How We Proved that a Hay Net in the Trailer is Dangerous

Have you ever noticed that if you don't know something is dangerous, you can get away with doing it. Once you know, God holds you accountable.

I have used hay nets for years. About a year ago I heard that you should switch to hay bags because horses sometimes got tangled up in hay nets and the results could be B-A-D. So, I only used my hay nets for when the horse was tied to the outside of the trailer. Inside the trailer I used a hay bag.

Except that Lucy didn't like the hay bag. The opening didn't open exactly where her dainty nose sits. So she'd toss it like a punching bag before giving up and then it was just in her way.

Today when we were going to a show, and running late, of course, Lily put in a hay net instead of the hay bag into the trailer. With my knowledge and permission.

We loaded Lucy, who was upset to be going to the show without her boyfriends, but she was the one who needed schooling and never goes anywhere. She pawed and banged around in the trailer, so without wasting any time, I pulled out. She kept pawing. Then she quit. The weight in the trailer felt odd, and sometimes I felt like it was pulling funny. But I kept going.

Nearly an hour later we got to the show grounds and went to unload -- only to find Lucy standing on three legs in the trailer with one leg very seriously snarled up in the hay net! This was a heavy duty hay net, too. She was trembling from the exhaustion of standing on three legs while being trailered. A friend turned up with a knife and painstakingly cut Lucy loose rope by rope.

To my infinite gratitude, Lucy stood quietly until cut free. Then, after she quit trembling and her veins weren't standing out under her thin TB skin, Lily warmed her up and the horse seemed fine. They had a good day at the show, with Lucy making some mistakes but being a willing and even interested competitor. She enjoyed going somewhere.

Until it was time to go home. I don't blame her one bit -- she decided that the trailer is an evil, scary place and she wasn't getting on it. Ever.

We did what we had to do, which ranged from getting dragged all over to tempting her with the Bucket of Earthly Delights to getting out the lunge whip and holding it in a very visible place but not striking her (though I am not against force, we just didn't get to that). She suddenly and with no warning hopped it. I gave her lots of time with the Bucket of Earthly Delights.

The hay net is in the trash can. And I thank the Lord that my horse had enough strength and balance to stand on three legs on that journey, and also had enough sense to not panic. The what ifs are playing vividly in my mind. What if she had fallen? What if she had broken something?

So very many ways to make mistakes. Just when I thought I'd made them all.

Thank God it turned out all right.

Comments

[White Horse Pilgrim]

That sounds like an unpleasant experience. It is a good thing that your horse was calm and did not panic. I have been told that fine mesh hay nets are good since the small holes mean (supposedly) that a hoof cannot get caught up in them. We see these fine mesh nets in the UK, not sure if you have them over there. However one needs to think about the risk of the branch of a shoe catching in even a fine mesh.

It bothers me that a hoof can get caught in a hay net and that barn staff tie hay nets too low, so I feed only loose hay on the floor of the stable now.

[unknown]

So many people like to blame trailer accidents on their hay nets. I still don't understand why. However, I still don't understand how someone spilling hot coffee on themselves is a restaurants fault, but that is not the point. Trailering is serious. They need to be inspected inside and out to make sure the horse can travel safely. The hay net is not the problem, where and how it is tied is the problem. If a hay net is too low a horse can very easily get caught. If it is not tight and secure a horse can pull on it and make it too low. It is your responsibility to check EVERYTHING before loading your horse every time. You are very lucky you have a calm horse and apparently a smooth trailer. It would be almost impossible for most horses to stand on 3 legs for an hour, it's very bumpy back there if you've never experienced it from the horses view. If you can't check your nets before hand, you should not be driving a trailer. If it is secure and you are still worried about the net failing you, buy a cotton one with small holes. The cotton wont cause as much damage and the small holes wont catch there legs. It also decreases the chance of them choking or running out of hay too fast. It's good for horses to have to work through those small holes because it keeps them busy and relaxed. The bags are nice too, I use one for my thoroughbred because he shakes the hay out of the nets. However the bags cause the horse to eat way too much hay way too fast. It's not very good for there digestion and they won't always chew it if it's not great quality because they aren't thinking so much about what there eating when there traveling. I feed good quality bermuda(not coastal) while trailering. It has thick stalks which makes him chew and it is not high in fat or sugar. I've seen horses colic after eating a bag of cheap coastal bermuda too fast in a trailer. They didn't chew it because they weren't paying attention and it was so flimsy they didn't have to. Just be careful with your trailering. You've probably heard stories from people making similar mistakes with their nets. A net can't fail you if it's used properly.