Ask A Teamster: Putting On the Feed Bag

by Dr. Doug Hammill D.V.M. of Montana

QUESTION:

Hello Doc: I’ve been around horses all of my life. I first worked draft horses in Alder, MT back in 1974. Took a team to the Centennial Valley herding sheep for a summer when I was 18. Last winter I took on 4 colts in a horse rescue program (3 draft crosses and 1 appy) and I want to teach them all to drive.

Quick question… any suggestions as to how to keep one of these colts from pawing at his grain and flipping the feed bucket?

Thanks again Doc.
Larry

RESPONSE:

NOTE: When I use the words horse or horses it is my intention for them to be extended in your mind to include mules, donkeys, and ponies – unless otherwise specified. – Doc

Hi Larry,

Your question is a good one. I’ve been intrigued throughout my horse-filled life with design features of all types of homemade and commercial horse equipment and facilities. As a veterinarian safety is always my first concern when evaluating anything that has to do with horses. When it comes to horse equipment durability, practicality, convenience and economy come next. If I had a dollar for every piece of dangerous, broken, ineffective, inefficient, wasteful horse feeding equipment I’ve seen in the last 50 years, I could retire – of course I wouldn’t retire because I have a great passion for what I do, and love the wonderful people, horses, mules and donkeys that I do it with and for.

Frankly, most of the equipment on the market for feeding horses does not impress me. I see good money spent on equipment horses can rub apart or break and thereby create sharp edges and other dangers. Often equipment is designed or used in ways that has potential to trap horses’ heads or feet – such as buckets hung by the bail that can entrap feet or small heads between the bail and the top rim, etc.

Since your question is about feeding grain I will focus here on grain and concentrates rather than go into considerations, methods and equipment for feeding hay. What I want in a grain/concentrate feeding system is: 1. that horses won’t get hurt on it (SAFETY), 2. that horses won’t destroy it by pawing, rubbing, or chewing (DURABILITY), 3. that it prevents contamination of feed, works for all feeds, additives, etc., that it is efficient, and provides training opportunities at feeding time (PRACTICALITY), 4. that it is easy to fill, use, clean, sanitize, and travel with (CONVENIENCE), 5. that it prevents wasted feed, is inexpensive to make or purchase, and lasts for many years (ECONOMY).

Rather than spend further time on equipment and systems that I have concerns and issues with, I’ll share what has been my preferred system of feeding grains and concentrates for many years, and why I like it. I’ll also scatter in some comments about how a simple task like feeding horses presents us with some fascinating and important training and relationship building opportunities.

NOSE BAGS:

For over 40 years I’ve had very little trouble with horses spilling and wasting grain by tipping over containers or letting it fall from their mouth as they chew. Nor have I had a horse destroy a feeder or become injured on one. This is because I feed grain and/or concentrates in nose bags. I first started using traditional canvas nose bags on saddle and pack horses (photo 1). Later I made draft horse size nose bags out of army surplus canvas buckets (photos 2, 3 and left in 8). When synthetic mesh bags became available I gave them a try (photo 4), and later received a cavalry style nose bag (photo 5) as a gift from a friend. I liked the cavalry style but finding good ones has been a problem until recently. Many years ago when feeding soaked grain to elderly horses I decided to make a nose bag from an old flexible rubber bucket by removing the bail and adding straps and a buckle (photos 6, 7 and on right in 8). The residue from the soaked grain formed glue inside my canvas nose bags/buckets making them very difficult to clean and rotting them out. But my experimental rubber nose bucket was impenetrable and cleaned up easily.

Nose bags of various designs, made from many materials, and called by many names have been used for centuries all around the world. In this country the US cavalry, pony express, circuses, farmers, ranchers, cowboys, packers, freighters, draymen and many others have all used them.

NOSE BAG OPTIONS:

The nose bags described below are the ones I’ve used and experimented with over many years.

Canvas Nose Bags (photo 1): Canvas nose bags with a leather strap that buckled were in widespread use in the mountains and valleys of western Montana when I moved here in the 1960s. They are lightweight, durable, and generally have a leather panel with breathing holes over the nostril area. The good ones are made of heavy canvas, have a durable leather bottom, and a leather or canvas shelf inside to keep grain from spilling if the horse puts his nose up. Like most nose bags they are also handy to carry things in – like tools, a lunch, etc. either on foot, on a saddle, in a wagon or pick up.

