Dear Ms. Haslinger,
Here are a few photos. The Cobomat I ideally is on a concrete strip in front of the stable. And as you can see, my horse is well-fed and happy again ... 🙂
Thank you and best regards
Dear Ms. Haslinger,
We would like to express our sincere praise for your product and your assembly instructions. It was a real pleasure to assemble this great system.
I am sending you some pictures in the attachment.
Best regards and many thanks!
Hello Ms. Haslinger
We have been using two Raufomats for about a year now and are very satisfied. Both hay racks run reliably and the horses quickly got used to this type of feeding. We have added a battery indicator to both hay racks, which makes it relatively easy to check the charge level. Last winter, the indicator never fell below 50 % 🙂.
In addition, a "frost protection" made of Styrofoam is placed over it.
Note: The bottom of the hay rack is raised so that even smaller donkeys can reach the hay. The hay net is attached to the bottom of the hay rack with a wooden frame that is located inside the hay net and extends to the inner edge of the hay rack side walls, so that no donkey can push its nose underneath. In the middle of the hay rack is a removable wooden pyramid, so that the hay always slides toward the outer edges of the hay rack.
Dear Ms. Haslinger, How are you? I meant to get in touch with you a while ago to give you a quick update, and now I'm just going to do that:
We have come through the past 12 months wonderfully. The Raufomat is performing reliably, and I am truly grateful to you for investing so much time in developing this magnificent device.
I couldn't imagine life without him anymore! Of course, neither could the horses, who enjoy their many feeding times.
After what felt like endless rain from October to January, with clouds and hardly any sunshine, I bought a second battery (identical to the one you supplied). Better safe than sorry. And that was absolutely the right decision, as I had to change it every 3 - 4 weeks.
But that's ancient history now. Since March/April, the sun has been shining more often and it's no longer necessary. Attached are two photos – clearly showing the control box being used for two purposes :-). A pair of redstarts are nesting there and are now busy feeding their young.
I would like to order one set of pulleys from you—there is no rush for delivery. Thank you in advance.
I wish you a wonderful summer, as few horseflies as possible, and many enjoyable rides. Stay healthy...
Note: This Raufomat Solar is located in northern Germany, where winter days are extremely short and dark. Unfortunately, the power-hungry smartphone control was not temporarily disabled during the winter, which resulted in a low battery charge level.
Hello Ms. Haslinger, I would like to get in touch again! I started using the Raufomat over a year ago and have been celebrating it every day since! What a great product, which I have now shown, demonstrated, and recommended to many other horse lovers!
I am very happy with the solar-powered electricity supply. After the flood in July 2021, my barn was without electricity for over a week, but thanks to the solar power system, we didn't have to worry! I often thought to myself, "What if you had a Raufomat with 230 V now..."
Due to various circumstances, we have hardly been able to ride this year, but despite this, the ponies have not become too fat!
Perhaps a little more about my opening hours: I actually stick to 12 x 30 minutes for most of the year. In summer (when they also get an extra hour of grass), I reduce this to 12 x 25 minutes. Now in autumn, I have increased it to 12 x 35 minutes.
Every now and then, I open the Raufomat outside of regular opening hours. I find it really handy that it simply closes again at the next regular closing time. That means the animals get an extra hour of hay, which is always welcome when the weather is bad!
Thanks to the Raufomat, my hay consumption has decreased from "one (130 kg) round bale every 4 days" to "one round bale every 6 days." And, of course, this also reduces the amount of manure.
The money saved as a result means that the Raufomat (with hay rack) will pay for itself in two years.
Best regards ...
Hi,
Everything is going really well. The horses are delighted with the automatic feeding system, and I'm no longer the bad guy who has to close the hay rack .
One mare is currently recovering from a bout of laminitis and has been more or less confined to her stall for around four weeks. It has been an unusual spring, and despite the fact that I very carefully and slowly introduced her to grazing at five-minute intervals over a period of three weeks at the end of May, both mares spent a maximum of one hour a day on grass and had never had laminitis problems before, we were still affected. That's why we're now feeding them for 15 minutes at a time. Now we're all slimmer and things are slowly looking up.
The Raufomat is incredibly great 🙂 and is the best purchase (and my animals) I have ever made in my life.
It was a great pleasure to meet you and to correspond with you. 😉
Warm regards from Schleswig-Holstein ...
Dear Ms. Haslinger, Dear Bishop!
We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks for a "miracle machine"—the Raufomat!
It has now been in operation for four weeks here in [place name], and we are completely happy, grateful, and full of admiration for how something like this can be constructed—always for the benefit of the horses.
