Testimonials
NibbleNet Helps Benchmark Sport Horses Start Youngsters Right
Jessica Redman has made Benchmark Sport Horses one of the most successful training and sales businesses in Camden, Delaware, built in no small part on a solid reputation for specializing in young off-the-track Thoroughbreds.
Formerly volunteering with CANTER Mid Atlantic, then founding CANTER Delaware Park, Jessica launched Benchmark Sport Horses in 2012 and sold seven horses. Ten years later, that’s closer to 200 sold a year, nearly all Thoroughbred. Over the course of her life, she estimates more than 1,000 horses have passed through her farm.
“You just evolve as you go,” she says. “We really figured out a way to make a small farm work for a sales operation.”
Helping to make it work, for Jessica and her husband, Ian, a former aircraft inspector who runs their horse shipping service, is The Original NibbleNet®, created and produced by the Florida-based, woman-owned business, Thin Air Canvas, Inc.
“We use NibbleNets exclusively in our stalls and in round pens! I love the XL size. We can fill them twice a day and almost feed a bale of alfalfa hay a day. We have young Thoroughbreds, all right off the track, who can be hard on things. These last unlike any other product.”
This is one Benchmark that NibbleNet® is proud to meet.
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Hi Deb!
Our animals LOVE your Nibblenets! We are currently using them with giraffes, zebras, elephants and all of our other hoofstock animals. The most recent one I purchased is going to go to our kangaroos. I hope to purchase a few more so each species can have their own net instead of rotating them around. I have lots of pictures but they are at home. I’ll try to send them in the next few days. Thanks so much for making such a great product! You can rest assured that Zoo Atlanta is housing some very happy customers.
-Jodi
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Hi Deb,
First, let me offer a huge thank you for your invention/creation of the Nibble Net. As a horse rescue, we must be efficient stewards of all our resources, including hay. This year we have had a large population of horses and a huge demand on our hay supply. The waste became totally unacceptable so I knew we needed a solution. I decided to give the Nibble Net the chance to help us help the horses. AND, help they did. As a result of our experience, I sent the message below to all of my "horsey" friends. One of those thought you might appreciate my words and encouraged me to send the message to your company as a testimonial. Feel free to use it if you see fit. I simply ask that you provide our website address www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com with the use of the information.
Thanks,
Karen Everhart
On Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 9:49 PM, Karen Everhart <rainbowmeadowsranch@gmail.com> wrote:
I want to share a recent discovery with all my 'horse owning' friends. David and I have really been feeding a lot of hay this year, due to the horrid weather and the number of horses here at the rescue. With hay comes an associated MESS, and with all the wet, freezing conditions, we have been wading in MUCK for months. It has been frustrating. So, I started a search for a product which MIGHT reduce the hay waste and the associated mess, and I found it.
Enter the Nibble Net http://www.thinaircanvas.com/nibblenet/nibblenetframe.htm . We purchased 4 of these and have put them to use in a variety of roles around the ranch. In every case they have proven to be VERY effective in slowing the horses down as they eat, reducing hay waste such that the bale lasts twice as long as it has in the past which then means there is virtually no hay/manure on the floor/ground which needs to be cleaned up.
I know these nets are nearly indestructible because we have one where the goats eat and they have not created any damage.
In other words. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. At over $50.00 per item (get the bottom straps) it was a pricey gamble but one worth taking.
So, if you have:
A horse or horses which are fed small square bales of hay in any form or fashion (in a stall, from a feeder, in a trailer, etc.) and you would like to reduce the amount of hay that they horse eats in a given time frame OR would like to reduce the hay that is dumped all over the floor, only to be peed or pooped on, please consider the purchase of a Nibble Net. You won't be sorry!!
This is an unpaid endorsement:-)
Karen Everhart MEd
Co-founder and Executive Director
Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement, Inc.
