Hay OptiMizer®
SKU: HAYOM
The Hay OptiMizer® acts as a naturally-regulated, slow-grazing solution for your horses that eliminates hay waste and saves you on loading time. Slow feeding, quick filling.
- Item Description
- Specifications
- Manuals
- Video
- Reviews
How to Optimize Feeding Hay to Your Horses?
The Hay OptiMizer® acts as a naturally-regulated, slow-grazing solution for your horses that eliminates hay waste and saves you on loading time. Slow feeding, quick filling.
First invented in 2004, the re-designed Hay Optimizer® was re-launched in 2019. The 2nd generation design has improved the slow-feed capabilities and the change to a durable lightweight one-piece molded plastic manager reduced the weight so they can easily be transported and repositioned on your property whenever needed. The Hay Optimizer® is 48" x 48" x 34" tall and there are no sharp edges; all corners are rounded and beveled.
It combines the best of both slow-feed nylon netting, with the convenience of a multi-bale feeder. The Hay Optimizer® gives you the peace of mind knowing your beloved animals always have hay readily available - holding up to 150 lbs of hay at a time! No more coming home from a long day and seeing your horses stressed and pacing the fence. With the Hay OptiMizer®, horses will eat slower and more consistently preventing weight gain. Gone are the days when your horses gobble through the hay at will, wasting a portion of their ration, thus causing them to be more hungry and impatient when their next mealtime rolls around.
Horses are quick to learn how to use the Hay OptiMizer®. They will eat slowly with their heads down; mimicking natural grazing. Their thinking process is "select", "nibble/chew", then "swallow" and when eating together as a herd/group, they're more content and less anxious. The Hay Optimizer® takes less than a minute to fill and can comfortably feed 2-4 horses at the same time for hours. Another interesting horse perspective is that the bites are smaller; as horses feed through any net, some of the delicate leaves can be stripped off the grasses or alfalfa, which are the tastiest! These small, yummy pieces are no longer being lost to the ground, but now remain in your Hay Optimizer® for your horses to clean up as they feed - leaving an empty "plate" for the next load of hay.
Horses have evolved over time to consume large amounts of forage throughout the day and night, spending 10-17 hours grazing during 15-20 grazing periods. If you live in a colder climate, the grazing season is limited and hay is more relied on. Keeping your horses in a natural environment and making sure they always have safe access to forage is an integral part of horse ownership. The Hay OptiMizer® combines the benefits of slow-feeding to improve your horses' health along with the convenience of multi-bale feeders to save you time!
*PLEASE CALL FOR AN ACCURATE SHIPPING ESTIMATE; ONLINE RATES ARE NOT VALID.*
Shipping: This item ships on a semi-truck via an LTL freight carrier. Shipping costs will vary depending on factors like the number of OptiMizers you’re ordering and where they're shipping to. Up to four can fit per 4'x4' pallet skid. Please contact one of our expert account managers at 800-434-6296 for a shipping quote. For more information on how this type of delivery works and what we need you to do upon arrival, please read through these two links:
Optimize Feeding
-
Mimic grazing—horses eat slowly with their heads down in a natural position.
-
Regulate consumption with slow-feed netting.
-
Creates a safe, relaxed herd-mentality environment for feeding with 2-4 horses eating together at a single Hay OptiMizer®.
Save Time
-
Feed more hay at a time. Take advantage of the benefits of slow-feed hay bags without the loading time.
-
Load two small square bales of hay (up to 16" high and 42" long, or up to 150 lbs of hay from large bales) into the Hay OptiMizer® in under a minute. It's quick for the caregiver and slow for the horses!
Stop Wasting Hay
-
Prevents hay from falling to the ground so more hay is readily available. Research shows that up to 50% of hay fed directly on the ground is wasted!
-
Spend less time cleaning up uneaten, soiled hay. The ground in your paddocks will look much cleaner!
-
Reduce overeating.
-
12 drainage holes around the base of the Hay OptiMizer® help hay prevent spoilage due to prolonged soaking.
Cost-Effectiveness
-
How much hay is currently being wasted? Waste = blown away, stepped on, and overeating. Most people say ~20%.
-
How much are you paying for hay $__ /bale?
-
Assuming you fill the Hay OptiMizer® once a day with 2 bales, it dispenses 60 X $___ cost per bale = $____ hay per month.
-
Monthly savings in wasted hay: ____% X $ _____ = $_______.
How to Use the Hay OptiMizer®
Simply un-clip the slide arm and push it to the left side of the Hay OptiMizer®. The slide arm locks the netting in place and provides a smooth, one-handed operation to open and close the Hay Optimizer®. Add two bales of hay, cut and remove the twine, pull back the slide arm, and then re-clip. You're done... slow feeding a day's amount of hay in under one minute!
The slow-feed netting hangs freely inside and conforms with the hay right down to the bottom of the feeder. The horses will slowly pull and eat hay through the mesh netting.
How to Introduce the Hay OptiMizer® to Horses
There is a learning curve for horses to understand and be comfortable with optimal hay consumption with the Hay OptiMizer®. Here are some tips to help through this transition:
Put the Hay OptiMizer® in a good place in the paddock where your horses already feel comfortable. Consider a place where your horses normally stand. Make sure there is plenty of room around the Hay OptiMizer® so the horses can walk around safely and not feel squeezed.
Introduce grazing hay through the net. Make it easy for your horses to succeed in getting some hay. Just put one bale of hay in the Hay OptiMizer®, remove the twine, and fluff the hay up. Close the net and lock it in place. Pull some tufts of hay through various locations of the net to help them get started.
If your horses are not getting enough hay or appear frustrated, sprinkle a loose flake of hay on the top of the Hay OptiMizer®. Provide unrestricted hay in another location.
During the first few weeks, we recommend checking the condition of the net every day. It is possible that a horse could bite through the net as they are learning how to consume hay optimally. (This is not an indication that the material is failing, or is substandard, because no hay net is indestructible.) In the unlikely event, you spot a hole forming, repair it with the string provided on this card. Rest assured that your horses will ignore the net completely once they become accustomed to it.
The Hay OptiMizer® was designed to maximize safety for horses and their caregivers. However, like all horse products, please use caution when using the Hay OptiMizer®; it is possible for halters, fly masks, blankets, or horseshoes to get entangled with the hay netting. It is possible that horses could injure themselves on the Hay OptiMizer®. The owners and employees of Wishing Well Services Ltd. are not responsible for injury or damage of any kind that may result from using the Hay OptiMizer®.
-
-
- I bought the Hay OptiMizer for my 3 horses, before that I was buying round bales in the winter months to keep them occupied. They would probably waste at least half of it. This was the best decision I have made, my horses love it, they leave their stalls with hay in their feeders just to go out and eat from the Optimizer. They adjusted within the first day. The net on the Optimizer is very thick and sturdy have not had any issues at all. This keeps them happy and content all eating together. - "I've always had slow feed bags. I needed five or six a day to feed three horses. Last winter with the OptiMizer I could slow feed two bales in one place. This saved me a ton of time not having to refill bags every day, plus I noticed it was way cleaner in the spring." - Amanda M. - "My horse is a 17-year-old, off-the-track thoroughbred who lives outside all year. She's a hard keeper, but by getting her the right amount of hay, whenever she wanted it, it was the first winter she didn't need an extra blanket or grain." - Laura T. - "We use 3 Hay OptiMizers for our herd of 8 horses. We fill them about once a day, even on the worst days, and have found ourselves going through a lot less hay. I'm confident our OptiMizers will pay for themselves in the amount of money we've saved in otherwise ruined hay." - Heather M.