The Raufomat is also highly regarded among my friends (including engineers!). It is such a relief for me that I don't have to go to the horses every 4 hours "just to feed them." (They are not kept at the house).
The horses immediately took to the Raufomat and quickly understood how everything works.
For me, meeting Ms. [customer name] in [place name] was very important, as she was extremely satisfied with everything and her Raufomat has been running without any problems for four years.
I will of course promote your Raufomat in my horse circles, and I would be happy to show it to people here in the area! Sometimes that makes the decision easier.
We were also completely satisfied with your quick responses to our many questions! It was fun and enjoyable!
Best regards …
Dear Ms. Haslinger, Dear Bishop,
After experiencing rain, sun, snow, ice, and storms, and a difficult adjustment period for our horses following an electric fence shock to the nostrils of our curious mare, it's time for some feedback.
We are actually very satisfied, much more relaxed, and have a significantly reduced workload, which gives us more time and independence for other tasks, for traveling, etc. After the third day, i.e., on the fourth day, the horses had gotten over the worst of it and were getting used to the new feeding method.
The Raufomat has worked reliably in all weather conditions so far, even in severe frost. Nothing has frozen. The solar module charges the battery reliably; there have been no power failures and no flat batteries. I had to remove snow from the solar module once, but that was it.
Filling the hay rack works as well as the hay net feeding. The horses are very clever, and I was able to quickly learn how to operate the automatic system and set the times. Finally, we also got the hang of using the mobile phone control.
So we believe that the investment was worthwhile, as was the long setup process. In winter, there is less light, and I tend to be a meticulous, slow worker, so I often exceed the specified times or realize myself that I often take on more than I can actually accomplish in the time available.
But I also had to adapt the deviations and shortcomings of my rough draft to the requirements of the Raufomat.
So we are happy with the Raufomat, thank you for your support, and wish you all the best!
Best regards from northern Germany ...
Dear Ms. Haslinger,
We have been using our Raufomat since August and I have been meaning to thank you for a long time:
We are more than satisfied with the time-controlled automatic feeding system. Our horses quickly accepted the system and are relaxed, peaceful, and eat enough, but not too much —which was unfortunately the problem before when they had 24-hour access to hay. Thank you especially for the great service and good advice - I have rarely experienced such high quality and depth.
The system is really great, the setup went well, and it didn't overpromise in terms of comprehensibility and user-friendliness.
All in all, we are very satisfied!
Dear Ms. Haslinger,
Now I would like to give some feedback after all!
We have been using the Raufomat for almost exactly three weeks now. Setting up the hay rack was easy, and the Raufomat was assembled within half a day. Programming was quick and easy, and basically everything worked well.
Initially, we installed the technology inside, but quickly realized that this meant it was hanging directly in the path of the cables. So now it is hanging outside after all.
During the first week, the ponies still had their old hay rack open, and there was a bale without netting in the Raufomat to motivate the horses. After they had all come into contact with the electricity [electric fence package], they found the hay rack stupid at first.
In the second week, I closed their old hay rack, so they had to occupy themselves with it (under protest, of course).
In the meantime, we had noticed that the hay rack had become too high (due to the height-adjustable metal feet), so after a week, the feet were shortened by another 10 cm.
We then put the second bale in with netting and left the old hay rack during the day.
We are now on the third bale and I can say that the whole thing is working perfectly! At the moment, we are running 12 x 43 minutes (we started with 12 x 45 minutes) and the ponies are happy with that. There is no unrest or squabbling at the moment.
Over the next few weeks, I will reduce the time even further, minute by minute. Maybe I can manage 12 x 30 minutes; if not, it doesn't matter. We just have to find a compromise between "avoiding bad moods" and "an acceptable level of grumpiness."
What is striking is that the ponies are now more active as a herd. Before there was always at least one standing at the hay rack eating, now they all go to eat together and then do something else afterwards. They sleep or run around on the trail.
I really like that!
All in all, I am very satisfied and will definitely recommend it to others!
Best regards, ...
3,500 Raufomat movements later...
I have been using the Raufomat for 5 months now and I am thrilled with it every single day! It has opened and closed over 3500 times without a single malfunction.
We have now reached 12 x 30 minutes. All the ponies have lost weight. The pony that was a little thinner has gained weight because it now eats when the hay rack is open. I had been worried that it might become even thinner. But my concern was completely unfounded.
The large solar module has proven itself in our experience (of course, I will never know whether the small one would have been sufficient); even in winter, the indicator light never once turned yellow.
