Testimonials

Below are some comments from users of the Big Bale Buddy.  At the bottom of the page are some comments from users of the new Slow Bale Buddy. We would love to hear your thoughts on either of these innovative products- please  email us at info@bigbalebuddy.com

I just wanted to tell you how much I STILL LOVE our bale buddy. So many benefits of this product, but here are some of my favorite benefits:

 **Easy to store – I use it between December and March. When spring comes, I hose it down, dry it out and store away in my barn.

**On sunny warmer days (and after the bales have been munched on for several days lightening the bale) I can easily move the bale out of the barnyard so my guys aren’t pigging out all day on hay

**Durable – this is our second year and the bale buddy is still holding up to winter weather.

** Compact and tight so it easily fits under my barn overhang

 Thanks again for this wonderful product – still don’t know why any would bother with a heavy clunky round bale feeder!!

Best,

Cheryl Kelly

Mid-Atlantic Region - Feeding two handsome geldings

Hello!

I just got my Big Bale Buddy and already I can see it was worth it. Very little waste at all !!! Once on the bale I put the bale on a heavy duty pallet in my barnyard to keep it from sitting in water/urine, etc. I LOVE IT and will be recommending it to all my horsey friends. Thank you, Heather & 4-legged friends (Buster, Amigo, and Mouse)

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Dutch Hollow Acres
Lindsay Klik LaBella
Avon, NY
585-991-6706
http://www.DutchHollowAcres.com
http://www.AlpacaBytes.com
Lindsay@lklik.com
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We love our Bale Buddy.  I was very skeptical at first, but it really
 is wonderful.  It is safe (even when our pony climbs in when the hay 
is almost gone), and the hay savings is huge.
  You really have a great product!
Lori Heins, Rochester, MN

  " We are seeing a hay savings of 25% since we started using Big Bale Buddy.It is effective , durable, inexpensive and easy to use, also completely safe for our horses, everybody should have one!"

           Joanne and Marty White, J&M farms, L'amble Ontario

 I have used the same Big Bale Buddy (1 Bale Buddy for 3 horses) for the last

Gwen Zafting

.

Thank you very much Jenise, I am very pleased with my big bale buddies so
far. The first 2 buddies where used in 1) a paddock where our 2
broodmares and their 5 month old foals are with a run in. The mares and
foals adjusted to the buddy very well and I am on my third round bale
with them. It collapses just as you said it would and then I just dump
the last bit onto the ground for them to clean up. No tears or any thing
like that. The second buddy went into a daily turnout paddock where our
horses in training are turned out 1 - 2 or 4 at a time. We also put a
round bale in each of the other daily turnout paddocks and removed the
strings as we always have done in the past. We rotated the horses into
the buddy paddock in varying numbers. These are all active thoroughbred
3 day event horses with shoes and corks on all around. They all love the
bale buddy and have not attempted to destroy it as yet. The bale buddy
paddock still has a nice shape to the bale with it about half eaten, the
other round bales in the other paddocks, on the other hand are strewn
about and peed and pooped on. This test result is what lead us to invest
in 4 more bale buddies for all of our paddocks. We think you have a
great product and are recommending it to people. It is a much safer alternative than putting the bales out with the strings on or in metal feeder as both can cause leg injuries.

Dr. Usha Knabe, Equine Veterinarian,Orangeville, Ontario

  I would recommend the Bale Buddy for several reasons.  One is that is doesn’t do any damage to a horses’ mane, like other bale feeders do.  The other is that they are very safe – no leg injuries or cuts and gouges like you can get with the metal feeders.  Nice and light to handle too – no heavy slugging to tip a feeder over.  The horses seemed to enjoy the fact that they could get much closer to the hay, and all in all, I think they worked very well.

        Penny Nicols, Highland Wilderness Tours, Maynooth, Ontario

 We feed Hay to our horses year round and  are going into the second year of using our Big Bale Buddy. Not only has it saved us money because we had to buy less hay, it has also saved us time because we do not have to clean up all that wasted hay. Thank you for a great product.

