Proper feeding is a cornerstone of equine care, directly impacting a horse’s overall health and well-being. Slow-feeding solutions have become really popular in recent years, offering a more natural and healthy approach to equine nutrition. Trust me, I know. I have been looking at all of them over the past few months. And I finally decided which one would be the best, most affordable option for my horses. The High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior stands out as an effective tool for enhancing equine feeding habits. This article aims to delve into the key features and benefits of the High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior for horses, shedding light on how it can contribute to better equine health.
Why I Decided to Use a Slow Feeder
Before getting into the specifics of the High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior, let me share with you the how and why behind why I have wanted this type of feeder for my horses. So let’s start with one of the horses I recently adopted, Timon.
Timon is an older Quarter Horse gelding who is extremely food motivated. This boy loves to eat. And when I brought him home and fed him for the first time, he cleaned out a hay net in record time. I was told he gets 8 flakes of hay a day, which isn’t a big deal spread out over the day. But I work full time. And I don’t have a way to make sure he gets 2 flakes of hay every couple of hours. So I resorted to hay nets and then to slow-feed hay nets. Which did work better, but he could still clear out a full hay net in a matter of a few hours.
But hay nets have their problems too. First, you have to fill them, and this can be time-consuming, depending on the type of hay you are feeding. Then you have to tie the hay net high so horses don’t get caught up in them. Which causes concerns about how they are eating. It’s not natural for a horse to have his head up high, developing muscles from having to pull hay from a hay net.
And then there is the wasted hay. I cannot tell you how much hay I have thrown away from my horses, pulling it out of the net and then having it strewn out all over the stall. This is what really got me thinking that I needed a different solution. I wanted to keep the hay in the feeder and have my horse be able to eat in a natural position, as well as have the hay last as long as possible while I am at work over 10 hours a day.
Looking for Feeding Options
Fast forward a week and a half, and I watched my friend’s horses while they were out of town for a week. This is when I was introduced to the box-style feeder. She has the Savvy Feeder. And when I saw this, I was curious. And over the week, I was sold on this type of a feeder. I started researching this particular feeder and then the other options currently available.
The Savvy Feeder is very nice. But it’s also very expensive. Then there are the homemade versions of a slow feeder. And while this is an option, I wasn’t ready to go this route.
And then I found the High Country Plastics Slow Feeder Jr. I believe it’s called the ‘Jr.’ because it’s a smaller version of their larger feeder.
Understanding Slow Feeding
Unlike traditional feeding methods, which involve providing horses with large amounts of grain or hay in a short period, slow feeding encourages a more natural grazing behavior. Horses are designed to graze almost constantly throughout the day, and slow feeders mimic this behavior by prolonging the feeding process.
This is a huge advantage that a slow feeder has over all of the other options available right now. At least, it is to me.
Features of the High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior
The High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior offers a range of features designed to promote healthy feeding habits for horses that I found attractive.
- Durable Construction: Crafted from high-quality, heavy-duty plastic, this slow feeder is built to withstand the rigors of equine feeding. It is designed to be sturdy and long-lasting, even in outdoor environments.
- Small Hole Design: The feeder’s small hole design restricts the rate at which horses can access hay or forage. This mimics the natural grazing process and prevents horses from consuming large amounts of food too quickly.
- Portability: The Junior size of this feeder makes it easy to move and position in different areas, providing flexibility in managing your horse’s feeding routine.
- Reduced Waste: The slow feeder minimizes hay wastage by slowing down the feeding process. Horses are less likely to trample, defecate on, or spill their feed, leading to cost savings and less cleanup.
- Mental Stimulation: The extended feeding time provided by the slow feeder not only benefits physical health but also engages horses mentally. This can help alleviate boredom and reduce undesirable behaviors that can arise from stall confinement.
- Regulated Consumption: Slow feeding helps prevent digestive issues such as colic and obesity. Regulated consumption aids in proper digestion, as horses’ digestive systems are better equipped to process smaller, consistent amounts of food just as nature intended.
Benefits for Equine Health
The slow feeder encourages horses to eat smaller, more frequent meals, which is closer to their natural grazing pattern. This supports better digestion and reduces the risk of colic and other gastrointestinal issues. And we all want to help our horses stay healthy, right?
And controlling consumption provided by the slow feeder can assist in weight management. Horses are less likely to overeat, reducing the risk of obesity and related health problems.
Horses are social animals that thrive on mental stimulation. The extended feeding time offered by the slow feeder helps combat boredom and reduces the likelihood of destructive behaviors that can arise from stall confinement.
With the slow feeder’s design, less hay is wasted due to trampling or soiling. This contributes to cost savings over the lifetime of using this type of feeder. In fact, it will help you reduce the hay that is wasted by at least half. Over a year – that adds up to a LOT of wasted hay and dollars.
High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior for Horses
The feeder itself is made from, yes, plastic. But this is a heavy-duty plastic that is capable of sustaining repetitive movement from being pushed around by a 1200 lb animal.
The secret to this feeder is the top grate. It has a sturdy metal frame that has a webbing grid. The webbing rests on top of the hay, and as the horse eats, the grate moves down. The webbing has openings that allow the horse to reach the hay, but only in small areas. This is what makes it so the horse’s feeding is slowed down and thus controlled.
There is only one opening for the grate to slide in and out of. So it’s nearly impossible for the horse to get the grate out of the feeder. It will happen from time to time, especially if you have a very greedy feeder like my horse. But it doesn’t happen very often.
When you get your feeder, the only thing you have to assemble is the grate. I would highly recommend having a helper when you put the webbing onto the frame. But only if you want to save yourself a lot of frustration.
The only other piece to the feeder is the feeder itself, which is one piece of molded plastic. So there is nothing to break on the feeder. This is one of the things I like best about this type of feeder. The fewer parts there are, the less likely something can go wrong.
It’s good for horses and ponies! So one size does fit all in my case. Pumbaa can eat out of his feeder just as easily as Timon can.
Best Slow Feeder for Horses
And if you enjoy ‘seeing’ something vs. reading about it, I have a video coming out next week about the feeder too!
High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior for Horses Yay or Neigh?
The High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior for horses represents a commendable step forward in promoting healthier feeding habits for horses. By mimicking natural grazing behavior and regulating feed consumption, this innovative tool offers benefits ranging from improved digestion and weight management to enhanced mental well-being.
So for me, I am so happy that I decided to go with this type of slow feeder. I have already noticed a lot less waste, and my horses are able to eat all day long. This makes me happy because I know Timon will be kept busy until I get home. And if he isn’t hungry, he is able to pay attention to me when I am working with him. This is a HUGE bonus, I think. As we continue to prioritize the health and happiness of our horses, solutions like the High Country Plastic Slow Feeder Junior are instrumental in helping us to reach these goals and ensure the well-being of our four-legged family members.
July Training Log – Month Two of Working My Horses
Having purchased the big High Country Slow Feeder a couple yrs ago – we could NOT get the panels to line up to accept all the screws thus only 1 or 2 screws are holding each panel! I contacted the company several times and eventually they sent me a side panel – OH! WHAT was that supposed to do for the others that don’t line up????? DUH! I resorted to putting a ratchet
strap around it but problems with that too. So I hung a hay net over it that they use and most of the hay falls in the feeder now. I saw the feeder was “Unavailable” for a long time but back on the market now. I also found a LOT of other reviews of people having the same problem! (made in China!) That was the biggest waste of money ever! and a LOUSY CHEAP COMPANY that should have replaced it with one that the holes DID line up!