I am trying out Tough 1 hay nets for my donkeys. I tie them onto our pipe fence and it’s a pain to easily do it. Anyone have a clever way with a hook or something? I’m not sure these will work long term, as they are stretching quite a bit, especially since one donkey really pulls on them, but trying to make it work.
What are you doing now?
I use a double ended snap to attach my nets to my fence. Just tie up the top, and snap the strings back to the net below the knot, around the rail.
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I use a double ended clip. I wrap the tie around the top pipe then wrap it around the next one down bring it back up and clip it back onto the haynet. My mini has yet to move it and she will try to play tug a war with it.
When I used hay nets, I put up two eye hooks in my run-in shed (but you could do the same on a fence post) - one at about 5’6" and one at about 3’. Hold up the net, thread the draw string through the top eye hook and pull tight. Then thread the draw string through the bottom eye hook, keeping the draw string taut. Affix double ended snap hook to end of draw string, then attach other end of snap hook high enough up on net to keep it at desired height. This was for a rather tall (17.2) horse, and could be adjusted closer to the ground. But its easy - no tying, no knots, and simple to install.
Anybody got pics?
I can get you a pic of mine tomorrow… amusing I don’t have a senior blonde moment and forget! 
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I use carabiners - super easy to wrap the string around your base and clip it on. I initially used double ended hooks, but the little knobs you have to push would occasionally pop open when the horses moved the bags just so, or they’d break off.
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Maybe I’m misunderstanding but can’t you just run the hay net cord thru your panel pipe, ring etc then do the usual - looping the end thru the bottom of the net and using that to cinch it up to a nice right ball?
http://showringready.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-hang-hay-net.html?m=1
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I also use carabiners. I had the same issue with double ended snaps breaking (also more difficult to use with gloves in the winter). I have 4 board fence in my paddock and a tube gate in my run in. I wrap the hay net “cord” around two pipes, the way I would on fence board) twice and attach it to the net with the carabiner. No one (horse or donkey) has gotten it off or had a mishap.
The trick with the double ended snap hooks is to get the really expensive solid brass gold ones - not the lightweight, basic zinc coated silver ones. I find the brass double snap hooks last forever.
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The one plus side to the cheap chrome plated double ended snaps is they break easily. If a horse gets snagged on something those suckers just break.
True!
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I take the strings out and use a double ended snap to hook all the little rings at the top. I usually only unhook half of them to fill the net. Then snap on an eye ring or if it’s not overfull you could wrap it over the pipe and snap it back on the bag.
I also take the string out, but use a 3" large caribiner to hold all the loops together, then clip caribiner to a large eye ring. I have many eye rings …all around my shelter, barn and in the stalls.
It does take longer to clip the loops, but there is zero risk of having a hoof caught in a string.
I also can just toss the nets out onto the ground as none of my guys are shod.
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I also remove the string and use a large carabiner to close the loops. I have small loops of twine tied in the places I would like to hang the hay nets and then clip the carabiner to the twine loop. It takes a bit longer to close the hay net, but I prefer not have the long string to deal with.
Can someone explain how they are doing the carabiner so it doesn’t go slack? And how that’s easier than cinching up the long string, running that thru near the bottom of the net, and back up to make it tight and won’t flop down when empty? I might need a picture!
