You guys are freaking me out with these stories of hooves getting caught. I’ve always been worried about it and generally try to stay away from such hay nets (or at least hang them up so no risk of getting pawed at), but still.
I know horses could still get caught in the Nibble Nets, but with fewer “ropes” everywhere (and much smaller holes) they somehow seem safer. Perhaps that’s my wishful thinking.
I’ve used a Savvy Feeder before and liked it, and currently use a Portagrazer.
The Savvy Feeder was good, and you could theoretically put a hay net in there to give extra slowing down (I wouldn’t do a small-hole net, just a regular hole net, then inside the Savvy Feeder should be challenging enough). BUT the savvy feeder is very low to the ground. You say your horse is likely to paw or climb into it, so that would NOT be something I’d recommend.
I like the Portagrazer one better because it holds more than the Savvy Feeder, and is taller, while still maintaining a more correct posture. The challenge I have is that the guys at the barn 1) over stuff it a lot, which means the lid doesn’t get seated correctly, so then it gets stuck and she can’t get any hay [insert eye roll here], and 2) often if she doesn’t eat it down to the bottom, they just throw more hay on top, which I find icky. That’s an easy fix, though - I just go in every few days and take out the old stuff. This is another one where, for extra slowing, you can net the hay, then put it in the Portagrazer. The one I have is large and holds a lot of hay, so it’s GREAT for overnight stalling.
