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Veterinarian Recommended
 "When I first saw the Slow Down® Hay Feeder I immediately said, 'How clever!' Not only does it keep horses occupied, but it keeps them "grazing" as they would on pasture. It has the real potential to help treat many health and behavioral issues with less time and expense.
We have many feeding issues with the horse. From stall vices such as weaving, wood chewing, cribbing, aggression and feed anxiety to medical problems such as colic, laminitis, insulin resistance and obesity. All relate to bolus feeding instead of browsing. Slowing down hay consumption can affect all these problems, not to mention reduce waste or contamination from spillage." ~Dr. Roy C. Kipper, D.V.M., Grimes, IA
Horse Expert Recommended
A Few Feeding Solutions from The Horse's Hoof In this issue, we thought we’d pass on some information about a few interesting feeding products:
Slow Down® Hay Feeder/Soaker What an interesting product! It looks like it is basically a large bucket with a special feeding plate on top to slow down hay/feed consumption. As the horse consumes the hay, the feeding plate slowly lowers in the bucket. It looks very simple and easy to use, and could easily be added to any horse’s living area. The bucket doubles as a convenient way to soak hay, as well as being very portable. With the high cost of hay these days, the promise of less wastage is a big plus! For the natural owner, it might actually pay off to buy several of these and install all around a paddock paradise. The price for one complete kit is $395.00.
~ www.TheHorsesHoof.com Barefoot Hoofcare Magazine Issue 31 – Summer 20
Client Testimonials
 "Thank you for helping me solve the dilemma of how to humanely assist my big American Warmblood in losing weight. In spite of miles and miles of mountain trail rides and hours of jumping, he remains at an unhealthy weight. He practically inhales two flakes of hay in less than thirty minutes, and then chews on the fence, and salivates with longing, while enviously watching his Arab buddy slowly enjoy his ration for hours on end! Thanks to the Slow Down® Hay Feeder, it now takes him three to four hours to eat the same amount of hay and he is both entertained and content the entire time. He also enjoys rolling the feeder around when I leave it freestanding to see what last morsels he might extract. His muscles are becoming more defined and my trainer's first comment to me last week was that "Rainman has lost weight!" I was happy to tell her about the Slow Down® Hay Feeder and I can't wait for my veterinarian to see it as well. This investment is well worth it. Thank you so much!"
~Lynn Johnson, Centennial, CO click here to see video by Neil Crisp
"Thank you so very much for the prompt delivery....and the one on one contact with your company. I got the Slow Down® Feeder today, as promised and much faster then expected! I took it to my mare and was amazed at how quickly she adjusted to it ( I have it in her stall)...she immediately started "grazing" and really seems to like it. I cannot thank you enough for the very personilized service and the quick delivery. So far, I am thoroughly pleased with the feeder, thrilled that it seems to be working. I will let you know further after tomorrow. Thanks again..
(the next day…)
Hi again! I just wanted to update you on how the first night went with the feeder. It is a huge success!! I am so happy I made the decision to purchase it. Angel (my beautiful mare) is one of those who inhales her hay, (she is also an extremely easy keeper) then gets bored and chews the stall down around here. She really likes the feeder and so does all the other boarders who have seen it! Thank you so very much again!!!!" ~Connie Carbonara, Henryville, PA
"My horses are loving their (three) new Slow Down® feeders. When my husband was putting up the wall mounts for the corner ones, I gave a small amount of hay to them so they would stay occupied while we worked and the look they gave me was, 'What! You want me to eat that off the ground?' It was so funny! Again, thank you for such a wonderful product. Every horse owner needs one of these feeders!! God bless you and Happy Trails!" ~Karen Narramore, Gilroy, CA
 "Klacyk Fyre is a 19 year old Russian Arabian. He has Cushings and the symptoms show by pain in his hooves and shoulder area. This winter we were soaking his hay to remove the sugar. It was very cold and we were Filling a large tub in the barn restroom, then wheeling it outside after the soak to empty it. Then we had to drain it on racks before we could feed. It was a miserable job. It was such a relief when we found your Slow Down® Hay Feeder Soaker. We put the hay in, filled it with water, waited an hour, pulled the plug and the hay was ready for Klacyk. We now use it to soak the hay for all our horses in the winter. Thanks for a great product!" ~Laura Potter, Cove, OR
 “I have to purchase my own low sugar hay for my overweight,
Insulin Resistant, horse. I needed something that would slow down his feeding rate, but keep him busy while having less hay so he’ll continue to lose weight. I am very happy with the Slow Down® Hay Feeder. I’ve found we’re wasting less hay and the soaking feature is great! My horse has slowed down his eating and has lost weight, which is exactly what I wanted. The bonus is, a few short months later, he is no longer overweight and he’s building muscle! This feeder will help so many horses! Thank you!”
