HayPlay Bags
These bags have been a great addition to our 24/7 forage routine. The Zip Bags have a solid back so work perfectly for feeding straight on the ground of the pasture. The Hanging Bags are awesome enrichment or can be used for regular hay. Unlike nets, their bite size is not necessarily limited BUT the accessible spots are much more limited.
The design allows for an enriching experience because you can add extras like pieces of carrot, celery, hay cubes, pellets and even more exciting handfuls of tastier hay mixed with grass hay. The horses get to forage for those bonuses, which engages their sense of smell in a fun way. The smallest Hanging Bag in snack size is excellent for hanging like a toy!
You can use “NANTUCKET” for 10% off their whole store. The coupon is good for one use per customer!
Note: They released an updated version of their Zip Bag in August, 2024. The XL bags pictured on this page are the older version, and the new one is simply an improved design! They also added a Medium Zip bag, which is much smaller and easier to handle.
Hanging the bag somewhere that cannot be pushed against a wall creates an enrichment toy at maximum difficulty. This would not be best option if it were to be your horse’s only source of food for a long stretch of time, as the frustration may outweigh the benefits! But it can certainly offer entertainment for long periods, stretching their regular hay by keeping them occupied. Secured slightly over a bin, the Hanging Nets can be partially mobile, for an easier activity.
Placing the Zip bags on the ground is obviously the easiest option! While a metal shoe could certainly get caught on a hole, I don’t think it is as much of a risk as nets. The other risk would be sand colic, as hay will inevitably end up on the ground when they flip the bag around! And if you have a Trubee, there’s also the chance that they pee on it. I like the Zip bags for ground feeding due to the solid back, but the Hanging bags certainly work as well.
IN A CONTAINER
Ideal when there is damp weather, tying the hay bag in a container prevents the hay from getting muddy! The fallen hay (there’s always a little) stays clean and edible. You’ll want to secure the smaller bags to a swivel, like this one on Amazon, as they will be spinning it constantly as they forage through it! The XL Zip bag is heavy enough that my horses don’t pull it out, though when close to empty they may flip it out on occasion. You could secure the Zip bags at the corners!
EASY
All the sizes are very easy to use! The new Zip bags have D-rings to make it easier to hold them open with some clips or rope. Then they secure with a zipper and Velcro! For the Hanging Bags, you can fold over the top and they pretty much sit open for you to put in hay. I add a locking carabiner (we get them on Amazon) to two strings to hang it up!
Durable
Trubee paws the Zip ones on the ground a LOT. It took months before the bag started showing wear & tear. The reinforced holes held up better than I expected, and it was awhile before we started to lose the reinforcements. It finally took a final nearly a year later. The holes in the latest update of the bags are now reinforced differently, and seem stronger! Will report back on the longevity of the updated design, but it might be awhile!
Enriching
The hanging snack size bag with only a few pounds of hay and some cubes mixed in provides quite a lot of entertainment for the horses. They of course have multiple other hay stations too, but I’ve seen them spend hours at the snack bag. They’ve never emptied it completely in 24 hours, but they do give up on it once there is only a little left – because they have other hay options. The XL Zip bag lasts them all day too! Even with all 3 taking turns.
VERSATILE
All options can be used on the ground or hanging. While the solid back of the Zip Bags would help for sandier areas, enough hay comes out of the bag when they flip it that I would still caution against using these on very sandy footing to minimize sand colic risk. I love that you can mix other things in with the hay in these to create interesting games for them! The Hanging Bags are awesome in a lot of settings, and easy to wash as needed too.
HayPlay Bags
The folks at GG Equine are also the kindest type of people! I always love when I find a company that I truly love, with products that are so useful.
I have a 15% off coupon for you to get your own HayPlay Bag! Simply use “NANTUCKET” for 10% off the whole store. The coupon is good for one use per customer, and includes their incredible grazing muzzles too!
GreenGuard Muzzle
GG Equine’s main product is their grazing muzzle. Here’s some info about them: “GG Equine is a woman-owned business with a mission to improve the health and well-being of horses that wear a grazing muzzle. We believe that horses out on pasture are happier than those confined to a stall.”
Our good friend Pony (pictured) wears one of their muzzles to keep her healthy, so I’ve seen it in action and know they are superior to others we’ve tried! Trubee use to have to wear one when living on irrigated pasture, and I always hated the ones we had at that time. If ever my horses need one again, this is the one they’ll be getting.
They also have a 30-day money-back guarantee, and each muzzle comes with a 1-year replacement promise.
There are options for every horse out there.
With so many options, your unique situation has a solution. I’m happy to help brainstorm if you’re stuck!
The links I share that lead to GG Equine’s website and Amazon are affiliate links! This means I will receive a small commission if you purchase after clicking on my links – so, you help me support these beautiful animals who are modeling these products! 🙂