Troubleshooting - What if my horse refuses to use the hay net?Updated 3 days ago

Every horse is different, and while many take to their GutzBusta® hay net straight away, others need a little time, encouragement, and the right mesh size to build confidence. This guide will walk you through key steps to ensure a stress-free introduction, help your horse stay motivated, and set them up for long-term success with slow feeding.

• First, NEVER introduce your GutzBusta® to a hungry horse without offering some loose hay beforehand. Let your horse wander over and explore the new hay net on his own. This encourages curiosity instead of a ravenous or destructive behaviour.
• Place tasty, palatable hay inside the hay net so your horse will be motivated to try eating through it. If you start with bland or low-palatability hay, your horse may lose interest, especially with nets that have smaller openings (around 3cm / 1 ¼” mesh or smaller).
• Did you start too small too soon? If you introduced a hay net with 3cm / 1 ¼” mesh openings before your horse had any experience with slow feeders, he may feel overwhelmed and simply give up. Try using a net with 4cm / 1 ¾” openings to help train them, or fill the 3cm / 1 ¼” mesh net with more appealing hay to encourage effort. Lucerne/alfalfa can be a great motivator.
• EVERY horse is different, and their response to a hay net is very individual. Some horses take a little time to learn how to use one, while most figure it out within a few hours, or even immediately.
• Hay palatability is a major factor. If your hay is low in sugar and your horses aren’t very motivated to eat it, do NOT start with a 3cm / 1 ¼” mesh net. A 4cm/ 1 ¾” or even 6cm / 2 ½” option will work much better in this situation.
• Time of year also matters. For example, we produced a low-sugar, fairly coarse hay one year that wasn’t very palatable. To get the horses to eat it, I had to start with 6cm / 2 ½” holed nets. As they adjusted, they would eat it from 4cm / 1 ¾” nets, and in the summer some of our horses would even eat this hay from 3cm / 1 ¼” nets. Once winter returned, they only reluctantly ate it from 4cm / 1 ¾” nets but did eat well again with 6cm / 2 ½” openings.
• If your horse is an extremely aggressive eater, consider whether stomach ulcers may be involved. Because an estimated 70–80% of horses are believed to have ulcers, it’s quite possible. Eating helps soothe the burning sensation, but once a horse finishes a meal, the stomach can empty in just 20 - 30 minutes. At that point, stomach acid is produced again, which can irritate existing ulcers.

We have an excellent FAQ page, discussing suitable hay net mesh hole sizes here. This is a comprehensive read to help you decide what hay net hole size will suit best.