We had a few days of very severe frost in the double digits. On those days, I left the net around the bale off (because it tends to freeze very stiff) and, since we had just gotten a new bale, I left the hay rack for those three days (so that the hay hanging out wouldn't get tangled in the Raufomat hey-cover).
Therefore, I can't say anything about its use in this temperature range, but I'm convinced that it would have worked just as well as on all other days!
Thank you very much for inventing and marketing this great Raufomat!
It was still the best decision!
| We have had between two and four horses for over 25 years now. behind our house and, as self-sufficient farmers, we are naturally responsible for regular feeding, mucking out, etc.
We always fed our horses hay two to three times a day, with a large portion in the evening, but I always had the impression that the horses were hungry when I fed them in the morning. As this bothered me and I was also looking for a way to make my work easier, I searched the internet and discovered the Raufomat. We have been feeding our three large horses with our new hay rack equipped with the Raufomat for six months now. Not only are we completely satisfied with this new feeding system, but our horses are too. I have programmed the hay rack open every 2 hours for just over half an hour, and our horses clearly enjoy this continuous feeding throughout the day and night. We fill the hay rack every 6 to 7 days, which makes our work much easier. I highly recommend the Raufomat and wonder why I didn't buy it sooner 😉 Thank you very much! |
Dear Ms. Haslinger, Dear Mr. Bishop,
After it didn't work out last year, I would now finally like to share our feedback after about two and a half years of using Raufomat:
We are very happy and very satisfied with the automatic feeding system! We purchased the two Raufomats after our Icelandic mare suffered from laminitis for the first time—stuffing her ad libitum is now a thing of the past.
Thanks to the various time adjustments and the use of different mesh box sizes, we can also take seasonal changes into account (e.g., when the paddock closes) . The horses quickly get used to the regular feeding times, and you can observe peaceful coexistence at the hay rack. We had six horses in a herd feeding at the 2 x 2 m hay rack over a long period of time without any problems.
Both solar-powered hay racks have never failed, even though the horses have sometimes damaged them. We have always been able to repair the resulting "imbalances" relatively easily.
The particular challenges we faced were the slight slope and the only moderately suitable wooden hay racks. Thanks to some clever modifications by my partner and our landlord, and your perfect adjustment of the Raufomat set, it still worked out. Due to the relatively short "lower parts," the hay cover is quite puffed up hay cover our place. We had a major renovation this summer ...
With the new metal rail set, we have solved an old problem, namely that of plastic strips coming loose. We had secured these with cable ties. The metal strips now also allow the occasional necessary electricity to flow better ;-). At the same time, we replaced the fabric with one with Velcro fasteners, which arrived perfectly tailored to our needs. Hats off for the great custom work!
The pictures show our Solar Raufomats: one in its original configuration from 2,5 years ago (2 horses in the picture) and the newly converted Raufomat (1 horse in the picture). We raised the stoppers there—it's working so far.
With warm regards from ...
Hello Ms. Haslinger!
We finished a few days ago and the ponies have already gotten used to the intervals. 🙂
The setup went very well and everything fits perfectly. Thank you!!!
All in all, we are extremely pleased! Thank you!
The electric fence package does its job. Once a pony had been touched, it calmed down and after a short time, everyone understood that they could still eat relaxed and only had to walk quickly when the Raufomat went up. We have been working for a long time on how to feed the ponies in a healthy and physically sustainable way and had already come up with some pretty good solutions. But this is now our final solution, which will ensure that the ponies and we grow old healthy and happy. 😉
Best regards ...
Added 04.17.2020: We noticed something else that we hadn't expected at all: we really enjoy no longer being the "food providers" for our ponies.
They never pressured us, but the expectations were always clearly noticeable. That's no longer the case ... after just one week.
A wonderful side effect.
Dear Ms. Haslinger,
After more than four weeks of using Raufomat, I can say that it's working great now.
Thank you also for your patience and for sharing your experiences, which not only helped us greatly but also gave us confidence in how to proceed.
The difficulty for us was that, at the same time as introducing the Raufomat, we also brought together two new horses that had previously been fed separately. So, on the one hand, the new hay rack Raufomat was a challenge for the horses, but on the other hand, the still unclear hierarchy was also an issue - who eats where at the hay rack, who is allowed to stand closer together, and who is better off keeping their distance.
It was just as difficult with the electric fence package. Two of the four horses need clear instructions so that the Raufomat is only used when it opens, and the other two were so frightened by the electric shock that they had to regain their confidence.
But I was always optimistic that it would work out well in the end, and that's exactly what's happening now. After four weeks, the four horses now know how it works and usually find their place to eat quickly.
