HayPlay Slow-Feed Tie Bag

Hanging it up: Use rope to cinch the bag closed and tie to hang. For safety, we recommend using baling twine at the point of attachment so it will breakaway in case of emergency.

Ground feeding: You can place the HayPlay Bags on the ground so your horse can roll and toss them as an enrichment and slow-feeding activity. Make sure to tie the bag so that there are no loose parts of rope for the horse to get tangled in. Instead of the rope, you can also use baling twine to tie the bag and then trim the ends off so it would also break away in case of emergency.
For more information see our video on how to tie your bag safely

Where the half-bale size HayPlay Bag is concerned, you might wonder what manner of bale we mean!

For our purposes, we are talking about the East coast / 2-string bale of hay, around 50lbs. So our "half-bale" can hold around 25-30 pounds of hay and the snack size holds around 15-20 lbs.

Slow-feed hay nets can cause a lot of neck and back strain because the horse has to peck at the hay and typically ends up pulling the whole weight of the net with each bite. Our bags offer larger holes, which reduce strain and tension as they are only pulling on the hay they get in their mouth with each bite.

In fact, the hole size in our bags was rigorously tested and designed specifically to be large enough to allow stress-free eating but small enough to slow them down.

The HayPlay Bag is constructed from a food-grade, non-toxic, heavy-duty, marine-grade, PVC material that remains flexible in extreme conditions. The material does not hold moisture so it will not freeze, crack, or become rigid. Temperature range: -22F to +158F (-30C to +70C)

It is very tough and durable. Here's a video about the materials and construction of the HayPlay Bags!

We offer a 1-year, one-time replacement warranty that covers the following: all hardware parts, the stitching around the holes, and tears in the material larger than 1 inch. Normal wear and tear on the bags, like the outer coating wearing down and minor cracking, is not covered.

We are confident that the bags will maintain their usability for a long time, so please reach out if any minor damage becomes a larger issue that qualifies for a replacement.

There is a big difference in how horses eat from a hay net vs these bags. Even the smallest 1" slow-feed hay nets have more open surface area than our bags. So even though the HayPlay bags have larger openings, there are fewer of them and hay is less exposed because it is enclosed.

Our experience is that the "snack-size" bag will last a typical horse about 4 hours, the half-bale size about a day or night, and the bale size about 20 hours.

According to the manufacturer, HayPlay Bags are designed to be safe for horses with shoes. The 3-inch hole size makes it challenging for a horse to fit an entire foot into the hole. Animals with smaller feet tend to fit in and out easily.

Shod horses that paw at the bag on the ground do run the risk of catching part of the opening between the heel of their shoe and hoof. Should this happen, the HayPlay Bag is designed to tear. This safety feature means your horse is unlikely to get caught or tangled in the same way they might in a traditional hay net.

We do recommend using baling twine (made from fiber, not plastic) when hanging the bags. If a horse were to get caught somehow (they are horses, after all, meaning anything is possible), the twine would break rather than the bag.

For the drawstring bags, we recommend hanging them high enough that the horse is unable to get a hoof near the drawstring opening, any loops of string, or any of the feeding holes. If ground feeding, secure the HayPlay Bag opening with bailing twine, trim the ends off, being careful to leave no loops or openings.

Watch our tutorial video on how to tie your bag safely

Yes, they are safe for miniature horses and donkeys of all sizes! Even if a mini happens to put a hoof in one of the holes, they will usually just pull their hoof out with ease.

There is nothing for them to get tangled in like with hay nets. Click here for footage of minis interacting with the HayPlay Bag XL.

Rinse with water or wash with a mild soap. Avoid using abrasive cleaners as this can damage the outer coating.

If you hang the HayPlay Bag in a stall, occasionally rotate the direction the bag is hung so that your horse's favorite hole locations are not overused.

Keeping bags relatively full can help decrease stress on the bag from pawing, biting, etc., especially if they are ground fed.