So very sorry for your loss.
Sadly yours is not the first horse to get severely injured in a hay feeder… and not just this style of feeder.
Locally there have been several accidents over the years. I will never have a hay feeder nor would I board at a barn that has one.
Sorry to hear this, it must have been a horrific discovery for you, and a terrible tragedy for your horse. Yes, horses getting caught up in various “hay feeders” is not uncommon, and often results in serious injury for horses. People think these things are safe, and often, they are NOT safe. I shudder when I see one in use. I also shudder when I see bars on a stall wall or door, through which a hoof or a jaw can become caught, yet stables are often made this way. Just because someone is selling something, and the advertising states what a great idea it is to buy one… don’t believe it. I’m sorry that you had to learn the hard way.
I use recycled logging skidder tires with a side cut off them for outdoor hay feeders- they are five feet across, with a bit of a rim left to help keep the hay in the tub. They also are not entirely foolproof for horses, apparently some horses have got INTO them, and got stuck, and can’t get out. But at least they can’t get a hoof or a head or a jaw stuck in one, because it’s solid rubber, and weighs 600 lbs. I move them around with a tractor as necessary. Although horses have a history of finding new and improved ways of attempting to commit suicide, I haven’t yet had one who has successfully injured itself on one of these tires in the dozen + years I’ve been using them. They are available for free at tire stores who service the logging industry, the owner has paid for them to be “recycled”, and the store keeps them until they have a load to go to the recycling plant- they are happy to keep the recycling fee, and GIVE you the tire. Check for any nails or foreign objects sticking through the tire which may have been the source of their retirement from the logging industry, because these may well cause injury to your horse if you miss them. You need a reciprocating saw and a drill to do the work on them, but it’s not difficult. And since the other option for me is feeding off the ground in a sand paddock, the risk of ingesting sand and dealing with sand colic is what I’m looking to avoid. Choose your risk. Stay away from metal feeder tubs that have openings or anything with “bars” on it, that a horse can get any portion of their body stuck in. Because they ARE lethal.
2 Likes
I am so sorry to hear this. What a horrible tragedy. I’d been looking at those feeders but had just seen a video of extricating a horse that had managed to get completely inside the feeder of that same style. It seemed like it was a freak accident, but with your warning it seems that it is scarily possible.
3 Likes
This is the hay feeder design I used to create my feeders. However, the horses can walk/step over the rails and enter the feeder. I added a gate to the front of mine to make it easier to roll the rounds in there.
I was using a net over the top of the hay, but I worry about them catching a leg in it if they decide to climb over. I also raised the sides of the feeder and added no climb wire to the outside. It works for a well behaved horse that won’t jump the sides.
I had a troublesome horse who jumped in when the hay was low. Anytime your rounds get flat there’s a risk if the horses decide to jump in or walk through it.
Nothing is totally safe with horses.
1 Like
My heart is breaking for you. I am so, so sorry for your loss. Love and hugs. 
1 Like
I just wanted to add my condolences. I also recently lost a beautiful 5 yr old to a broken leg - in a plain grassy paddock with zero hazards. It’s a horrible thing.
4 Likes
So sorry for your loss, also. One of my mares was 13 when she broke a leg in a pasture accident. It’s so sudden, shocking and heartbreaking. {{{Hugs}}} 
1 Like
I saw another COTHer lost their lovely gelding to a broken leg in a pasture accident this past week as well. A close friend almost lost two different ponies - one to colic and one with a prolapsed rectum (still unsure how or why). There is something terrible in the air, hopefully it has all passed now.
I am so sorry.
That is really a poorly designed feeder.
Omg I’m so very sorry to hear this
