with a 2”x 2” grid to go on top of
the hay, cut to fit the tub/ I purchased the grid from a local salvage
yard. I contacted a government agency
about testing for lead, and was told that I could purchase a test kit at a
local hardware store, so I tested any painted metal used in the feeders for
lead before using. I eventually had to
put rope and snaps on the grid to hold it in as the youngest horse tipped it up
with his feet, and without something to hold the grid in, the hay dumps out, which
is what he wants! Holes are drilled in
the tub just above ground level, one on each side, then I use thin rope through
the hole to the inside, and one-handed bull snap tied to each rope to fasten to
the grid, and then these neat fasteners secured high up on the outside that
secure the rope whatever length is needed when it is pulled tight.
“The second and third feeders are
also horizontal feeders, and were made of ¾” plywood, in the shape of a box—the
first 2’x4’, using one sheet of plywood.
One-inch holes were drilled near the four corners for fines and dust to
be swept out. The grid was easier to
fit in something with square corners rather than the curved tub. Since the horses learned to get their heads
beneath the grid to get to the food and eat too fast, I eventually put a piece
of 4” ABS at each end, with 2 bolts on each one so they didn’t turn, and so
that the bolts stick out to the outside of the box. One end was bolted , and the other secured with wing nuts and a
large area washer to keep in place. To
add hay, I just take off the wing nut, remove the ABS, lift up the grid, and
add the hay, and replace the ABS. Since
my creative horses were also dumping these down, I secured them to the rubber
water tubs, and that took care of the problem.
I also tie them to the side of the three-sided shelter so they can’t
move them all over the place.
“The third feeder was the vertical
type, with the grid at the front of the feeder, a hinged lid on the top for
filling, and a smooth “slide” at a 45-degree angle inside the box to make the
hay slide to the bottom, where the horses eat it. They love this one, and I have never had a problem with hay
getting caught. It is by far the
easiest to fill as well. The grid for
the front came with four edges, as a frame, so the box was made to fit the
grid. The grid openings are a little
larger than 2”x2”, but it works fine.
The grid is fastened onto the front of the box by sliding it onto
protruding bolts, one on each side, through holes drilled in the frame. They are fastened with a wing nut on each
side. The frame is notched at the
bottom and fits over a round head bolt on the bottom of the box.. It is very easy to get the grid off and on,
but that is not necessary very often.
The top is slanted so that rain water would run off toward the back if
it is used outside. It was also primed and painted so can be used for outdoor
feeding. The top is closed securely
with a gate-type hinge and snap to keep the clever horses from opening the top
and eating out of there. Since the
young horse has a Mustang frame of mind, and is very clever, it is also tied to
the wall, and even more, has a turnbuckle system and a small piece of 2x4 wood
on each side to keep it from being picked up and moved. One thing about feeders, the horses are very
determined, and it is sometimes a laughable challenge to keep one step ahead of
them—actually, it is more like letting them get ONLY one step ahead!”
Sidebar: Slow Feeders Put to the Test
Intrigued by the idea of slow feeders, author Susan
Kauffmann decided to try a few on her own horses to get a sense of how well
they worked, and just how much they slowed the horses down.
Knowing
about the potential detriments of traditional feeding practices but struggling
to manage multiple feedings a day, I loved the idea of slow feeders. I tested
three, using seven pounds of hay fed loose on a ground mat as a “control”. It
took each of my horses about 1 hour, 45 minutes to finish their seven pound
control portion on the mat. Here are the results I got with the various
feeders, after allowing for a “learning curve” period for the horses:
Feeder: “The Grazer”
(www.doublel.com/equinedivision/haygrazer.html)
Description:
Basically a metal box with a spring-loaded tray that lifts the hay up
against a metal grate.
Price: As low as $129.99 U.S. online
Time to eat 7 lbs. hay: 2 hours, 30 minutes (+ 45
minutes)
Learning curve: Both of my horses figured out how to
eat from this feeder within a few minutes.
Notes: Sturdy construction – held up to my youngster
bashing it repeatedly with his enormous hooves…I think he thought it was a
drum. We found that hay fines would build up quickly under the unit, so we put
our up on blocks to make it easy to reach under and clean them. Took me a while
to get the hang of loading them; found it helpful to nail up a bungee to hold
the top grate up while pressing the hay down. Very little wastage of hay. Can
hold up to about three flakes at a time.