~Becky Love, Pleasanton, CA
 "I was sure my stud would have the feeder destroyed in no time. Much to my surprise it was just fine and he finished all the hay we put in it the first night! It sure keeps him from wasting so much hay, which is scarce and pretty pricey these days! And it really keeps his stall clean too, so morning chores go a whole lot faster. Enjoying the extra time getting ready for work in the morning! Nice work Slow Down®!"
~Mary Lou Clark, ML Paint and Quarter Horses, Prairie City, IA
 “I manage a boarding barn with 40+ horses. Anything that can lessen time spent cleaning stalls and making repairs is worth a look. I first tried the feeder with a horse that digs holes in the stall floor everyday. To my amazement he stopped digging because he’s too busy eating! I then put it in a stall with three weanlings. Not only are they all eating out of it at the same time, but the stall isn’t trashed with manure soiled hay. I know the owner of the facility is happy too, because we’re not wasting near the hay we used to which is money in his pocket! This is quite a product!”
~Lenard E. DeLong, Barn Manager, Lost Acres Stables, Grimes, IA
 “Sadly, I have an insulin-resistant mare that requires constant/on demand, s-l-o-w grazing in order to help regulate her blood sugar and prevent episodic bouts of laminitis. At the time of my mare's first laminitic episode, I began soaking her grass hay for 60 minutes, to reduce a lot of the water soluble sugars. I then had to drain and broadcast the heavy wet hay around the paddock. I did this six times every day! Needless to say, this was a very labor intensive endeavor that seriously compromised my ability to earn a living.
I thought my prayers had been answered when I discovered 'The Grazer' hay feeding machine. Enthusiastically, I purchased, ASSEMBLED and installed SEVEN of these machines on pipe panels around my paddock; home to a small harem herd, consisting of one stallion, his three mares and two babies.
Regrettably, in a matter of a few short weeks, my enthusiasm was replaced with frustration, as I began having nothing but trouble with my Grazers. Over the 10 months that ensued, I tried every conceivable "McGyver-like" solution ... to no avail!
Then a friend (God bless you, Lisa) told me about the Slow Down® Hay Feeder/Soaker. After laying out such a huge sum of money for my Grazers ... (before their radical price reduction ... about $350 each, plus tax and shipping ... times SEVEN!) ... I wasn't all that eager to risk yet another substantial investment on another "experiment". Cautiously, I ordered ONE Slow Down® Hay Feeder ... and WOW, what a difference!
Now for my experiences in a side-by-side comparison ...
The Grazer
- Clever, but somewhat complicated design
- Aluminum sheet metal construction
- Hazardous squared metal design
- Assembly required--mostly straight forward,
but some steps are a MAJOR hassle.
Feeder Grate:
- Paint chips with first use!
- Potential for toxic ingestion of traces of aluminum
- Rusts almost immediately
- On warm days, the metal gets hot enough to burn
your hands AND worse yet, your horse's mouth!
- Heavy grate can easily slam down on your hands
or wrists while loading hay, resulting in pain
and bruising.
