Hay plays a major role in our horse's lives.  In fact, they can't live productful lives without it and it has a huge part in our horse's nutrition.  Not only is hay nutritionally physical, but it can be mentally nutritional as well. 

If you've ever had the opportunity to walk down the backside of a racetrack you see lots of bales of hay and lots of haynets.  This is because the race trainers have it all figured out and it is something that us horse owner's who have boarded horses in stalls can learn from.  Munching on hay throughout the day not only allows the horse to get his necessary forage, but it also allows him something to do all day until he gets fed again.  Allowing your horse to munch on hay throughout the day also reduces the chance of the horse colicking (another handy tip from the backside).

The best way to free-feed hay in stall is with a fine haynet.  A haynet that has a fine mesh makes it harder for the horse to tug all the hay out and therefore makes the hay last longer throughout the day.  This gives your horse something to think about all day as he hangs out.  Haynets should be tied so that when the horse eats all of the hay he won't be able to get tangled in the net.