At the moment, we haven't stretched a hay net over the hay yet. However, the horses are eating the same amount as before from the hay nets. When the Raufomat opens, they all walk over calmly and take their time eating; no one gobbles their food down. The horses have not yet fully internalized the opening times. Sometimes they sleep through an opening. But since they are all well fed, this is the least of our problems.
We humans are very happy about the reduction in workload and also about not having to be there and still knowing that the horses get their hay from the hay feeder every few hours.
Since we spent a long time searching intensively for an automatic hay feeder, we are all the more delighted to have chosen the right model, namely the Raufomat.
Thank you very much for your constant support and the very pleasant and always friendly contact!
We are more than happy to recommend you to others.
Best regards
Excerpt from a later letter:
All in all , it was a very worthwhile purchase that I would make again anytime, and it really makes you wonder why you didn't come across this system sooner. I think it's an enrichment not only for humans, but also for horses. Especially because we no longer have an 8-hour feeding break, but only one 4-hour break at night and a maximum of 3 hours during the day.
If necessary, I will add another feeding time during the winter or extend a feeding time, but that will depend on the circumstances.
Sleeping in a little longer on the weekend or being out and about without feeling guilty is the icing on the cake and a wonderful thing for people.
The horses still come to us happily, even when we don't have any hay with us, which of course makes us happy too.
Dear Ms. Haslinger, Dear Bishop!
We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the fantastic Raufomat!
The setup worked well thanks to your detailed description. You responded promptly and immediately to every question, which gave us a great sense of security!
Since then, the Raufomat has been running non-stop and the ponies are overjoyed.
For us as a family , this means more freedom, less stress, and balanced and contented ponies!
We have placed the Raufomat at the far end of our paddock trail. Every time the hay rack is closed, the little group goes leisurely back along the entire trail to the stable. There, they either drink water, groom each other's coats, or nibble on twigs. In the morning, they often lie down together in the sand and enjoy the peace and quiet. Afterwards, they make more rounds on the trail to see if the "miracle" Raufomat has opened again. This keeps the ponies constantly on the move.
We are absolutely thrilled and hope that the Raufomat will continue to make many horses and their owners happy!
Warm regards from Switzerland on Lake Constance!
Dear Ms. Haslinger!
Great! Thank you very much for the quick response and the new frame ...
Apart from this minor incident , we are VERY satisfied with the Raufomat! It makes working with horses so much easier - especially when you are on the road and still want to feed them at the same times every day. We think it's brilliant that you can offer this at such an affordable price compared to other automatic feeding systems!
At the moment, I can't be on the road - but I can watch the Raufomat at work 🙂
Thank you and best regards
Dear Ms. Haslinger,
The Raufomat has been running for almost two weeks now, and has also been running with a new hay net for several days.
I'm really happy with it and would like to thank you again ...
However, my four Icelandic horses and two donkeys were quite difficult at first because they were overexcited. We think that, based on our observations, they received a small "electric shock" at the beginning, and then they were offended for two days and preferred to go hungry 🙂
The donkeys then loudly expressed their displeasure to the group ...
But now everything is running smoothly and I'm sure I'll soon be able to start gently adjusting the times...
So, thank you very much again and best regards.
My Raufomat report:
First things first: I would buy it again in a heartbeat, and even after almost two years, I am still a convinced Raufomatist!!!
Our start in August 2018 wasn't exactly easy, because my motivated son helped me assemble it and immediately put two parts of the frame together incorrectly. Mom was close to tears because the connections are really rock solid! But with feminine finesse, i.e., with a small, very fine vegetable knife and nail polish remover, we solved this problem too. Then the assembly was very easy, thanks to the instructions, which were no problem, especially if you read them carefully. Since then, the Raufomat has been running tirelessly without a hitch.
We tried out different times and found that the more often, the better. Overall, after the initial adjustment period, the Raufomat ensures more peace and quiet in the herd, regular daily routines, which the horses like, and less jostling.
In addition to regularly lining up at the water trough after feeding, we have discovered another advantage for ourselves. Since we deworm selectively and need fecal samples for this, we can also use the quarter of an hour after the automatic feeder closes, when there is a lot of pooping going on. No more long waits!
Now we are facing a new test: we are moving, and the Raufomat will be reassembled and reconnected in the next few days. Dismantling it was easy. Report to follow shortly!!!
Dear Raufomat team,
Your/our Raufomat has been in operation since Christmas 2019, and we are overjoyed with it! Why didn't we order it 10 years ago? Think of all the trouble we could have saved ourselves ...
Part 1: Ordering and delivery
Excellent, very friendly, competent, and prompt advice right from the start. We immediately felt we were in good hands!
