Is it safe for horses with shoes?Updated 10 months ago

According to the manufacturer, HayPlay Bags are designed to be safe for horses with shoes. The 3-inch hole size makes it challenging for a horse to fit an entire foot into the hole. Animals with smaller feet tend to fit in and out easily.

Shod horses that paw at the bag on the ground do run the risk of catching part of the opening between the heel of their shoe and hoof. Should this happen, the HayPlay Bag is designed to tear. This safety feature means your horse is unlikely to get caught or tangled in the same way they might in a traditional hay net.

We do recommend using baling twine (made from fiber, not plastic) when hanging the bags. If a horse were to get caught somehow (they are horses, after all, meaning anything is possible), the twine would break rather than the bag.

For the drawstring bags, we recommend hanging them high enough that the horse is unable to get a hoof near the drawstring opening, any loops of string, or any of the feeding holes. If ground feeding, secure the HayPlay Bag opening with bailing twine then trim the ends off, being careful to leave no loops or openings as demonstrated in this tutorial video.

When ground feeding the Zip bags, we recommend anchoring them so that if they were to get caught, the bag would rip away rather than follow them around the stall/pasture. Check out this article for tips to secure the Zip Bags. Positioning the bag in the "slumped" way makes it less likely to get stomped on, but still allows for a lower head posture for ground feeding. Another great option may be to put the bag in a water trough or other container s you still get the benefit of ground feeding without worrying about their feet coming into contact with the bag.

The bag in this photo is not anchored to the wall, but does demonstrate the position we have found works best for safety and durability.