Hi all, my pony mare is expecting her first foal and I was wondering if you have any suggestions on feeding her hay?
Right now, she is fed from a 1x1 inch holed hay net hung by a hay hoop.
I know foals can hurt themselves on anything so I figure the net and hoop have to go.
Do you have any suggestions to prevent waste that is safe for the little one? Or do I just have to accept it’s inevitable?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Personally, my choice is to accept the inevitable and throw it on the ground. Baby horses are suicidal. Plus you want baby to learn to nibble at it, too.
5 Likes
I used a slow feed hay net. The openings are too small to catch foal feet, and it isn’t something they can knock down. Mine is attached directly onto the fence with a wood frame.
I would be very reluctant to use a hay net out with a baby. Even a small hole one. The Twerking of their neck and “snatching” is problematic for grown-ups, I simply wouldn’t want a baby horse to do that repetitive motion.
I’m afraid I would feed on the ground, on a mat for a while. And then after the baby is over it’s first month of its suicide mission, maybe you could go to a corner hay bunker. It could be just simply boards across the corner… But of course a baby could kill itself on anything. I used a noble corner-feeder with mine, but he was a big warm blood baby, so he could reach in. The rim was chest high on him.
3 Likes
I use large rubber water troughs and put hay in them. They are indestructible and safe. I’ve had horses and foals jump on them and walk on them, no issues. It isn’t quite as tidy as a slow feed net but they are safer IMO. I worry about tiny hooves getting caught in nets (nets break and form larger holes) or the nets getting untied/pulled down and the string from the hay net getting wrapped around foal legs. Plus they are still eating from a head down position.
6 Likes
Lots of holes for baby hooves. 
1 Like
They holes are very small in the mini. Safe for a 6 hand mare and foal. Not safe for camels or alpacas as they have sharp cloven toes. Edit to remind they come in different sizes and the very smallest is like crochet. Perhaps 3 lbs of hay max fit in it. That’s my experience with the product, first hand. And any hay net, bag or feeder will have holes, ya know so they can eat the hay.
Thanks everyone. I guess the floor is the safest place.
Thanks again for your thoughts!
1 Like
I have an old galvanized steel water trough that’s rusted on bottom and can’t hold water for long anymore. I now use it occasionally to put hay in. While the horses can still dribble hay on the ground as they eat, for the most part it stays in the trough. They can’t paw at the hay to scatter it, nor pee on it, but of course an enterprising horse could still poop in it. Best of all, their heads are still lowered in a normal grazing position.
I have always fed my horses on the ground. Mares and foals included. If the hay is good I have always found mine eat most every scrap. I fed inside but they were never locked inside the stalls. That helps.
I couldn’t find one of the many tub pictures with foals trapped I’ve seen over the years, but I did find this article that says it well "Avoid using feeders or waterers that a foal can get trapped in. (Author’s note: I know of at least one foal that died after climbing into an old tractor tire that was used as a hay feeder. He laid down, but got his head and neck stuck inside the tire rim. When he tried to get up, he panicked. The result was disastrous.) Even though foal safety and horse safety are basically interchangeable, foals can get into places a grown horse cannot. You must always look at any horse facility and ask yourself, “How can a horse possibly get hurt here and what can I do to prevent that?”
Glad you are going on the ground
1 Like
I believe water troughs are the most dangerous to young foals. Muck tubs without the handle are probably pretty safe.
Not at all. If you pair the right size trough to the size of the foal, they are very safe. The muck tubs can break, especially in cold weather. The water troughs can be walked on by mare and foal and they will not break (the very durable plastic/rubber types, I would not use metal).
1 Like
if there is a way they will find it, came home one afternoon to find this
had to use bolt cutters to remove foal from bucket, the foal was unharmed
never figured out just how it happened
The field where they will be, I have a short Rubbermaid trough that’s maybe 6 inches high. That’s probably “safe” don’t you think?
rubber matted area. I too am extremely reluctant to use feeders or hay nets with mares and foals. Mats at least you can clean off easiliy and nothing to get caught on.
I want to say I use 40 gallon up to 100/110 gallon. I use the Tuff Stuff Super duty stock troughs. They are made of LDPE plastic and I’ve had them for several years without any cracks or breaks. Sometimes I chuck the smaller ones out of the stalls onto concrete - they’ve never cracked. I’ve also had large/heavy warmblood mares and foals step all over them without any breaks or defects as well. Very durable. Here’s a foaling shed pic I have (the mare is fine, she’s just in ecstasy getting to roll on her thick bed of straw while probably worn out by the rambunctious colt). For size reference, the stall is 25x25 feet. I believe the smaller troughs on the left are the 40 gallon size and the large one in the right corner is 100-110 gallons. For horses I believe these sizes are fine, for ponies I would likely use something smaller than the 100/110 size just to be safe.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tuff-stuff-products-heavy-duty-oval-stock-tank-40-gal
Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
Sadly as it turns out, feeding hay was the least of my worries. 
I’ll save them for next year.
