For decades, horse owners followed the same calendar: rotate dewormers every few weeks, all season, every horse, whether they needed it or not. We now know that blanket approach is exactly what created widespread dewormer resistance. Horsemen's Lab offers a smarter path. Their affordable, mail-in fecal egg count testing tells you which horses are actually shedding parasite eggs, so you treat based on evidence instead of a guess.
Every time you deworm a horse that does not need it, you give parasites another chance to develop resistance to the few products we have left. As equine parasitologist Martin Nielsen, DVM, PhD, puts it, owners who skip egg counts can carry a false sense of security, assuming their dewormer is working when they have no way of knowing. A fecal egg count removes the guesswork. It reveals each horse's real parasite burden, so high-shedders get treated, low-shedders are left alone, and your dewormers stay effective for years to come.
The process is built for busy barns. Order a kit and it arrives with a sturdy sample container, a sealed plastic bag, simple collection instructions, and a prepaid, self-addressed envelope. Collect a small fresh manure sample from your horse, seal it, and drop it in the mail. At the lab, every sample is read with the McMasters test, the standard fecal egg count method, accurate down to 25 eggs per gram. Your results come back by email with a clear picture of whether your horse needs to be dewormed and how heavily it is shedding.
Horsemen's Lab was founded in 1993 by Dr. John Byrd, a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine who was selected for the first large-animal medical residency at the University of Florida and practiced equine medicine for thirteen years. That hands-on background shapes the whole service. Testing starts at a low per-horse price, and the more counts you run, the less you pay per horse, so monitoring an entire barn stays practical. Multi-horse owners can even earn a one-on-one phone consultation with Dr. Byrd to build a worm-control plan around their actual results.
The Hay Manager™ is a round bale pasture feeder built around a cone rod and chain system that keeps the bale elevated off the ground. By holding the hay up and reducing an animal's ability to sort or scatter it, the feeder discourages trampling and keeps the hay clean and fresh instead of getting muddy, moldy, and mixed into manure.
The feeder is designed to minimize hay waste, with an estimated efficiency rate of 85% to 95%. Many users report saving between 10% and 30% more hay per bale compared to traditional feeders. On a 1,000-lb. bale, that can mean saving up to 100 to 300 lbs. of hay per bale, and many customers report nearly zero hay wasted.
Each feeder is built from 14-gauge steel, weighs about 700 lbs, and uses a circular design for added strength. The Hay Manager™ has undergone 18 years of field testing to prove its durability in working conditions, and some clients have run the same feeder for as long as 18 years and it is still going strong.
The Hay Manager™ is built to handle any size bale with its 8 ft diameter. From grass bales to silage bales, the strength of the feeder can handle all weights. You fill it up and let your horses do the rest.
Yes. The Hay Manager™ has 18 cone rods that support the bale off the ground, and they are adjustable by a chain. You can make the spaces larger or more narrow to fit your individual needs, which reduces an animal's ability to sort and waste hay.
Despite the quality of materials and sturdy build, The Hay Manager™ is competitively priced when compared to other cone-style feeders. Its higher efficiency means less wasted hay, which can deliver a faster return on investment, and reviewers like John F. note it is built to take “farmer abuse.” One customer, Boyd G., bought his first feeder five years ago and three more recently without needing any repairs.
Yes. Because a full round bale stays protected and accessible, owners can leave horses to feed themselves rather than hand-feeding daily. One customer, Scott G., uses it for his five horses while he is gone for a week trucking so he doesn't have to hand-feed them.
The Hay Manager™ is available through an expansive network of local dealers, so you can reach out to your nearest dealer for up-to-date pricing and ordering details tailored to your area. If you have questions or need help choosing a feeder, you can phone Andy, email [email protected], or visit www.thehaymanager.com/products/horse-feeder.
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