Canvas Bucket Nose Bags: Unfortunately, it has become difficult to find the large, old style army surplus canvas buckets shown in photos 2, 3 and on left in 8 (11” high and 11” diameter). They make excellent nose bags that will fit most draft horses – and were very affordable when you could find them. To convert them to nose bags I cut off the canvas bail, rivet on leather straps (with rings like photo 3 if you want), and add a buckle. It’s important to reshape the circular iron rod that holds the top open by bending it into an oval about 9” wide and 12” long. The oval shape will conform to the horse’s head better and allow more room for the jaws to open when chewing. An advantage of this style is you have a nose bag and a water bucket all in one. When after many years of use holes showed up in the canvas bottoms I cut thick leather circles for new bottoms.

CAUTION: NEVER let any horse wearing a nose bag/bucket get to water. NEVER hang a nose bucket on a horse with water in it. In both cases the horse could drown.

Mesh Nose Bags (photo 4): Nose bags made of synthetic mesh are extremely lightweight, inexpensive, and take up very little space. They typically have an adjustable web strap and plastic side-release buckle. The mesh provides excellent airflow for the horse and allows dust to escape. Mesh nose bags do not work for feed that contains components small enough to leak through the mesh (ground feed, pellets that crumble, powdered or granular medications and/or supplements, etc.). If horses rest mesh bags on wet or muddy ground the feed will become contaminated with water, mud, urine, and manure through the mesh – tying horses high and short prevents this. Contaminated nutrients (hay, concentrates, mineral, water) are a great source of disease and parasites for all domestic animals. Although quite durable, mesh bags tend to be more easily damaged by chewing and rubbing than canvas or rubber ones.

Although mesh bags will not retain (hold) water and cause drowning NEVER let animals feeding in mesh bags have access to water. If they submerse mesh bags in water the wet feed and/or water may be accidentally inhaled into the lungs resulting in aspiration pneumonia which can ruin lungs or be fatal.

US Cavalry Style Nose Bags: The cavalry understood the efficiency and practicality of feeding with nose bags and used a style that virtually eliminates spilling and wasting feed. Our friend Jenni Gray makes and sells high quality custom made mesh nose bags using modern materials and the US Cavalry design (www.BigNoseBags.com) (photo 5).

As you can see the cavalry bag is very different from the others. Most of the bag to forms a “tube” under the jaw where the grain is stored. As a horse eats the grain beneath his muzzle, more slides down the “tube”. When a horse puts his head up high or flips his nose up the grain slides back into the tube where he can’t reach it. There is little chance of grain being flipped out of the bag. When the head/nose comes back down the grain slides down to where he can reach it again. Horses learn very quickly not to flip their noses or raise their heads up too high. Since they get more grain when they lower their head, and less or none when they raise it we have a great training opportunity every time we feed.

When I put a cavalry bag on a horse I get their muzzle into the opening and snap (or buckle) the front strap over their poll. They cannot reach grain at this time because it is down in the end of the vertically hanging bag. The rear strap is unsnapped and I hold it in my left hand while saying “down” a time or two. If the head goes down even a little I lift my left hand and raise the “tube” until some grain slides down and rewards the horse. If the head goes way down I snap the strap around the neck and from then on the horse trains himself. I just step back and reinforce the lesson by saying “down” each time he’s about to lower his head anyway (to move more grain down the tube). If in the beginning a horse doesn’t get the idea to put his head down on the first or second verbal “down” I will use my right hand to cue him on the poll, then reward him with a trickle of grain when he goes down. It’s amazing how fast they learn to go down on the verbal request alone. Then we can begin to ask for “down” at other times and reward them with things besides food – kind words and gentle rubbing. Of course, I teach horses to lower their heads on command without nose bags or grain but why miss this opportunity to either teach or reinforce it on a daily basis if they are being fed grain/concentrates.

