Peace of mind in the winter is knowing my horses have hay in front of them 24/7. I have several small logs that I laid in a formation to make an indestructible skid and even with rain, my hay has never been moldy. My four geldings go through a round bale in 5 days. They all eat out of the bale buddy without fighting. I love it! There is still some waste because the horses yank it and drop some, but nothing like the waste with just throwing the bale out there. It takes my husband a long time to get it on cause our bales are a little too big for the large, so we are going to try an extra large.

I have had a Big Bale Buddy for many years and it's time to replace it. I love it. The farmer that delivered our hay said my hay bales out-lasted all of his other customers. I have 3 horses and I get 1 wk out of one, XL bale. If I add the hay net, I can get 1 1/2 wks out of a bale. However, the hay net is a royal pain in the winter b/c it absorbs moisture and freezes, becoming very difficult to work, so we don't use it during the winter. I pull that out when I need to stretch the hay into spring. I am ready to replace the old, Big Bale Buddy.

It also helps desensitize the horses to tarps...

I bought this not understanding how water doesn't go in the top seep down the sides and through the middle rotting the entire bale. I did have a problem with it at first but then decided to turn it on it's side. The horses ate everything down leaving nothing but seeds. Not much waste.

Does not keep rain off sides of bales, ruined bale. When you read reviews on Chronicle of the Horse that talk about how the bale rotted inside the bale buddy within a day or two...you can believe it! I'm very sad because I'd really hoped this was going to be as wonderful as advertised but I've used it exactly as pictured in the sales photo and it did not preserve the bale over a one day rain...it just molded quickly :-(

The info that came with the BBB says that when it rains, there are holes in the bottom of the BBB that allow it to drain and prevent hay from getting soggy and moldy. This just isn't true. After a slow, steady rain for about a day, the bottom of my BBB is a nasty soggy mess and the horses want nothing to do with it. Also, the horses continue to pull hay out and leave it on the floor rather than eating out of the top. The info that came in the package says this typically continues for a few weeks but my horses are still doing it months later. In a nutshell, I get the same use out of a bale that's wrapped as one that's naked, so pretty much a complete waste of money for me.