          Fern Norris, Ontario

I purchased the Big Bale Buddy hay bags in January and I couldn’t be happier with them.  They have definitely saved me a lot of money because the horses are just not wasting the hay the way they did before.  I think I have saved at least 20% on hay costs since I started using the Buddies.  We are also saving time with clean up as there are no strings to have to pick up after they have eaten their round bales. 

 I am happy with the safety aspect of the bags as well.  I have always been hesitant about getting steel feeders as I was concerned about one of the horses getting hurt.  There are no worries whatsoever with the Big Bale Buddy.  As an added (and unexpected) bonus, my horses are now fearless of tarps as they think now it might possibly hold food for them.

 I have to also comment about the service from Jenise at Buddy Incorporated.  She returns calls and ships the product promptly and has been excellent about replacing 2 of my Buddies that have gotten holes in them from the horses.  This is seriously one of the best farm investments I have made and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Pat Gras

 Rockridge Arabians

www.arabiansatrockridge.com

Home of:  ASPR approved Starglow Questor

Pure Polish Precision MAF and

Australian Import Mallawa Park Masquerade

Bonjour. Je suis une grande consommatrice de Big Bale Buddy, j'adore vraiment le concept, j'en ai plus d'une dizaine dans mes écuries et j'en suis vraiment ravie. Je me permets de vous faire partager ces photos de mes poulains qui les adorent également!!!

Cordialement,

Mlle Audrey Thirion
Gérante des Ecuries du Mouret 

 We are using our Big Bale Buddy for our stallion.  He is very social and housed beside a small group of mares, foals a gelding and another stallion.  Having his own round bale of hay ensures that he can 'graze' all day and not get into mischief.  He has been extremely clean with the Buddy cleaning up any hay that drops out and lays around it.  We have been experiencing some strong winds over the last few days and are amazed at how well the hay has been contained and kept clean for him to eat.  We did have a slight struggle getting it on the bale as our hay supplier produces 6 to 8 hundred pound bales and it took two of us to cram the bale into the bag making a nice snug package.  