Rubber Nose Buckets: Photo 6 shows a “nose bag” made from a flexible rubber bucket. By removing the bail and replacing it with straps and a buckle you can create an inexpensive and durable “nose bucket”. The first one I made (photo 6) was used as a regular bucket for over 10 years before being converted, and has been used as a nose bucket for almost 15 years. The dimensions work well for draft horses (11” high, 11” diameter at the top and 9” diameter at the bottom). Unfortunately I can no longer find that size. The one shown in photo 7 is 10” high, 12” diameter at the top and 8” diameter at the bottom – a bit small for large draft horses as you can see on the right hand horse in photo 8. The rubber nose buckets work particularly well for moistened or sprouted feed, and are perfect for feeding the oily high fat diets recommended for animals with equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSM). The rubber is easy to clean and sanitize, and tends to last forever. Like canvas nose buckets, rubber ones can also serve as water buckets – but NEVER hang one on a horse with water in it or let them wear one where they can get to water as they are apt to fill it with water and drown themselves.

REASONS TO USE NOSE BAGS:

Nose bags/buckets minimize or eliminate wasted feed. Feed spilled on the ground doesn’t do the horse any good, costs extra money, becomes contaminated and eaten later increasing chances of parasites and disease, and attracts rodents and other varmints – in our case that includes grizzly bears.

Each horse gets the exact amount of feed you want him to have.

If a horse doesn’t clean up all his feed you know immediately that he may have a problem.

Horses are not moving each other around, harassing each other, and/or fighting over feed in containers or on the ground.

Horses quickly learn the only way they will get their beloved meal is to come directly to you when you call and stand while you put the bag on – great training and reinforcement for coming when called and for putting halters and bridles on. Once they are coming to you when you call you can begin asking them to follow you a ways before haltering and/or hanging the bag on them. Then gradually increase the distance, eventually asking them to come and follow you and rewarding them with kind words and petting rather than feed.

The nose bag is a wonderful tool for reshaping behavior in difficult to bridle, head shy, and/or ear shy horses. They can quickly be retrained to trust, cooperate and willingly accept first the nose bag, then handling the head, and finally bridling. Cathy and I routinely ask our animals to voluntarily put their heads down for the nose bag to be put on and taken off – this habit easily transfers to haltering and bridling. Willingly putting their heads down for us is a very trusting and submissive thing for equines to do. It is a sign they are accepting us as the leader (boss) – at least to some degree. I’m convinced it’s important that we frequently ask our horses to do things like lowering their head, backing up, give us their feet, etc. Such things test and demonstrate their willingness to be subordinate to us and do as we ask – submissiveness and cooperation promoters, so to speak.

Feeding in nose bags insures that horses get the exact dose of oral medications and/or supplements in their feed – none goes on the ground and you know whether they ate the whole dose or not.

With nose bags we can feed grain and concentrates any time and anyplace, and with nose buckets we can both grain and water them.

Nose bags promote conscientious horsemanship and horse husbandry through better management and monitoring of concentrate feeding, and by requiring just a bit more hands-on attentiveness to our horses at feeding time.

Nose bags are a convenient and efficient way of feeding grain and/or other concentrates. My stepfather, Tom Triplett, worked as a US Forest Service packer in Montana from 1942 until 1968. The efficiency of nose bags (and of every move that Tom makes around stock) is illustrated by the process he used to get his US Forest Service pack string ready for the trail in the mornings.

Tom’s string consisted of a saddle horse, a bell mare, and eight mules. When the bell mare led the mules into camp at daylight in the mountains, or when Tom went to the corral at a ranger station in the morning to start catching the stock, he had all ten halters with lead ropes attached hanging on his right shoulder. He haltered and tied up the stock in the order they worked in the string – saddle horse first, bell mare second, and the mules in their respective positions. Next he hung all ten preloaded nose bags on his right shoulder and went down the line from saddle horse to the last mule hanging nose bags on them. When the nose bag was on the last mule he unsnapped the curry comb and brush from his belt, started grooming the last mule and worked his way back up the line to his saddle horse. Starting with his saddle horse he then saddled down the line, and worked his way back removing nose bags. When I asked him recently how long it generally took from the time he walked into the corral with the halters until the stock was saddled and the last nose bag was off he replied, “Usually about half an hour”. With no wasted time or steps and no wasted oats he had the entire string haltered, fed, groomed, saddled and ready for their loads in 30 minutes. The nose bags were lightweight and he hung them on the bell mare’s pack saddle when he headed up the trail – 3 on each side on the front of the saddle and 2 on each side in the back. They were perfect for carrying odds and ends that needed to be kept handy on the trail or something that might show up with after the string was loaded.

