How to travel with loose hay and why would I want to...

[EdOIA]

Hoping for some of the excellent insight I see at Chronohorse all the time! The questions are about loose hay and traveling with it.
Background: The new owners at my barn are buying large bale hay and while that seems to work pretty well at the barn from a trailer pulled by an ATV, I’ve made the case that it’s too hard to manage for traveling to shows and such.
The first couple times we traveled with basically a pile of hay in the truck bed under the trailer neck… then on a tarp in the feed stall. That was a nightmare, but they didn’t have any other option. Typically I am not able to park next to the stall at a show and going back to the trailer can be a truck ride away…

So that’s the first question; do folks travel with loose hay or hay from large bales? How do you do it?

The second question is more around how many folks out there are NOT provided small bales (40-50#) that are human handle-able when they travel. So far, my barn has said that if I don’t like traveling with the loose hay, or want to bag it for the trip, they are happy to sell me small bales at full post. I think I’d need 12-15 sizable hay bags to mange a 3 days show which is like $3-400 for decent ones. That price and the fact that I only use those bags at shows makes me think it’s not a good way to spend money… and I don’t see loose hay, or frankly, anything like this approach at any shows I’ve been to. It’s embarrassing to drag your hay in on a big tarp!

Further, I have a principled problem in paying for hay twice. I don’t have a problem paying for the difference in cost between large bale hay and small bale hay, but it’s hard to stomach paying twice; once for the hay I can’t use because it’s in the home barn and again for the small bales I have to take with me.

In the end, we’re not talking about a ton of money per traveling event ($6-8/bale is what they are charging me, so $24/$32 a show for my two horses and 3 days) and I don’t want to make it a big thing, I think without exception, anyone I speak to about this seems to think the barn is being stupid and shortsighted (their words) by making traveling (and thus spreading the good word of the barn) for their clients harder instead of easier. So far, without saying much more than ‘yeah, my barn only has large bales and loose hay for traveling’; the response is universally negative…

What are your thoughts folks?

[Scribbler]

I can’t imagine traveling with loose hay pried off a roundbale or with 15 prefilled hay nets. I currently get 120 lb 3 string bales and if I were going away for a few days I would stop by the tack store and get a couple 50 lb bales that can be lifted. My horse gets 15 lbs a day so one bale would last 3 days.

That said you can certainly get giant hay bags meant to fit a whole bale even or hay tote bags meant to fit a whole bale. I found a large zippered shopping bag at the dollar store that will hold 15 lbs of hay. I think if you went with larger hay bags or with bale sized hay totes you could get 24 hours loose hay in one container which would make it much easier and tidier for you.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I wouldn’t want to pay for my hay twice either, as I am Ms. Cheapo. :lol:

As @Scribbler pointed out, there are large hay “duffelbags” that hold an entire square bale of hay. I think I’d go that route, stuffing the duffel bag with the round bale hay. However, you’re probably not going to be able to smoosh enough loose hay into the duffel bag to be equivalent to a 60 pound square bale, so I’d probably get two duffelbags - just to make sure I had enough hay for the show.

At least that way, you aren’t having to drag it into the barn on a tarp!

[Xanthoria]

By large bale hay I assume you meant not a 120# “California“ type bale but a 1000#+ one? About 3’x3’x7’

You might get a flake in the 46” square bag here - or similar? Cheaper than hay bags, then transfer to hay bags to feed?

https://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/storage-bags-and-totes/all-purpose-storage-bags/12d?productId=10008441

You can also cut big squares with a chainsaw - perhaps to fit a small square bale bag?

[mbv]

I have done this before as I boarded at a farm that made their own hay into large (the huge kind) square bales. I used a combination of stuffed haynets and one of the zip up square hay carriers designed for a small square bale. The large square bales did sort of have big flakes so that made it easier when stuffing. I could pack enough for 1 horse for Thurs - Sun showing fairly easily but anything more would have been a storage issue for me with a 2 horse gooseneck and hauling a single horse along with all of her accouterments. My horse ate free choice hay so portioning out into meals wasn’t something I had to deal with either.

[CanteringCarrot]

Personally, I’d just buy some small bales. It’s not an obligation of the stable to provide them, in my opinion. They provide hay to feed the horses at their stable. They choose large bales for price and/or practicality. They don’t need to cater to those that go off their property. They provide what the horses need whole they are on their farm.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹
I get the point of paying for the hay already in your board, so it’s like paying double when you buy hay, which is frustrating. In my experience, most stables, on my side of the pond give you hay (round bales), oats, beet pulp, pellets and a certain type of bedding. If you want anything outside of those choices, you must pay, with no deductions. They provide what they provide.

You could try packing some bale size bags/nets with the loose hay. Or you could buy some bales, and bring some loose hay. So half and half. To have some convenience, not have to use as many bags and pay a little less.

I’d look into containers, bags, and nets. If you’re looking for just storage and not something to feed out of in the stall, you can get creative and relatively cheap.

[wsmoak]

If you are adept with a sewing machine or have a friend who is, you can make enormous drawstring bags out of cheap drop cloths. (I use them for our recyclables since we have to take them into town.)