Feeder: “Freedom Feeder” (freedomfeeder.com)
Description: Small mesh hay net made of 250 lb. test
woven 3 mm nylon twine.
Price: $40.00 U.S. from manufacturer; has Canadian
distributor: Lisa Reid, Edmonton, lisasss1971@yahoo.com
Time to eat 7 lbs. hay: 3 hours, 45 minutes (+ 2
hours)
Learning curve: It was probably a few days before the
horses had really figured out how to get the hay out in a comfortable way. Best
to follow manufacturer’s instructions when introducing and using these nets.
Notes: Slowest of the three test feeders. Designed to
have hay in them at all times. Horses did fine with them like that, but chewed
holes in the nets if the hay was allowed to run out. Can hold an entire 100 lb.
square bale, if you want them to. Can be hung from a fence, tree, etc. If you
want to keep hay in front of your horses at all times, this net is great – but
don’t let it run out.
Feeder: “The Nibblenet” (www.thinaircanvas.com)
Description: Webbing hay net, comes in various sizes
and styles; custom orders available.
Price: I chose the largest “Double Nibble” (has
webbing on both sides), with 1.5” holes. Cost $61.99 U.S. Smaller sizes cost
less.
Time to eat 7 lbs. hay: 3 hours, 15 minutes (+ 1.5
hours)
Learning curve: Very little, but my horses had
already learned to eat from the Freedom Feeder nets.
Notes: Very durable, easy to load. Must have a wall
behind them for the horses to push against or it too difficult for them to get
the hay out. I can get up to four flakes off a 100 lb. bale in each. Choose the
1.5” openings (or smaller…they are now coming out with a 1.25” option), as the
2” openings do not slow most horses down enough. The different sizes and styles
provide great options for trailering, ponies, etc.
PARTIAL LIST OF SLOW FEEDERS
SMALL MESH HAY NETS:
Excellent chart: http://paddockparadise.wetpaint.com/page/Hay+Net+Comparison+Chart
Features:
Many sizes available with choice of hole size, sturdy construction of nylon
webbing, can be attached to wall or ground. Square sides allow for ease of
loading and larger amount of hay in the net.
2. Freedom Feeder: http://www.freedomfeeder.com/
Features:
small-mesh hay net comes in three sizes – one large enough to hold an entire
100 lb. bale of hay. Really slows hay comsumption very well.
Comments:
If hay is allowed to run out, horses are more likely to chew holes through this
net. Made sores on the lips of my horses because of this, as I can’t allow
Gryph to free feed, even with a net.
3. Cinch Net: http://cinchchix.com/the-cinch-products.html
Features:
small-mesh hay net that comes in various sizes – one large enough for use with
a round bale.
4. Busy Horse Feeders: http://www.busyhorse.com/
Features:
several sizes available with choice of hole size, sturdy nylon-webbing
construction.
Comments:
Flat design (as compared to Nibblenet) would make it harder to load and not
hold as much hay as a comparably sized Nibblenet.
5. Swedish Hoof School nets: http://caisasshop.ebutiken.nu/
Features:
several sizes available, tape-sewed edges and poly material may be more durable
than nylon nets.
BARREL TYPE:
1. Slow Down ® Hay Feeder: http://www.slowdownhayfeeder.com/content/view/1/1/
Features:
various size hole plates available, plug for soaking/draining, D-rings for wall
and/or pipe panel attachment.
Comment: Plate does not spin –
maybe hard for horse to get some of the hay? VERY pricy!
2. Porta-Grazer: http://www.porta-grazer.com/
Features:
various size holes in restrictor pan, plug for soaking/draining, optional lid
can also hold water (7.5 gallons). Restrictor pan can spin in any direction,
possibly making it easier for horse to get at all the hay.
Comment:
Not sure if/how it attaches to wall/fence. Fairly pricy.
HARD SIDED:
1. The Grazer: http://www.doublel.com/haygrazer.html
Features:
sturdy metal construction, spring-loaded tray to lift hay up to grate.
Comments:
Does not hold much hay (only up to 3 flakes, in my experience), does not slow
the horses down all that much. Small bits of hay build up under unit – hard to
clean under if you don’t put it up on blocks.
2. The Natural Feeder: http://thenaturalfeeder.com/
SLOW-FEEDING TOYS:
1. The Nose-It: http://www.nose-it.com/
2. Amazing Graze:
http://www.petvetsupply.com/equhhpi010.html