I bought my bale buddy this year at Road To The Horse. I got it home and went to the local farmer I purchase my Hay from. I have always used square bales so I was excited to try round bales. I brought out my bale buddy and the old farmer started to laugh and told me I wasted my money . I let him talk me out of using it. On my way home I left a lot of my hay on the road and days later a Huge mess because of all the wasted hay in my field. Next trip I would not let him talk me out of using it.I got home with 99.9% of my hay and my mare fell in love with it. Next trip the old farmer told me again i wasted my money and my horses would have it torn up in no time. Week after week I continued to use the buddy. On one of my last trips another person was there and they saw me putting the buddy over my bale and the old farmer started telling them about his doubt at first but, it had turned out to prove him wrong . All I could do was smile ,at that moment I knew I had made a GREAT purchase. Thank you for a great product.   Pam Holland Clarksville, Tn.   Hello Big Bale Buddy Peeps, I bought a Big Bale Buddy a couple of months ago and covered the first two bales the way you suggest.  Trouble is, my horse Dandy is a messy, greedy eater and he just pulled all the hay out of the top until it was scattered around.  The next bale got stuck with the bag over the top and the elastic at the bottom - we didn't have space to tip it over... so we left it that way.   Each day or so we pull it up a bit more from the bottom, rolling it over so the elastic wouldn't creep down and underneath.  It works amazingly well; Dandy could not get a grip on the bag to pull it off and has been getting just enough hay to keep him happy! Thank you Big Bale Buddy! Faith Faith Arnold-Dentay     Natural Horsemanship.  Equine coach & trainer        SLOW BALE BUDDY REVIEWS   "I have had horses for 27 years, managed barns and now have my horses at home with me. As well as my show horses I also run a rescue (Saving Grace Equine Rescue www.savinggraceequinerescue.com) and as such, saving money where I can is always a nice thing. My husband was the one who initially got me to try the slow feeder on the round bales as I was just using the tombstone type or just putting the bale in the field "naked". I couldn't see how the net would hold up...     I am incredibly pleased to say that they have held up brilliantly and there is FAR less wastage of hay. Indeed, I would go so far as to say the horses manage to consume 98% of the hay in the slow feeder. My rounds last much longer and the horses pace themselves. None of the problems I thought might crop up, did. The slow feeder is a very useful product and I will certainly be using it for the forseeable future!"   Cheers and thanks so much!   Janet and Ted Black Dog Farm and Saving Grace Equine Rescue       I just wanted to let you know that my slow bale buddy is over a year and a half old and is still going strong- with 6 horses chewing on it! I love the closure- it is so easy to use, and the horses can’t get it loose like the drawstring kind. It has saved me so much in wasted hay it has more than paid for itself.   Valerie Hebert Putney, VT     Hi, I am writing from Don't Forget Us...Pet Us farm animal sanctuary. We just very recently purchased one round bale slow feed hay net to "try". If you recall I may have mentioned I have an almost 30 year old, chronic wind sucker who has recently and although gradual has lost all his vision. We have seen the stress of the vision loss increase his wind sucking, anxiety etc. He's also prone to choke so miracle collar, cribbing straps are not idea for him. We have made accommodations for him trying to ensure that he has the best quality of life possible. Yet...we still questioned the winter.  I opted to try the slow feed net in the round bale. See if he could munch away his days without going through a ton of hay or him gaining any more weight. Now it's been less than a week BUT the difference I have seen in this horse is truly amazing! He's much calmer. He parks himself at the round instead of the fence line wind sucking. Even when he had the round bale without the net. He would feast until full then spend hours wind sucking. He has had the same "buddy" for many years. He used to ear pin and get a little aggressive around the round bale, now they munch together in harmony. It reduces his boredom as he can no longer be put out back in the small fields. He also in the last 6 months started coughing a bit while eating. This has been nearly eliminated with the slow feed net. I just wanted to thank you again...this horse I have owned since he was 2. He means the world to me and I will be heading into this winter feeling much more confident he will get through it much happier because of your slow feed net!    Hi, Just wanted to say I love the mini slow bale buddy and so do my two geldings. It saves me from trekking all the way out there multiple times a day with hay, and they get to "graze" all day long which is so much better for them mentally and physically. There's also a benefit I wasn't expecting - since they are spending most of the day out near the bale buddy, they are spending less time in their run-in shed hanging out, as they used to do when they would eat the hay outside where I put it, and then go in the shed and wait for me to bring more. This means that there is much less cleanup in the shed and I'm saving a ton of money on shavings! A tip for cold weather - a dab of dish soap on the threads of the "bolt" keeps the nut part from freezing onto it. Thanks again, -- Karen     I just got my large slow bale buddy and I must say I am happy with how well it is made.  