Your Horse Bolts a Flake of Hay in 20 Minutes — and His Gut Pays for It
The Schneiders® Slow Feed Hay Ball Feeder naturally slows your horse's hay consumption to match the steady trickle-grazing pace his digestive system was designed for — reducing colic risk, minimizing hay waste, and giving stall-bound horses a healthy mental focus throughout the day.
Available in Blue and Red. Sized for a full hay portion. No more empty net by 8 a.m.
Horses Were Not Built to Eat Two Large Meals a Day
The equine digestive system is designed for near-continuous trickle grazing — small amounts of forage moving through a stomach that produces acid constantly, with or without food. Feeding large hay portions twice a day creates hours of empty stomach time between meals, concentrating acid on stomach lining and creating the conditions for gastric and hindgut ulcers, colic episodes, and the stress behaviors that develop in bored, hungry horses.
An Empty Stomach for 4 Hours Is a Veterinary Expense Waiting to Happen
The horse that bolts his hay in 20 minutes and stands at an empty net for the next four hours is at elevated risk for gastric ulcers, hindgut acidosis, sand impaction from searching the floor, and the repetitive stress behaviors — weaving, cribbing, wood chewing — that develop from boredom and hunger. These conditions compound over time, and the vet bills they generate dwarf the cost of a slow feeder.
- ✗Rapid hay consumption leaves horses with empty stomachs for 4-6 hours
- ✗Continuous stomach acid production on an empty stomach causes ulcers
- ✗Bored, hungry horses develop weaving, cribbing, and wood-chewing vices
- ✗Hay waste from floor-trampling increases feed costs significantly
The Schneiders Hay Ball Feeder Slows Consumption to a Natural Trickle-Grazing Rate
The Schneiders® Slow Feed Hay Ball Feeder allows hay to dispense slowly as your horse works at it — extending a feeding period from 20 minutes to 90 minutes or more, depending on hay type and hole size. This mimics the continuous grazing behavior horses' digestive systems depend on, buffers stomach acid naturally with constant forage contact, and gives stall-bound horses the mental engagement of working for their food throughout the day.
Supports Digestive Health
Constant slow forage intake buffers stomach acid and reduces ulcer and colic risk.
Reduces Boredom Behaviors
Working the feeder keeps stall-bound horses mentally engaged between barn check-ins.
Cuts Hay Waste Significantly
Horses work for each mouthful instead of sorting and trampling — less waste, lower feed costs.
Extends Feeding from 20 to 90+ Minutes
Slows consumption naturally so horses aren't standing at an empty feeder for hours.
What Riders Are Saying
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My Thoroughbred gelding was a known colic risk — he inhaled every feeding in under 15 minutes and then spent hours weaving and chewing wood from boredom and hunger. After two months with the Schneiders Hay Ball, his consumption has slowed to 90 minutes per feeding and the weaving has stopped completely. My vet noticed the improvement in his gut motility at his last checkup. This feeder is the best investment I've made for his health.
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I run a five-horse barn and hay waste was a constant frustration — my horses would sort through a flake, pull out the best bits, and leave the rest on the stall floor to get trampled. The Hay Ball forces them to work for each mouthful so they eat everything. I've cut my hay bill by roughly 15% in four months and none of my horses are standing with empty stomachs between feedings anymore.
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My mare had a bout of hindgut ulcers last year that my vet attributed partly to long empty-stomach periods between large feedings. We switched to the Hay Ball to extend each feeding period and the difference is remarkable. She's calmer, her coat condition has improved, and she isn't pawing at feeding time anymore because she's never waiting as long between actual forage contact. Genuinely changed how I manage her diet.
"How We Stack Up
| Feature | Schneiders Schneiders Slow Feed Hay Ball | Hay Chix | Shires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slows hay consumption naturally | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| Hard plastic — withstands pawing | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Full hay ration capacity | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| Reduces colic and ulcer risk | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| Minimizes hay waste / floor sorting | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| Mental enrichment for stall horses | ✓ | ✓ | ~ |
| No net to repair or replace | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Multiple color options | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Available at sstack.com | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Under $85 price point | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Simple Concept, Significant Impact on Horse Health and Hay Budget
The Schneiders® Slow Feed Hay Ball Feeder works on the straightforward principle that requiring horses to work for each bite slows consumption to a physiologically appropriate rate. Rather than pulling large mouthfuls from a loose pile, horses use lips and tongue to extract hay through the ball's openings — a slower, more deliberate motion that extends the feeding window dramatically.
The feeder is sized to hold a full hay ration, available in Blue and Red, and built to withstand the pawing and rolling behavior horses naturally exhibit when working a feeder. This is one of the most cost-effective preventive health investments available for stall-kept horses.
- ✓Slows hay consumption to mimic natural trickle-grazing behavior
- ✓Extends feeding time from 20 minutes to 90+ minutes per portion
- ✓Reduces hay waste by eliminating floor trampling and sorting
- ✓Available in Blue and Red — sized for a full hay ration
- ✓Provides mental engagement for stall-bound horses throughout the day
What You Get
