A Seasonal Guide to Choosing the Right Hole SizeUpdated 4 hours ago
Hole size is not a "set and forget" decision. A hole size that works well for your horse at one time of year may need to be adjusted as the season, weather, or hay supply changes. This article explains why hole size preference can shift, and provides a general seasonal guide to help you choose the right starting point.
Why Hole Size Preference Changes
Two main factors affect how your horse responds to a given hole size: season and temperature, and hay type.
Season and Temperature
Horses use the fibre in hay to help generate their own body heat. This means they typically need greater access to hay during the coldest months of the year than during warmer months. Restricting intake too much when temperatures drop can mean a horse is burning energy it doesn't have the fibre intake to support.
Conversely, the seasons with lush pasture growth tend to bring more palatable grass and hay, meaning even a well-managed horse can gain weight quickly if intake isn't monitored. Palatability plays as significant a role as quantity: hay that a horse happily grazes from a given hole size in one season may disappear far more quickly from the same net once temperatures drop and the horse's appetite increases.
Hay Type
Even hay from the same paddock can vary significantly from batch to batch, depending on rainfall, cutting time, and stalkiness. Softer, more palatable hay is generally more forgiving in a smaller hole size, while tougher or stalkier hay may require a larger hole size to keep a horse engaged and eating consistently. For this reason, we recommend reassessing hole size whenever you receive a new batch of hay, rather than assuming a previous hole size will continue to be suitable.
Case Example
A customer using GutzBusta hay nets in a 4cm (1 3/4") and 3cm (1 1/4") hole size reported that her horses, who had previously eaten well from these nets, had stopped engaging with them during the warmer months.
This was explained as follows: in warmer weather, horses require less fibre to maintain body heat, which can reduce their motivation to eat from a smaller hole size. Increasing to a 40mm (1 3/4") hole size is generally a suitable adjustment in this scenario, with a return to a smaller hole size (such as 30mm / 1 1/4") likely to suit again once cooler weather returns.
This customer's experience also illustrates a related point: hay type and palatability can be as influential as hole size on its own. In an example where two batches of hay from the same paddock, made three years apart, required different hole sizes (6cm / 2 1/2" for a stalkier batch versus 2cm / 3/4" for a softer batch), horses fed both hays side by side still preferred the softer hay despite the larger hole being easier to access.
General Seasonal Guide
The following is intended as a general starting point. Every horse, paddock, and hay supply is different, so use this as a guide rather than a fixed rule.
❄️ Winter: This is the time to ease up. Fibre keeps horses warm from the inside out, so a 40mm or even 60mm (1 3/4" - 2 1/2") hole size is worth considering. You still want to manage wastage, but you don't want to restrict intake when the temperature drops.
🌼 Spring: As the grass returns and takes off, this is the time to reassess. A 30mm - 40mm (1 1/4" - 1 3/4") hole size is worth considering, especially for easy keepers, ponies, or good doers. Sizing back down as you come out of winter helps manage intake before the lush spring grass really kicks in.
☀️ Summer: This one really comes down to your individual horse and the hay you're feeding. 30mm / 1 1/4" tends to suit easy keepers or those on lush pasture, while 40mm / 1 3/4" is a solid starting point for most, with room to size down if needed.
🍂 Autumn: More of a transition season. As temperatures drop and pasture growth slows, it's worth watching your horse's body condition and reassessing whether your current hole size is still doing the job heading into winter. There's no one-size-fits-all here, it comes down to how your horse and paddock are looking as the season shifts.
If you're not sure where to start, 40mm / 1 3/4" is a good general starting point, and you can size up or down from there as you learn what works for your horse through each season.
If your horses go off a hole size that has previously worked well, this does not necessarily indicate a problem with the net. It typically indicates that the season, hay supply, or both, have changed. Adjusting hole size in response to these changes is normal and expected. Keeping a couple of different hole sizes on hand allows for easier adjustment as conditions change, and no hole size purchase is ever wasted, as different sizes may be needed at different times.
For the full rundown on everything that affects hole size choice, this is a great help article to read: Which Hole Size Do I Choose?