The How and Why of Slow Feeders and Hay Nets

By now, everyone knows them: slow feeders and hay nets. They are indispensable in paddocks, stables, or trailers. Available in countless sizes, mesh widths, and variations, they are a staple in equine care. In this article, we explain the benefits and differences of these nets.
Before we begin, let’s first explain the digestive system of a horse to provide a comprehensive understanding of why using a slow feeder is beneficial.

The Digestive System of a Horse

Digestion begins in the mouth. Chewing food produces saliva. Unlike humans, who produce saliva around the clock, a horse only produces saliva when it eats. Saliva not only helps move food into the esophagus but also neutralizes stomach acid once it reaches the stomach.

A horse has a relatively small stomach (holding about 9 to 15 liters), making up only about 7% of the entire digestive tract’s volume. In the wild, horses don’t need a large stomach because they consume roughage (like grass, herbs, plants, trees) almost all day. Additionally, they lack a gallbladder, meaning digestive juices continuously flow from the stomach into the small intestine. When horses have continuous access to roughage, stomach acid levels stabilize through saliva production.

In the small intestine, the digestion of starch, protein, and fats occurs. A horse also derives most of its energy from fiber-rich food.

The food then moves to the cecum and large intestine, where fibers are digested, and water and electrolytes are absorbed. With water absorption, the formation of fecal balls begins here. It then moves to the rectum, where more water is absorbed, and the fecal balls are eventually excreted.

To maintain good digestion and reduce the risk of gastric ulcers, it’s advisable to offer roughage throughout the day.

1. Mouth
2. Esophagus
3. Stomach
4. Small intestine
5. Cecum
6. First part of the large intestine
7. Second part of the large intestine
8. Rectum
9. Anus

The Benefits of Hay Nets and Slow Feeders

1. Prolonged Eating Time
   After explaining the horse’s digestive system, it’s clear that horses need almost continuous access to roughage. A slow feeder or hay net can help achieve this. The finer the mesh, the longer your horse will be occupied with the roughage. The choice of mesh size also depends on the horse, as some may become frustrated if the holes are too small. Common mesh sizes are 4.5 or 6 cm.
2. Prevents Boredom in the Stable
   This is also related to extended eating time. The longer they are occupied with their roughage, the less boredom (and potential stable vices like weaving, cribbing, etc.) will occur.
3. Reduces Hay Waste
   Since hay is fed in a net, less hay is wasted because your horse or pony can’t urinate, defecate, or stand on the hay, nor can the wind blow it away. No more removing dirty and rotting hay bales from your pasture/paddock, and less work cleaning the stable. This also saves labor and money.
4. Saves Time and Money
   Since horses are occupied with their filled nets longer, fewer feeding rounds are needed. Depending on the size of the slow feeder or hay net, you can reduce feeding rounds, saving time.

   With less hay waste (from trampling, blowing away, or contamination), you also throw away less, saving money.

   A true win-win-win scenario!

5. Weight Management
   Everyone knows that being overweight is unhealthy – whether for humans, horses, or other animals. In addition to more exercise or reducing concentrate feed, limiting roughage intake can help. With our hay nets or slow feeders, it takes longer for them to consume the same portion of hay than if it’s loosely placed on the ground.

Which Hay Net or Slow Feeder?

Hay nets and slow feeders come in countless types, sizes, mesh widths, and materials.

The size and mesh width you choose are, of course, entirely personal and depend on the horse.

However, what we often see is that many hay nets or slow feeders for sale are made of knotted meshes from hard, thin, and sharp (2–3 mm) nylon. The disadvantage of these nets is that the material is not comfortable for a horse’s sensitive mouth, and horses can bite through the knots with their teeth, causing the net to break.

Our knotless hay nets and slow feeders are made of 5 mm thick braided polypropylene multifilament (also known as ppm).

This material has several advantages: it’s flexible, lightweight, stable, doesn’t stretch much, absorbs little water, contains no toxic substances, and is not prone to mold. The nets can even be washed at 30°C; however, pay attention to the accessories attached to the nets (like the eyelets on the slow feeders).

Perhaps the biggest advantage is that it’s much friendlier to the horse’s mouth compared to hard, thin, and sharp nylon hay nets.

How Much Roughage Should I Feed My Horse?

Always ensure your horse receives sufficient roughage.

A horse requires about 1.5% of its body weight in roughage (dry matter) for maintenance.

Below is the approximate dry matter content in various roughages:

Grass:             approximately 80% water & 20% dry matter

Silage:    approximately 30% water & 70% dry matter

Hay:             approximately 20% water & 80% dry matter

To determine the exact dry matter content in your forage, you can have a feed analysis done. Several companies offer this service.

With a simple calculation, you can determine how much forage your horse needs per day if you know your horse’s weight. Here’s how to do it:

• Dry matter content
• Daily dry matter intake based on the horse’s weight
• Multiply the daily dry matter intake by 100
• Divide this by the dry matter content of the forage you are feeding
• Calculate the required weight of forage per day:

Example:

• 70% dry matter in silage
• 7.5 kg dry matter intake for a 500 kg horse
• 7.5 kg x 100 = 750 kg
• 750 kg ÷ 70 = 10.7 kg of silage per day

To make it easier for you, we’ve created a table with some weights, the average dry matter intake per day, and the average amount of forage that needs to be provided.

Body weight	Minimum daily dry matter intake	Hay (80% dry matter)	Silage (70% dry matter)	Grass (20% dry matte)
100 kilo	1,5 kg	1,88 kg	2,14 kg	7,5 kg
200 kilo	3 kg	3,75 kg	4,3 kg	15 kg
300 kilo	4,5 kg	5,63 kg	6,43 kg	22,5 kg
400 kilo	6 kg	7,5 kg	8,6 kg	30 kg
500 kilo	7,5 kg	9,38 kg	10,71 kg	37,5 kg
600 kilo	9 kg	11,25 kg	12, 86 kg	45 g
700 kilo	10,5 kg	13,13 kg	15 kilo	52,5 kilo

Conclusion:

Make sure your horse has enough forage available throughout most of the day to avoid health risks such as stomach ulcers as much as possible.

You can find all our hay nets and slow feeders here.

Blog by Leane