- Bar spacing too far apart to adequately slow
feeding once the horses figure out bow to work
around the bars and 'game' the system.
- Really clever horses eventually figure out how to
pop the side latches, dumping all the hay on the
ground anyway.
- Won’t work with presoaked hay
- Wet hay bogs down as it is too heavy for the
hopper springs to support and properly advance
tray up to grate for feeding.
- Unit is stationary
- Very high maintenance
Bits of hay and other debris collects surprisingly
quick under the hopper tray, which interferes with
normal operation and reduces filling capacity
- Frequent cleaning is required to ensure proper
operation; yet The Grazer is heavy, having to lift it
from the brackets each time is a cumbersome chore.
- Debris under hopper spoils rapidly and can
pose a mold spore inhalation hazard as your
horse feeds from the tray above.
- A friend who was able to mount her Grazers in
a barn stall has had no trouble with her installation;
however, contrary to Grazer advertising, they
DO NOT work well pipe panels and are downright
dangerous in my opinion. There is far too much
inherent movement of the panel to provide safe,
secure mounting of the feeder. Every few days the
mounting brackets develop too much “play” and the
thumb screws work free from the drilled holes…a
constant battle to keep them in place. One morning
I was awakened to the sound of banging and
discovered to my horror, one of my mares pawing
at the Grazer that had worked loose from its mounting
bracket and was laying dangerously on its side.
I sincerely thank God, that I caught her BEFORE she
managed to amputate a foot on the exposed sharp
sheet metal as a result of what appears to be a
serious design flaw.
| The Slow Down®
- Beautiful and genius in its simplicity
- Durable, high impact UV stable plastic
- Rounded horse-safe design
- No assembly required whatsoever!
Feeder Plate:
- Non toxic
- Never rusts
- Never burns you or your horse(s)
- Lightweight, easy to use
- Be careful to order correct size holes for
YOUR horse, as to prevent hoof injury due
to pawing as some horses may become
frustrated until they adjust to eating at a
slower, more natural pace.
- Hay stays put, so long as you don’t
overfill as I tried to at first.
- No presoaking required.
- You can soak/drain/feed all in same unit!
- Highly portable!
- Manufacturer recommends daily cleaning,
though I manage to get by with 1-2 times
per month.
- A cinch to clean, as needed.
- Quick and EASY chain/snap or
cable/snap mount. Haven’t yet tried
wall mount as I have pipe panels
All four of Rebecca's horses eating
out of the Slow Down® Feeder at once!
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In closing… even though the Grazer fell so far short of my expectations, at least you don’t end up feeding the NEIGHBORS’ horses whenever the wind blows.
As for the Slow Down® Feeder, the only minor improvement I’d like to see is a more user-friendly drain plug. Nonetheless, I intend to replace all my Grazers with the Slow Down® as soon as finances allow… despite the fact the Grazer is now cheap by comparison.” ~Sincerely, Rebecca B., California
 "My beloved Jarich is a Friesian that does not know how to stop eating or to eat slowly. He rushes through his hay until every blade is consumed and the other horses in the barn can make it last for hours after he is done. I knew I had to help him and the Slow Down® Hay Feeder/Soaker was a great option. Not only is his stall very clean but his hay consumption is slowed down. The company is very easy to work with and believes not only in their product but in helping horses live a better life."
~ Gloria Olson, Des Moines, IA
"I have three Slow Down® Hay Feeders for three horses with different eating habits and needs. I am thrilled by how well they work and how much faster I clean stalls each morning. I was most surprised by how much hay I save each day! I now go through half as much hay as before, because they’re eating more efficiently and not wasting it all over the stall floor! The feeders will pay for themselves in no time and save me even more! It’s also become part of my reconditioning program. My horses have never looked better! Thanks, Healthy Feeding Systems, for such a great product and excellent customer service!"
~ Mona Callendar, West Winds Farms, Waukee, IA
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Testimonials 
