This month I was sent the Haygrazer Bag to review and we have been loving it! We were sent the Navy bag to review, but it is also available in pink!
Safer than the traditional haynet
Haygrazer is an alternative to traditional haynets and are a potentially safer option. As I mentioned in my post; Protecting your horses teeth, horses can potentially damage their teeth using haynets, especially smaller holed haynets. The Haygrazer is designed to be kinder on your horses teeth. I also feel that horses are also less likely to get a leg or shoe stuck in the haygrazer bag than in a haynet.
However, that being said, I am not saying we are all putting our horses at risk using haynets! I have always used haynets with Scottie and never had a worry about him. And while I am using the Haygrazer on a daily basis, I am also still using haynets.
Tidier!
There is much less spillage and mess from the Haygrazer than a haynet. Scottie drops less hay on the floor while eating, which makes it perfect for travelling and show days and you have less mess to clean up at the end of the day.
It also means that I can fill it up in the morning in my yard clothes and when I get to the yard in the evening in my work clothes I don’t get covered in hay hanging it up! Which is a massive bonus on days where I am going straight out to meet friends after finishing at the yard.
Bigger on the inside
Despite not looking that big, the Haygrazer is a lot bigger on the inside. Within minutes of unpacking the Haygrazer, my sister showed just how big it is by climbing in!
In terms of hay, I usually fill it up so that it weighs 14-16lbs of hay. I did weigh the bag when I first started using it and I think it was around the 3lbs mark, so it is capable of holding a decent amount of hay!
Durable?
Scottie is incredibly good at trashing haynets, especially when he is hungry and in a rush to get at the hay. He has been known to break haynets within days of buying them. But after a few weeks of the Haygrazer, it is showing no signs of damage. Which makes me think that it is more durable than your typical haynet. But it is still too early to say for sure just how much more durable it is.
The downsides
In the warmer weather, Scottie does like to use his haynet as a scratching post. This is fine. But where the Haygrazer is hung up by metal clips, I do get mild anxiety about him catching himself on them. (A bit over the top I know!) But I am looking into possibly switching the clips to a rope to hang it up similar to a haynet.
If you have a greedy guts who needs to be slowed down when eating, the holes in the mess are pretty big and probably wouldn’t be suitable for them. However, I have seen videos of people hanging the Haygrazer away from the wall so the it is harder to eat from. And Haygrazer also do a different style called the Haygrazer Play, which is aimed at trickle feeding. So I guess that could be an alternative too.
The Verdict!
I do love how tidy the Haygrazer bag is in comparison to a haynet and highly recommend it for messy horses or for in the lorry. I also think it is more long lasting that your typical haynet, which is always a big bonus! While I think that it is probably a safer option than a haynet, unless you have any particular worries about your horse and a haynet, I don’t think you need to rush out and buy one.
But over all I do really like this product and think it is well worth the money.
Last Updated on 25/04/2019
How is your bag standing up?
I am on the my second one in a year with no response from HayGrazer for a refund.
The first one started getting small splits in it after about 6 months. This was apparently caused by the cold winter we had in 2018 and where the haygrazer play’s had been folded in storage. The bag was exchanged.
The second haygrazer play’s webbing started coming away from the bag after a few weeks. they said they would send me a another one which never arrived. I have since asked for a refund on several occasions but am still waiting for a reply!
My bag is doing quite well. Scottie is quite aggressive with it and after daily use for about 6 months it has got a small tear in it. But I think they redesigned them recently to improve this.
I have also just been sent their new play to review, which is a completely different material, so I think it will hold up a lot better.
I’m surprised you haven’t heard back from them, they are usually pretty good at replying. What have you been contacting them on?
I have been dealing with Carol. She was really helpful in the beginning but then did not reply to any of my emails.
That is very odd. I talk to her quite regularly, so I will pass this on to her and hopefully it will get picked up.
Thank you much appreciated.