NOSE BAG PRECAUTIONS:

Drowning: NEVER let animals wearing nose bags or nose buckets get to a source of water. In the blink of an eye they can submerse the nose bag/bucket and drown themselves – we always tie them, feed them in a dry pen, and/or stand right there and baby sit them to prevent this from happening. Don’t take a chance and let this happen to your horse.

Hooking Nose Bags on Things: The best protection against nose bags or buckets becoming hooked on something and injuring a horse is to make sure they fit properly, are properly adjusted, and tie horses up high and short in a safe place when using nose bags/buckets. If the horse cannot get near anything to hook the bag on, and cannot get his feet into the strap, bag/bucket, or a tie down he should stay safe. Jenni’s US Cavalry style nose bags have an optional break away feature to protect against injury if the bag or straps become caught on something. It would be relatively easy to retrofit other nose bags and buckets with this safety feature. The ultimate in safety is to tie horses up high and short in a safe place before the nose bag goes on, then monitor them and leave them tied until it comes off.

CAUTION: NEVER leave halters on horses when they are turned loose regardless of how small or safe a space they are in, or for how short a period of time. As a veterinarian I’ve seen many injured and dead horses as a result of this common but dangerous practice. It’s amazing how many things they can find to hook halters on. Oftentimes horses hook their own foot (or the heel of a horseshoe) in the halter while scratching or pawing at it, and often fight until they damage muscles, tendons, ligaments, or break their neck. (Halters Off, Ask a Teamster, Small Farmers Journal, vol. 26 #3, Summer 2002). I have the same concerns about leaving nose bags, blankets, hobbles, picket ropes, saddles, harness, etc. on loose or unattended horses.

Air and Dust: There is potential for animals to inhale dust with their nostrils confined inside grain/concentrate filled bags. The traditional canvas nose bags have a leather panel with air holes over the nostril area for ventilation. The holes are small so grain can’t escape, so the air flow is somewhat limited. Mesh bags allow excellent air flow – air can flow in and dust can get out. Although our canvas and rubber nose buckets have no vent holes the rigid openings seem to allow adequate air flow. If the feed is dusty we dampen it with water to cut the dust and protect the lungs (pellets dissolve if dampened). Photo 8 shows our old matron mares, Duchess (28+ yrs) and Misty (26+ yrs), who are fed soft, dust free sprouted grain and a bit of senior supplement in nose buckets twice a day. For more on sprouted grain for horses see “Social Security & Sprouted Horse Feed”, Anne & Eric Nordell, Small Farmers Journal, Winter, Volume 34, No. 1.

NOSE BAG TIPS:

Nose bag fit: The top of nose bags and buckets should be of a diameter that fits the horse well. Too much space around the top edge makes it easier for feed to be flipped out. It is important to have enough height to accommodate the volume of feed being fed plus a sufficient amount of the head so the nose cannot escape from the bag. Height consideration does not apply in the same way with cavalry style bags as most of the feed resides in the rear (neck) portion of the bag and gravitates toward the mouth as the horse eats. Jenni has excellent instructions on her website for measuring horses for cavalry style bags.

Getting Nose Bags On and Off: Except for the cavalry style, nose bags/ buckets go on and off more easily and comfortably with the strap lengthened out. I like to give horses the consideration and comfort of putting on and taking off halters, nose bags, and bridles very, very slowly and gently. If we make as much as possible comfortable and pleasant for horses it helps keep them wanting to be with us and more willing to be cooperative. Once the bag is on, shorten the strap enough so the horse can reach the feed and the bag won’t slip off over the nose. It’s handy to tie a knot in end of the nose bag strap (photo 7). The knot acts as a stop which eliminates the need to re-buckle after letting the strap out, and prevents the strap from accidentally slipping clear out of the buckle – and perhaps dumping feed.