Serving the equine companions who have so loyally served us...
www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com
620-725-3402
Owner/Operator Horse Calls - Equine Management Solutions
Riding Instructor
Distance Horse Conditioning and Training
www.horsecalls.com
316-648-5082
Our second net is smaller in size for our Saddlebred. It provides a healthy activity to prevent boredom when he is not in the pasture.
For our horses, the Nibblenet is a wonderful alternative to soiled hay on the stall floor, an aid to prevent vices which arise from boredom, and a cost-saving
We receive our orders from you in record time. Your fast shipping caused my daughter to wonder aloud if you have round-the-clock postal workers contracted to get packages to our address ahead of all others.
Thank you for an excellent product and remarkable customer service. I would like to say we will order from you again and again, but alas, the Nibblenet is indestructible; it will be around for years!
Pat Kipp
Candace K. Platz, DVM
Maine Equine Associates
31 Estes Road
New Gloucester, ME 04260
I wanted to let you know that I absolutely LOVE the Nibble Nets!
You sent me two of the XL size with 1.5" openings and they are just perfect for my two horses. I can load them up with nearly a day's worth of grass hay and none of it is wasted.
As a full time hoof care professional, I work very long days and often return home late in the evening. I never have to worry about my horses running out of food. In the past, if I placed that much hay in a regular hay rack it was pulled out, trampled and contaminated. Nothing is more frustrating than dumping expensive hay in the compost pile.
These bags save me time and money. They are well worth the cost and are so well constructed that they should last for years.
I took the liberty of posting a short video on You Tube of my TB eating from his Nibble Net. Hope you enjoy it :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uou68UcYtzM
"As a full time hoof care professional...I am recommending your product to all of my clients"
Sally Hugg
www.bare-hooftrim.com
I would like to commend you on a wonderful product! We have 2 horses with 2 separate needs and the Nibble Net has been the answer for both.
Our one gelding is recovering from colic surgery. The vet requested he have hay available 24 hours a day to keep his digestive system running. Because of this, he looks like he is pregnant! The Nibble Net meets the needs of our vets request without letting our gelding literally eat a bail of hay a day. It now takes him most the day to pull several flakes of hay through the canvas netting of the Nibble Net while keeping his digestive system constantly busy.
We also recently purchased a young gelding who was on the verge of cribbing due to boredom in his stall despite daily turn-out. We immediately put the Nibble Net in his stall which keeps him busy all day. The thought of cribbing has completely left his mind.
Good luck to you in the future and I will definitely be passing the word along on what a wonderful product you have developed!
Sincerely,
Joann Dobbins
Received my two green NibbleNets last week and had a chance to try them out this past weekend! They are the real deal! For ONCE my guys did not have a pile of good hay under their feet in the trailer and tied up to the trailer! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! What a great product! I'm going to show and tell to all my horsey friends! Thank you for a wonderful innovation in hay bags!
Judy Hadley
Zebulon, North Carolina
Totally blown away by the quality, design and size of the hay bag. It was double the size I was expecting (looked quite small in the picture next to the horse) and the workmanship is unlike anything I've seen before in a hay bag.
I was going to order a cheaper version at first,-luckily my spouse talked me out of that!!!
My horse (who is used to evaporating a mound of hay in 10 minutes) must have spent a good deal of last night prying the hay out of it. Usually when I come in in the morning there are bits of wood chewed in the stable from him being bored-this morning: Nothing!
I think come summer, when the paddocks go sandy from the lack of rain, this net is going to be fantastic to prevent Sandcolic (which is a real problem in Australia).
So thanks so much for a great product!
