Slow-feeding generally refers to using a hay net to feed your horse. Feeding horses in hay nets slows and extends their intake of forage, creating a more natural ‘grazing’ style of feeding. This more continual type of feeding keeps the equine stomach working, and reduces the risk of gastric ulcers from a build-up of acid in an empty stomach. Horses naturally spend 12-18 hours a day grazing.

There is more and more research coming out that supports the use of hay nets for horses, especially in boarding scenarios.

HayPal has designed a suite of hay net feeders (aka ‘slow feeders’) that hold hay nets in ready-to-use positions, reducing the time-consuming process of filling hay nets by hand. Find out why HayPal built a line of slow feeders.

*Reduce stress: horse and human
When horses spend a longer time feeding, they spend less time worrying about their next meal. This equates to fewer behavioural and gastronomical issues.

Using slow feeders helps with your feeding program consistency. If multiple people feed your horse, a slow feeder eliminates the horse owner’s stress about who might be feeding your horse and where they put the hay this time. Feeding is consistent when using our hay net slow feeders.

*Save time and money
In the following example, a boarding facility with 20 horses saves 2.5 hours every day when using HayPal slow feeders:

example 1: hand-stuffing hay nets: 3-5 minutes to refill each net and hang it in the stall (20 horses, 3 feeds per day = 60 feeds). This is a 3 hour job.

example 2: using HayPal hay net feeders: 30 seconds to load HayPals (60 feeds) = 30 minutes. This is a savings of 2.5 hours of time and labour expenses.

*Quality of life
The addition of efficient feeding systems at your facility may literally improve staff morale, which may reduce your personal stress, and reflect well on your clients (happy staff, happy horses, happy clients).

Hay net materials: nets are generally made from polyester, nylon, or polypropylene (PPE). From our years of research and experience, we have chosen polyester as our preferred material as it absorbs less water, stays softer than nylon, and does better over extended periods of time.

Net structure: knotless or knotted This choice is primarily a personal preference. However, we have noticed that it is easier to load hay nets that do not have knots at each junction. The hay slides into the net easier, and this savings of time (and hassle) adds up quickly. All HayPal hay nets are knotless.

Hay net hole size (technically called a ‘mesh’): The size of the holes in a hay net control the pace of eating.
Bigger holes equal faster eating; smaller holes, slower eating.
Not all horses will tolerate the smallest hole (1”). If you’re unsure of which hole size to choose, try a 1.5” hole net (sometimes offered as 1.75”). Most horses adapt well to this size and do not stress about accessing food. Some nets are as large as 4” holes. These nets are primarily intended to help keep hay off of the ground rather than slow down feeding.

Hay net best practices:
Keep an empty hay net minimum 6” off the ground (adjust net length or placement of feeder to reach this minimum). Not recommended for shod horses.

Hay net position: Hay nets should be hung low enough to the ground that your horse feeds with their neck angled downward from their withers. This keeps the horse’s neck in a natural eating position and reduces any potential stress on their neck and back.

Please send us a picture! Truly! We prefer to see your specific fence or stall set-up so that we can recommend the product that will work well for your specific situation. During the check-out stage of purchasing HayPal products, you may be requested to provide information about where you plan to mount the feeder. Please fill out the form so that we can ensure you get the fittings that will work for you!

Things to think about when deciding on a type of feeder:

1. How tall is my fence? If your fence is short (4’), take a look at the Fence Top Feeder.

2. How high do I want to reach to load hay? If you have kids or younger students who help with feeding, you may prefer the Universal Feeder, mounted between two rails of the fence.

3. Inside or outside. If your horses overnight inside a barn, our Drop Down Feeder is a great addition. Barn staff love our wall-mounted feeders.

4. How many times per day do you feed. If you would like to add more feeds but you can’t be there to do it, look at our HayBox Auto Feeders. Give your horse(s) an extra meal at lunchtime, or late night. These feeders are great for metabolic horses.

We are always available to answer questions. Don’t hesitate to call, text or email.

HayPal is a professional system built to last a lifetime. HayPal feeders are built of anodized aluminum and stainless steel materials and do not rust. They are made to withstand the temperatures of Canada and rigors of the horse world. Our nets are 100% polyester and are manufactured to strict parameters.

HayPal designs both portable and mounted feeders. When ordering a portable feeder we need to know the size of your fence rails. When ordering a mounted feeder, we strongly recommend a solid wood backing surface such as a 2×6 fence or wall. If your wall is only 3/4” plywood, you may have to attach a piece of 2×4 (for example) to create a stronger backplate.

Portable feeders are build to fit up to 2” diameter material (standard wood rail fences or metal panel fences). We can accommodate larger fencing for an additional cost by request (for example, 3.5” round pole fences). You may be prompted to provide information about your fencing at check-out.

If your hay feeder is mounted at a desirable height for ease of use, but your net is hanging too low, simply take the net off of the feeder and re-string it further into the net. Once the correct height is determined, either leave the excess net hanging on the feeder, or cut the net off and seal the frayed ends with a flame.

Yes, you are welcome to use your own hay nets on most of the feeders, providing the hole size of your net is minimum 1”. Please note that to be strung around the perimeter of our standard Universal Slow Feeder, hay nets need to be about 80” in circumference.

We prefer to provide you with our hay nets because we install them before shipping. Find out more out HayPal hay nets here.

This is a great question with a not-as-great answer.
Years, months, days, or hours.
An easy-going horse paired with a high quality net may not need a new net for a year or more. An aggressive first-time hay net user who is grumpy about his new 1” hole hay net may only last long enough for them to rip it off the wall.

Typically, with daily use (3-4 feeds per day), we find that good quality hay nets last 6 months to a year or two. Minor repairs can be made by tying breaks back together with baling twine.

Like any piece of equipment, it is important to check that connections are secure. Loose joints can typically be tightened with a screwdriver or allen key.

HayPal ships via Canada Post to Canadian customers. If you are outside of Canada, we provide shipping estimates based on the total weight of the products ordered (calculated by the website). If the cost of shipping is significantly different than estimated, we will be in touch to discuss the options with you.

We are set up to sell to Canada, the US, Australia, the UK, and several countries in Europe (France, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, etc). If you are unable to navigate through the sales system, send us a note (info@HayPal.ca) and we can set up the system to support your purchase.

HayPal products are designed, sourced and manufactured in western Canada. Where materials are not available in our home country, we seek to find the best options available for our human and equine customers.