[trubandloki]

@CanteringCarrot

Personally, I’d just buy some small bales. It’s not an obligation of the stable to provide them, in my opinion. They provide hay to feed the horses at their stable. They choose large bales for price and/or practicality. They don’t need to cater to those that go off their property. They provide what the horses need whole they are on their farm.

This is my thought too.

When I boarded I never expected my barn owner to provide bedding or hay for me at shows. My horse got substantially more of both (bedding and hay) at shows than he did at home.

They are willing to let you take the hay your horse would eat at home, but you do not want that hay. So they will charge you going rate for small squares… seems very logical.

[LSMarnell]

I don’t really think your barn should be on the hook for providing you with small squares free of charge to take to shows. They have a system that works for them on the farm and it’s extra work and storage for something different. You really need to just pony up the money and pay for a few to get you through the show. $32 per show does not sound unreasonable. The convenience and the portability would be worth it to me to pay for it “twice,” and keep a good relationship with the BO’s.

[TMares]

Go buy some squares and be done with it.

[NancyM]

We usually make round bales at our farm, and they are often all we have for hay. When I want to travel with hay, I just pack the loose hay into hay bags, one full hay bag will do one feeding for one horse, I can pack 15 lbs of hay into a bag. While the bags are not inexpensive to buy, having them packed at home makes them really easy to transport and store and handle at the show, far easier and less mess than small square bales. When one hay bag is empty, you just take it down, throw it back into your trailer or trunk of your car, and hang up the next one for your horse, already packed with hay.

[trubandloki]

@NancyM

We usually make round bales at our farm, and they are often all we have for hay. When I want to travel with hay, I just pack the loose hay into hay bags, one full hay bag will do one feeding for one horse, I can pack 15 lbs of hay into a bag. While the bags are not inexpensive to buy, having them packed at home makes them really easy to transport and store and handle at the show, far easier and less mess than small square bales. When one hay bag is empty, you just take it down, throw it back into your trailer or trunk of your car, and hang up the next one for your horse, already packed with hay.

I have done this too. I feed small squares at home and I still do this.

But, I am the type of person who likes to do something similar at home, I make a whole weeks worth of hay bags once a week so I have them easy to grab and feed.
I bought my hay bag stash over many years so it did not seem like a crazy expense.

[poltroon]

Ages ago I encountered barn owners who would not provide hay for travel. It’s annoying but I appreciate their point that having people take bales creates problems for them. So I bought my own.

I have the big bale bags, made by a local pony club mom out of cordura. Each one will hold about half of a California sized square bale. I love them because they keep the hay tidy and make it easy to bring the leftover hay home at the end, as well as making it possible to bring the hay home in the dressing room or other less dirty space. Three of them are plenty to get through a show for one horse and mine have seen many years of solid use.

[2DogsFarm]

IIWM, I’d consider the cost of getting the small squares for shows part of the cost of showing/going off-site.

Rather than invest in (IMO) overpriced bale bags, get a box of Contractor-strength heavy garbage bags at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.
They easily contain a 50# small square or sh*tload of loose hay & less mess when packed in your trailer or truck.

@NancyM 's idea of filling haybags makes sense.
I’ve seen haybags for sale at tack swaps for less than $5.

[Xanthoria]

@2DogsFarm

Rather than invest in (IMO) overpriced bale bags, get a box of Contractor-strength heavy garbage bags at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.
They easily contain a 50# small square or sh*tload of loose hay & less mess when packed in your trailer or truck.

If you’re trying to eradicate single use plastics from your life that won’t work. Hay bags can be found used, and used many many times. Over time their cost us likely to be about the same.

[tabula_rashah]

Just go buy some small bales separate from your barn.
Although I do want to know where you are buying $300-$400 hay nets lols

[Simkie]

I can fit a 60# bale in a $15 50" shires net, and that lasts a couple days, generally. Doesn’t seem unreasonable to pick up a handful of those and pack them at home.

[MissAriel]

We have the three string 100lb + bales, and when we go to a show we rarely need a full bale. I use the super sized FRAKTA bag from IKEA to make hauling the partial bale easier and tidier.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/workspaces/16214/

you can even order from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ikea+shopping+bags&gclid=CjwKCAjwkenqBRBgEiwA-bZVtlTaxh0iYc2e-zOnRiW4NWImPmkOehUROR74OQZih5wMmUPKYPLUAhoCGbwQAvD_BwE&hvadid=176969159429&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9031345&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10153682007414808069&hvtargid=aud-646675774026%3Akwd-4262525630&hydadcr=15254_9742288&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_8tr7s3uf83_e

[mmeqcenter]

@trubandloki

This is my thought too.

When I boarded I never expected my barn owner to provide bedding or hay for me at shows. My horse got substantially more of both (bedding and hay) at shows than he did at home.

They are willing to let you take the hay your horse would eat at home, but you do not want that hay. So they will charge you going rate for small squares… seems very logical.

Agreed. I’ve always bought my own bedding to take to shows, and if the barn fed rolls or something not easy to take, I’d just buy small square bales to take.

[4horses]

Just buy regular bales and some extra large garbage bags. I bag my hay so it doesn’t blow all over in the trailer.