Some of our horses have figured out how to outwit their slow feeders, and are once again eating their hay more quickly than is good for them. To these horses, we dedicate the "Challenge Feeders" designs.

The designs on this page are NOT RECOMMENDED for introducing the concept of slow feeding to an uninitiated horse. Rather, think of this page as the graduate level resource for a PhD Horse (Phast Hay Devourer).
_________________________________________________________________________

JoanneNL's Shrimp Netting Hay Feeder

My horses have been able to figure out everything that I do and their hay wasn't lasting long at all. I've gone through a vertical slowfeeder, Buffet Bags, nets with 2 inch holes, nets with one inch holes, hay bags on the ground...you name it I've tried it. And they've figured them out in no time flat!! So this is my latest attempt...It's 3' by 3' and covered in antifatigue mats with rubber mats over that...my horses paw and Orion really wore down one side of his hoof on my first slow feeder. The grid is made from dowels and right angle copper connectors. It has Shrimp netting stretched across and attached. This is attached to the bottom of the feeder as it is too light to just rest there. They spent the first 4-5 days staring at it and would only eat if I pull some hay out. Now they are eating from it regularly and it really does slow them down...finally!!! BTW the holes are only one inch.

JoanneNL
May 24, 2009
________________________________________________________________________________________

SMHN by Brandi: Thicker Rope = Bigger Knots

Jewel eating from a SMHN Challenge Feeder clipped to a Hay Tree.

The holes measure the same size as on the Miller's/Dover/Smith Brothers SMHN (4 cm or 1.5"), but the rope is thicker, creating larger knots.

The distance between knots is 3 cm. Miller's SMHN knots are 3.5 cm apart.

The hardware is a half-inch marine shackle bolt with a single-end snap clipped to a hitching ring. The shackle bolt goes through the one-inch bottom ring of the snap.

It takes Jewel, Ally, and Stella significantly longer to finish hay from Brandi's creation. Often, some hay is left at the bottom. But the hay bag isn't fully broken in yet, and they used to leave hay at the bottom of the Dover SMHN when *it* was new to them.

As they become more sophisticated about eating from slow feeders, it pays to increase the level of difficulty.

JoAnn Johnson
June 11, 2009

Update, next day: They have now finished every bite from the last three fillings of Brandi's SMHN.

See it compared to others on our SMHN Comparison Chart.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Miller's SMHN -- Double-Bagged
Stella eats hay from two small-mesh hay nets which are hanging from a tree branch in her Paddock Paradise. Each net has 4-cm holes, and two doubled together like this make the hay last all day.

The only reason it's hanging so high is because its tree string broke, and when I re-tied it, there wasn't enough left to make the feeder reach the ground. That string will be replaced!

Ally (in the background) is playing with a "Nose-It!" feeder toy which had been filled with Ontario Dehy Timothy Balance hay cubes. The wooden box lets the hay cubes dispense over a sand-free ground-level surface. The wooden box lets the hay cubes dispense over a sand-free ground-level surface.
JoAnn Johnson
October 6, 2009
________________________________________________________________________________________

NibbleNet - Extra-Slow Feeder Prototype with 1-1/4" Openings

Stella cleverly puts a leg forward to give herself something to push against while eating from her NibbleNet slow feeder.

Many thanks to Deb at NibbleNet for allowing us to test this prototype, which sports a few modifications from the standard NibbleNet Picnic.

First, the holes are extra-small. At 1.25" they are one-quarter-inch smaller than the other soft mesh slow feeders. Although 1.5" is generally the most effective slow feeder hole size, some horses (like my easy keepers) need a smaller opening to make their serving of hay last until the next feeding time.

Next, the top rings are arranged differently. There are three sets of top rings rather than two. This was done in order for us to hang this prototype from a tree branch on a single string attached to a centered set of rings, rather than the more common placement against a wall, which uses a strap between two sets of rings. Because we feed at a lower position than these were originally designed for, the extra closure is also a safety measure.

And my favorite modification -- a stroke of genius, even ;-) -- is that the top rings are lowered. Once the rings are snapped closed with a clip, the horses are prevented from snarfing hay off the top! The loading edge becomes no wider than the intended feeding openings along the sides.

You'll still see my horses trying to eat from the top because they have become accustomed to other mesh hay bags having 'easy pickings' at the top. I am very excited about having the top rings flush with the top of the Picnic as a way to effectively close it off. Of course, the observant engineers amongst us will note that lowered rings also somewhat reduce the capacity of the hay bag. And they might point out that the Picnic was designed to hold no more than a single good-sized flake of hay in the first place... right? Ah, but that's how the taller sides of the XL Picnic compensate.

In the background, Jewel is eating from a 1.5" Picnic XL -- with standard slow feeder hole size but having lowered rings and taller sides. This makes it as easy to load as the regular Picnic with protruding rings. After slipping in the flake of hay, the XL (with taller sides) clips shut as easily as the regular Picnic clips across four inches of exposed hay, but closes to cover all the hay.

These modifications are not (yet) available as standard options, but are possible as special orders. Not everyone who slow feeds will want the taller sides, lowered rings, or extra-small openings. But for my application -- hanging these from tree branches for my expert slow feeding horses who are still eating too quickly -- they are PERFECT!

JoAnn Johnson
October 28, 2009

________________________________________________________________________________________

Ally's One-Inch Webbing Hay Feeder
We've tested this SMHN since October 2009. Ally & friends have no problem pulling wet (soaked) Bermuda hay through the 1" holes with the NibbleNet at ground level in a feeder box, as shown in the video. They also finish most dry Bermuda in this configuration.

However, it is too difficult for them when this webbing bag is hung from a tree branch. This was a *test* of one-inch webbing holes, and NibbleNet doesn't have any plans to manufacture feeders with this level of challenge. However, NibbleNets with 1-1/4" holes (like the one above) are available by special order.

NibbleNets used at ground level should be secured by all four attachment points. You need to specify the bottom rings when you order.
JoAnn Johnson (tangledmanes)
January 30, 2010