The design is great for loading hay into it and the closure is well made and keeps the opening securely closed. I have used it with both small square and large square ‘slabs’ and like how it worked  So far, I have only used it for one week’s feeding and I am happy with how the design is. I like the product, it does what it is supposed to and it’s well made. .Brenda Van Voorde      Just wanted to let u know the slow bale buddies are working great!  I should be able to save a ton of money on hay and hopefully my horses will lose some weight! Thanks Mary       Hi I live in NE Wyoming and love your slow bale buddy. I have three horses who use them and it has made a big difference in their consumption of hay. I am attaching a picture of my mare, I think you will find it funny as it shows the durability of the construction.   Thanks for making a great product.....   Yours, Toni Kawulok Gillette WY " We have been using the Slow Bale Buddy and have completely eliminated all good hay waste, and are saving money! I have a large Belgian draft horse, a Mammoth Mule and a Standard Donkey at our farm and we had been using a round bale in the tombstone style horse feeder. My equine would start unravelling the hay, then walking away with it, especially the donkey; then, the good hay laying on the ground would be trampled on and wasted.  Now, with the Slow Bale Buddy, all my equine graze on the hay thru the net, and we do not use the tombstone feeder anymore. All the equine can access the hay very easily around the net and at every different horse  height level! My horses tend to be a little overweight, so grazing on the Slow Bale Buddy keeps them eating at a slower, comfortable pace; there is no gorging and all good hay waste is eliminated. The Slow Bale Buddy is easy to put over the round bale, and when the bale gets smaller after the horses have been grazing on it, they can easily push the net over to the side with all the remaining hay. There is no risk to the horses feet getting caught on the net. It is completely safe!  When grazing with the Slow Bale Buddy, the horses soon learn to pull the hay thru the small holes in the net, and grazing looks very relaxing and the horses are content!" Debbie and Paul Bauman     , I thought I would send along a few photos that capture just how safe the bale buddies (Both) are!   My appaloosa, Star, always has her foot in her food. These were taken today of Star with her leg/hoof right in the Big Bale Buddy, standing on the Slow Bale Buddy.   She had both there at one point today too, but I was too slow in getting my camera out when I noticed.       I just wanted to thank you again for creating and having available such a SAFE product for these types of horses. None of our horses are shod by the way. :)   I keep posting on one of the online horse forums I go to on how much I love these things.   Thanks again!! We'll be putting in another order for a second Slow Bale Buddy in the new year!   Ryemeer Farms     My sister and I recently purchased two of your Slow Bale Buddys at the end of August. We are extremely pleased with them  and let everyone we know with horses the huge difference they make in hay usage. As such we would like to purchase two more.   Soutars' Highland Farm     I love your product (the Slow Bale Buddy) and it saves us tons I mean TONS of Hay.    Rich Ferguson, Kokomo, Indiana     I'm really liking the slow feeders. So is our wild elk that has been with my herd for years. I finally took some photos for you. Took these today before the snow disappears for good this winter. You can say elk and donkeys like your feeders too!.    Marriane Bertrand Anamata Horse Centre, Ontario     I just wanted to let you know how amazed and happy I am with your big bale slow feeder.  We got one about 3 months ago and it has made a huge difference with our horses and hay use.  During a year like this, where hay is at a premium, it’s been great to find a product that makes our hay last longer.  A big round is lasting our 2 horses at least 14 days (or longer).  Both horses seem more content and our cribber isn’t knawing on the fence posts as much as he used to  (although I caught him trying to crib on the hay bag).     Karen Patterson     Well, just thought I’d report on the slow bale buddy I just received last week and put out for our Miniature horses. It’s been out since Sunday, November 4th. Had 8 mares on it so I got all the youngsters  into a corral out of the north end of the pasture. They had a huge pile of loose hay that I had just put out. Good stuff for the youngsters…… After I dismantled the electric fencing, the 7 mares went rushing over to see/eat off this new hay pile. Good eating, bit of alfalfa in the hay. Not enough to be a worry. Figured they would do that….little MINI piggies! Went and did my other chores and headed inside about 10 am. Been snowing and freezing rain since 9 am. Just love Alberta! Well, I looked out around noon and I just about fell over! Here the 7 mares were back at the bale buddy, contently eating away at it and ignoring the pile of hay I had put out for the youngsters. There was lots left in that pile!  So, I think they like the bale buddy. They don’t rush me when I go out 2X’s a day to check on them and they seem a lot more content and happy. NO panic in their eyes, no fighting amongst themselves.   They sure save a lot of work, there is NO waste and the horses are so much more at ease. They can eat when they want and I know they’re not over eating. It will be interesting to see how long a round bale will last now. And of course, I’ll be watching their weight. Another reason I like it is that when I fork the hay to them, I know for a fact that I’m overfeeding! Not good for them and my wallet.  Another very happy customer!   Thanks!!!!  Bonnie Hetherington Wander West Miniature Horses www.echoview.ca