Kim
I have a grouchy old appy gelding that is rough and tough and eats his hay like a pig, he just inhales it and then spends his time destroying his stall! I tried your THE NIBBLENET ® and at first he was not happy...he flipped it around and was pulling and biting at the straps, he even kept trying to look behind it thinking that surely there is an easier way to get at this stuff! He finally settled down to working at pulling out small mouthfuls, and I could see the concentration he was using, which translates to me as keeping him busy mentally as well as keeping him busy for a long span of time! I could not be more impressed with the innovation as well as the quality of construction! I had expected it to be well made, but even with my high expectations I was so totally impressed--if my appy couldn't hurt it, it is above and beyond quality of workmanship! I could not be more thrilled, and I will be sending an order for another one for my Arabian soon! My advice to anyone who is considering THE NIBBLENET ®...you will NOT be sorry, I promise you will be as happy and impressed as I am!
-- Lee Francis, Florida
I have 1 horse that is on stall rest for a torn ligament, we are on month 2 now. During the stall rest she has become very overweight. I use THE NIBBLENET ® to stretch the little bit of hay she gets so she can "graze" Longer. I also use it for my Gelding whose name is Hoover and for very good reason. He can go through a flake of hay in less then 20 Minutes. I use THE NIBBLENET ® when he gets turned out, he doesn't play well with others so he goes out in a sand paddock by himself. THE NIBBLENET ® keeps him from eating more sand then he would if he was fed the hay on the ground. With the price of hay what it is it's been a life savor, I like to keep hay in front of my horses so they don't get bored but I cant afford to do it, with THE NIBBLENET ® I can. Thank you so much for coming up with such an ingenious and well made item! I'm sure I will be ordering more in the future
"Fear almost always arises --in horses as well as people--from concern about what might happen, and much more rarely from what is happening."
---Mary Wanless, For The Good Of The Horse
Meaghan Fleetwood, Florida
Mary Stanton, Florida
Beverly ~ California
Michelle ~ Connecticut
Just wanted to say you can add my name to the VERY SATISFIED customer list. We have a picky 16 yr old Arab/Saddlebred who can gain and lose weight in a weekend, a greedy 2yr old ISR filly and a 25 yr old OTTB. All three are happily munching on the NibbleNets and I’m able to afford much nicer more expensive hay since the baby isn’t peeing on it all the time and the Arab/Saddlebred is actually eating all day instead of gobbling, rushing to the window to see what’s happening outside and getting ulcers from being Mr. Stressful.
The chunky 2 yr old was eating all her allotted hay in about 10 minutes then pawing and complaining inside or ripping tree bark from the poor trees in the pasture. The 25 yr old was getting bored and not eating but now he has something to amuse himself with. So everyone is happy. I have told all our friends to look you up on the internet and suggested local shops try to work something out to carry your product. (We live in the southern pines area of NC)
Suzanne Mullen
Others at our boarding barn are seeing the difference in Bella and hopefully will get a Nibble Net for their horses!
Thank you so much for this fantastic product!!
--Gail Smith
Gail Smith, ESMT
Athens Equine Massage, LLC
www.athensequinemassage.com
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Just wanted to let you know how satisfied I am with my nibble net. I purchased it early in May and have been using since. My horse, Gryffin, had started to loose weight, but now I'm able to keep his weight stable and him happy. And, there is no waste.
Thank you for such a wonderful product. I'll never be without a nibble net!
Luann Urban
Roseburg, Oregon
My 4 nibble nets arrived yesterday. Wow!! They are fabulous - so sturdy and well designed.
We filled them last night and attached them to the eye hook in the bottom of my big buckets. All the horses and ponies came over to investigate.
This morning one was almost empty, one was about 2/3 empty and the other two were 3/4 full. Yay! I only had to fill two this morning. They are so much easier to fill than the hay nets I was using.
When I finished my barn chores three were out in the pasture and one was happily pulling little tufts of hay out to eat from one of the nibble nets in the shelter. I'll be recommending them to all of my friends!
Thanks,
Anna, Flak, Zippy, Skipper and Capri
College Station, TX
My Nibble Nets arrived yesterday-perfect timing. We had such a storm. Heavy rain and wind with gusts up to 100 km (we live right by the ocean) The horses won't be able to go up to their grazing field as it's too exposed and my electric fence blew down. They will be stuck in their paddocks for a few days and this wild weather is supposed to stick around so I'm so happy to be able to stuff the bags and know they will be kept busy for hours.
