Take the drag out of haynet filling with HayMate
Do you dread the drag of filling haynets? A new device that enables nets to be filled quickly and without the bending has been designed by a Northumberland horse owner Richard Cansdale.
Mr Cansdale says the HayMate is a “totally new concept in haynet filling”.
The HayMate has two revolving spindles with wooden pegs, which hold the haynet open for filling,
Then when the net is full, by pushing the spring-loaded handles in the full haynet drops at your feet, with the drawstring pulled tight.
Originally invented to ease the daily struggle of filling haynets for Mr Cansdale’s family ponies, the HayMate has been tested for two years, and has just been launched on the market with the aid of Business Link.
Mr Cansdale says his first customer, who has a small livery yard in Taunton, found the HayMate cut down the time filling nets for nine horses, from 40 minutes to 15 minutes a day, saving him 3 hours a week.
He said: “Everyone who tries the HayMate is amazed how quick and comfortable it is to use. Lots of customers tell us that before they got a HayMate, no one wanted to fill haynets, now all empty haynets lying about get filled.“
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Made from wood sourced from sustainable forests, the HayMate should give a lifetime of service.
HayMates can be purchased on line at www.haymate.net.
The Free-Standing HayMate retails at £125.
And the Wall Mounted HayMate, made from powder coated steel in pillar box red, costs £99. It folds safely back against the wall when not in use, making it ideal for situations where space is limited.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.