Tying a daisy chain knot at the end of your Hay Net

The daisy chain knot is a great knot to use to take up the length of excess drawstring in all situations, particularly if you are using your hay net on the ground. As we have mentioned multiple times, hay nets should NEVER be on the ground if your horse is SHOD. However, for many of us that have unshod hooves that are regularly trimmed so there are no chips and splits, then our hay nets are great to throw on the ground if you want to do this.

What do you do with the drawstring if you want to throw your hay net out on the ground?

This is a very common question that we receive. A daisy chain knot allows the excess drawstring rope to be removed from being a potential hazard by not only shortening it up, but also removing anything to get tangled in.

Please watch our video on how to do this as there are a few different ways. You can either do it by tying a simple overhand knot at the base of the hay net once you have filled it with hay, then you can leave the overhand knot at the end of the drawstring in place and do a daisy chain knot. Or, you can again tie the overhand knot at the base of the net, then untie the simple overhand knot at the end of the drawstring, and again do the daisy chain knot.

We do recommend tying a simple overhand knot at the base of the hay net after filling with hay to ensure a tight closure of the hay net and then doing the daisy chain knot!

Leaving your hay net on the ground (unshod Equines only)

Not just useful for smaller hay nets, the daisy chain knot is also great for round bales of hay when you have an excess drawstring length.

Aside from using a daisy chain knot, you can also just undo the simple overhand knot at the END of the drawstring after tying a overhand knot at the base of of your hay net to secure the hay in the net. This will then leave 2 free lengths of rope and nothing, such as a loop of drawstring for legs and feet to get caught in.

Of course this must be assessed in each individual situation and individual animal personality, as to if this is a good choice for your horses or livestock. I have done this for 13 year and never had an issue, however each and every horse and situation is different and in some cases, this might be deemed unsafe. Therefore, even if you undo the simple knot at the end of the drawstring, you can still apply a daisy chain knot to the drawstring.