I have worried for a while about my horses and ponies eating from haynets. It is not the best method – the knots erode their teeth and gums, while being at totally a bad angle.  Equines eat from the ground and they develop the wrong neck muscles pulling away at a head-height haynet.

My friend and neighbour, Monika, invented and built these boxes for haynets for her horses and ponies.

I have coveted them from afar.  Last week, I asked her to make me two.  Included were four haynets without knots (better for teeth) too.

Each box has two metal rings (one each side) at the base and the haynet is securely tied down.

My new haynets (without knots) were full of hay and on soak.

These are Nibbleze haynets – made without knots.

It is wise to slowly introduce this new concept of eating slowly so I started with the old haynets in the box.

And then I wondered about the chippie-chipmunk syndrome and I was shocked.  Albie, really!

We had words about eating the new haynet boxes on Day 1.

Storm promised me it would never be him! Hmmm…..

This morning, I saw that the boys had been eating their hay from the boxes with no problem.

But…. there was evidence of chipmunkery.

I introduced the new no-knot haynets and showed the boys how they work!

No problem, they said and happily tucked in!

And I also went to town for more supplies. I bought an anti wood-eating spray and quickly squirted it all over the boxes – oh yes!

The boys get the left-over hay in one box and a fresh haynet (one of the new ones) in the other.

I love these hayboxes and the haynets. The whole system works beautifully.  So a huge thank you to Monika.  Bloody brilliant.  This is perfect.