I'm part of a very active horse forum and there is an ongoing thread about slow feeders. That's where I read about the Nibble Nets. A few of the gals have bought them already and were singing their praises. Other folks are making home made slow feeders. They look a little sketchy-they are on the ground fish net type styles that look like a foot could get caught. Other styles look like they won't stand up to much rough treatment. The Nibble nets will be around for years. Totally worth the $ (and I just posted to say how happy I was with mine)
fyi, for a treat, I stuffed handfuls of my mare's 2nd cut in through the pony's 1st cut in his bag. He's out there wuffling across the net surface searching out the 2nd cut nuggets. Think I'll do the same with my mare's alfalfa when I get some in.
Thanks again!
Deborah, Flare, Flash and Burrito!
I have had my nibble nets for several weeks now and do not know what I would do with out them..............they are great. The horses can't trash the hay and it keeps my fat horse (which is on a diet) busy and he is doing great on this. This is a great product and very heavy duty, my guys can really put things to a test and these pass with flying colors.
Karen
It is working just as you described. I pack it full in the morning and when I come home from work 8 hrs later there is still a little bit of hay left in there for him. He used to get excited when I would get home because he knew I was going to feed him again and the last thing I want him to be is excited on that leg. Now he is a happy and contented boy, glad to see me without being excited and trying to jump and buck. I make him clean the hay up out of the Nibblenet and he gets every last bite. Yep, there is some discards strewn about in the stall, he is somewhat discerning about his hay, but no real waste. I couldn't be more pleased.
Thanks for designing such a well made, well thought out product. And by the way I love the name of the product. Nibblenet. so cute.
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The nibble net entertains him and allows him to munch for hours at a time. Without it I was constantly at the barn doling out small flakes at a time to keep hay in front of him at all times and yet not let him wolf it down.
The Nibble Net is very well made and durable. I would recommend the bottom strap for most horses as securing both the top and bottom prevents them for 'playing' with it too much!
Thanks for a great product,
Marge Cole
I ordered a large NibbleNet with 1.5" openings a month or so ago. My hope was to slow down my hay vacuum, easy-keeper Arab gelding and the NibbleNet has done the job wonderfully. He was frightened of it for about 2 seconds until he realized that it was filled with hay. He has presented us with challenges though since he's a smart guy and first figured out that he just needed to shake the heck out of the net to get the hay out and then how to eat most of the hay from the top openings. The NibbleNet is hung from a fence rail and we've secured the bottom (got the one with top and bottom rings), added another strap to close off one side of the top, and always fold in the side that is still open - with these mods, he's got to eat through the mesh openings. Interestingly enough, he prefers to eat from the NibbleNet and passes up the little bit of extra hay that's on the ground. And he always has hay to nibble on many hours after all the other horses are done (he's in his own paddock). Thanks for a great product! I'm sure we'll be ordering others.
Susan Falcone
I would love to see the changes you've made in the nets though. How is the vinyl holding up? I'm really surprised that the Sunbrella is holding up so well, but it sure is! of course I have them clipped down on all 4 rings, so they don't swing around (other than when they toss them clipped to the pallets all over the paddock)!
Michelle
http://www.shellyct.blogspot.com
Hi Deb,
I recently ordered a Nibble Net for my Thoroughbred gelding, Lucky, and he absolutely loves it! He had a bad episode of colic in November, largely stemming from ulcers in his stomach and his incessant cribbing-- so the Nibble Net has helped take his attention away from chewing and biting everything he can find to snacking slowly and happily throughout the day. Not only is the Nibble Net a smart investment for trailering, feeding, shows, and other all-around uses, but it provides peace-of-mind for horse owners concerned about cribbing, eating too quickly, and other digestion issues. It's been a great, easy, and enjoyable stall accessory for him and I am so glad I purchased one.
