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Q. I recently started using slow feeding haynets for my horses, which has added a few extra steps to my routine. I now have to enter my horses’ paddock with the full nets to hang them. Unfortunately, my horses figured out my hands are full and started rushing through the gate before I can get it latched. What suggestions do you have for stopping them?

A. I can really sympathize with you—this is an aggravating and dangerous situation. I wonder: Did they do anything like this before at feeding time, even prior to using the slow-feed haynets? Are they extra hungry now? I came across a little report showing that not only did horses eat more slowly from small-opening haynets, but they also ate less overall. Well, regardless, they’ve learned this strategy, and you have a couple possible approaches: avoidance, punishment, and retraining.

The simplest yet perhaps least-satisfying is simply avoid the situation