Traditional straps on nose bags were leather with metal buckles, but web straps with either metal buckles or plastic side-release buckles are now available. I prefer the plastic side-release buckles on cavalry nose bags as there is no need to change strap length unless you switch horses. With the other style nose bags (photos 1, 2, 3, 5) I like to be able to quickly adjust the strap with a buckle for variations in volume fed, and as horses eating large volumes eat down the feed.

All nose bags should be taken off as soon as horses finish eating. Horses are prone to chewing, pawing, or rubbing the bag once the feed is gone. Once their bag is off horses are apt to chew on the bags of horses within reach, especially if there is still feed in them. This is one more reason for tying horses up when feeding with nose bags.

Using a Tie Down: Regardless of how well the rim of a nose bag or nose bucket fits a horse they still tend to spill grain out if they flip their nose up and down (unless it’s a cavalry style bag). Some flip their nose out of impatience and others do it to bounce the last of the grain in the bottom to where they can grab it. In either case a tie down on the bag helps train the horse not to throw his head up or flip his nose. To make a tie down, tie a heavy cord or light rope (bailing twine works) to one side of the bag or bucket. After hanging the bag/bucket on the horse the rope goes between the front legs (from front to back) and up over the back. Next the rope comes back between the front legs (back to front) and up to fasten on the other side of the nose bag/bucket with a snap. The length of the tie down must be short enough to keep the bucket relatively vertical to prevent loss of grain, but long enough to not be uncomfortably restrictive (photo 2 and 3). If the rope is too long the tie down will be ineffective and the horse might step over it and tangle a foot. Most horses will test the boundary of the tie down a few times, learn its limits, and then forget about it and enjoy their meal. An occasional horse might need a tie down for an extended time. Typically they learn to rest the bottom of the nose bag/bucket on the hitch rail, fence, the lead rope between the tie point and their halter, or ground (if not tied). Thus supported from below they can push into the bag to get the last of their meal. Cathy recently bent over to do something near Duchess who promptly rested her nose bag on Cathy’s back for just that purpose. Until they learn this technique I keep a tie down handy. When feeding large volumes you may want to shorten the strap on the nose bag/bucket a time or two as the horse eats. This will help keep the muzzle close to the feed as it is eaten down and reduce the temptation to flip the nose to get feed. Tie downs or shortening the straps are unnecessary with the cavalry style bag because the muzzle is at the “bottom” of the bag and the feed continually slides down to it – and if they do flip their nose the design keeps the grain from flying out.

CONCLUSION:

Throughout my lifetime and particularly as a veterinarian I have seen many types of feeders and methods for feeding both hay and concentrates to horses. As far as I’m concerned, most of the hay feeders are not indestructible enough (metal ones included) and most are poorly designed in terms of safety and preventing wasted feed. The majority of grain/concentrate feeders (boxes, buckets, tubs, pans, etc.) allow feed to be wasted, and are not indestructible enough in my opinion. When buckets and tubs are mounted on walls or posts horses love to rub and scratch on them, and tend to destroy them. If placed on the ground they are commonly tipped over or contaminated with dirty feet. Whether mounted in a stationary fashion or not, such containers allow horses to take a bite, move their head from above the container, and dribble feed on the ground as they chew. It pains me to constantly witness horse people purchase new equipment time after time, only to have it perform inadequately and/or have it wear out or break prematurely.

By comparison, my experience has been that nose bags/buckets are a safe, efficient, waste free, durable, portable, convenient, and inexpensive option – with potential training advantages thrown in. They have certainly worked well for many generations of people and their horses all around the world.

You might want to give them a try.

Good luck on the training project with your young horses.

Take care, stay safe, enjoy those horses, and have fun,
Doc

Doc Hammill lives on a ranch in Montana. He and his partner Cathy Greatorex help people learn about gentle/natural horsemanship and driving and working horses in harness – through writing, workshops, demonstrations, lectures, and his horsemanship video series. www.DocHammill.com