Many thanks,
Anna Stone
Menlo Park, California
I bought a few of the nibble nets a couple of months ago and I just love them. I bought the 1.5 inch grid bags. My little insulin resistant Paso is doing SO well. No more soaking hay for him through the winter. That is not fun here in Utah where we live as it is below freezing mast feedings. What used to take him 1 hour and 15 min to eat now takes him 4 hours to eat. His neck crest have all but disappeared, no more chewing and or other stable vices. This is like having a toy that he eats out of. I have tried a couple other bags and yours is by far the best as far as being sturdy and slowing down the feed time. Thanks for a great product. Please feel free to use this testimonial.
Sincerely,
http://www.horseshoemountainpottery.com/momstuff.php
Lee
Just had to tell you this is my second Nibble Net. The first one is working out so good I just had to get one for my trailer. The Nibble Net is perfect. My horse would waste over 50% of his ration…with the Nibble Net it is minimal. I had bought the big Nibble Net for camping and it keeps my horse busy all night long. No waking up at 6am to whinnys because he has an empty hay bag. He has plenty to last him through the night. And it is durable! No rips or tears…looks brand new. No hay bag has EVER lasted this long. Many thanks for a quality product.
Barb Drake
Mike
Maryland
just wanted to let you know that the 2" opening works well with really long stem, first cutting hay, that I feed my horses all day to prevent boredom and hunger. They get their high quality hay as before on the ground, as it is nicely and cleanly eaten up, but the first cutting hay they really only eat when nothing else is around and then mostly it has been trampled on by the time they want to eat it and I spend most of my time cleaning up the next day. This does not happen anymore now, and I am very glad about that. My horses ate everything up to the last piece, which really impressed me as I thought that they would not easily get it out when the net gets more empty. But they managed!! Horses are so smart and so skilled with their lips and tongue. They probably would have managed even with the 1.5" openings. But I don't want to challenge them too much. They can eat all they want of the first cutting hay, as they don't get overweight on that.
Thanks for a great product!
Tina
I just wanted to sent you a note and say that the net has exceeded my expectations. Our overweight sweet TB Murphy didn't need much adapting I used the larger net first then the smaller grid. But this is the best part... He is so much happier, my husband and I have concluded that he was eating up his small amount of food (weighed out) so fast that he spent most of the day with nothing and was getting grumpy and sour. My anecdotal conclusion is that perhaps from the changes we are observing he was putting out too much stomach acid during all that in between meal time and was in pain. The positive changes happened very quickly and he is continuing to be more relaxed, back to his kind mellow self. And even leaves some of the hay for a while and comes back to it in a relaxed manner. His topline is looking better as well and I have not changed the amount of feed he is being given. What kind of posture do we take on if our stomach hurts? His facial features have changed also back to his previous relaxed jaw etc. and I had really been confused as to what the changes were I was seeing prior to the introduction of the nibble net, he just looked different and the prefeeding pawing has decreased as well as its intensity. He has licked us so many times when we bring this net I just had to write and let you know. We are using the other net at the hitching rail (railroad ties about 6' tall with a ring for the bag on the top of each side so we can change the bend) and can pull a mane with no objection, train the filly to relax in a new area (we bring a chair), get the school master mare ready for a short lesson near dinner time and in fact the hitching post has become the spot to be at. I am not sure why we all think horses shouldn't be happy while we fuss with them. I would recommend that horses prone to spooking might not be better with such a diversion but we are making this grooming / bathing area a "real spa" and they like it. How do I spell relax...nibble net and warm water. We are members of horse-conscious web site and you might speak to Mark about your product. We did get one small hole from rubbing but nothing I can't fix, just took away the source of the rough spot behind the bag. The notes, warnings and directions were very helpful.
Leanna (studentofhorse) BS Animal Science(production ag), John and dreamsdocometrue farm family
Made in America...I love it!
Thank you again,
Dodie