Part 2: Structure
We were busy with it for a while ... If we had to build it again now, we would be done in an hour. It's worth looking through all the packages carefully in advance and reading the printed instructions. It works best when all helpers are familiar with them!
Part 3: Horses
I was also skeptical as to whether the fabric would withstand everything, but even after months, I can see that the horses keep enough distance from the lowered fabric and have never nibbled on anything or examined it curiously. Everything is left alone. Our horses always eat for 1 hour, after which the feeder closes for 4 hours. This cycle continues around the clock. I am pleased that there is much more relaxation now. We are no longer the ones who come to the paddock every day with feed and cause stress because everyone wants to be first. Thanks to the regular feeding times, they never seem hungry. I think we have set our control system optimally. The slightly chubby gelding is no longer bloated as he used to be, and the young gelding seems to have a good metabolism and could eat a little more while still maintaining a healthy figure—I open the Raufomat manually for him when I take the other horse out to work it.
Part 4: Conclusion
The best money I've ever spent on anything! Since we got the Raufomat, I've saved myself
- A lot of gas costs, because now I don't have to drive to the stable twice.
- A tremendous amount of time. We fill the hay rack by hand every few days with large hay sacks. That doesn't bother us at all, so we don't need the farmer to deliver hay bales to us. In the past, we had to be there punctually and reliably for each of the three feeding times—that was an extreme pressure in our lives!
Since getting the Raufomat, I have a private life again and no longer have to nervously glance at the watch when I'm invited somewhere spontaneously or there's a change to my daily schedule ...
I highly recommend it.
The price-performance ratio is also fair. Anyone who has ever tried to invent and build their own hay feeders will know how much time and money it takes (and often you're not satisfied with the result anyway ...).
The Raufomat has been in use for a few days now and is working great.
The Raufomat is great!
... are putting together the hay rack, it's going to be great.
A few months ago, we started using our new hay rack and the solar-powered Raufomat. Our daily workload has been significantly reduced. We are delighted every time we see the hay rack; it runs perfectly, and the solar panel on the roof has also proven its worth while. Because we had some rather boisterous guest horses, we also had to install the electric fence device, which is also powered by a solar panel. This worked great, and we no longer had to worry about our new hay cover.
I am impressed by the quick and practical support provided by the Raufomat team: When we had a rope tangle due to an operator error on my part (I forgot to turn off the device when changing the hay bale), we were helped immediately. I was sent pictures and instructions on how to fix the mess. Great!
We haven't regretted our decision for a second to having purchased this excellent hay rack with its well-designed mechanism.
All the best, and best regards ...
Everything worked out great, and big praise!
We are now independent of feeding times and therefore have more freedom. The Raufomat works perfectly, programming is very easy, and our horses seem more balanced ...
Since October, we have leased a small open stable with paddock for our two Icelandic horses and also have an old Tinker that is easy to feed. While searching for a horse-friendly feeding system, we came across the "Raufomat" online. We decided on the model with mobile control via cell phone, built a hay rack, installed the "Raufomat," and were very excited to see how our horses, who until then had been fed hay from a very fine-mesh net 24 hours a day, would cope with the coarser net and reduced feeding time.
We have been using the "Raufomat" for almost two weeks now. When we initially encountered technical problems, Mr. Bischof was immediately available to help us, and now all the issues have been resolved and the horses are behaving as if they had never been fed any other way.
For the time being, we have decided on a rhythm in which the hay rack opens and closes every two hours. This means that the horses have two hours of hay and two hours of rest in alternation.
Our fears that the horses might eat frantically, be frightened by the hay cover when it moves, or appear hungry have not been confirmed. On the contrary:the horses seem happier because the net allows more hay to pass through and they seem to have understood that they will continue to be fed throughout the day.
We are currently quite euphoric in our small community and more than happy that we decided on this type of feeding.
We are very satisfied with the pony hay rack.
At first, the ponies had to learn eating side by side at a hay rack, but of course that has nothing to do with the Raufomat itself.
The timer was easy to program, but the operating instructions do not include instructions on how to activate automatic mode.
We found that out by googling.
Perhaps you could add this to your assembly instructions. [Note: Thank you for the suggestion - we will do so in future.]
In addition, after a week, we attached a electric fence package with very little power (for cats and dogs) to the hay rack because a normal one was too strong and the ponies didn't dare to go to the hay rack anymore.
It's working very well now. It's hard to say whether this is due to the ponies learning or the different electric fence package.
For fall or next spring, we plan a second time-controlled hay rack for our diet group (Haflingers, Tinkers, Norwegians, etc.).
We will get back to you once we know the dimensions of the hay rack for installing a Raufomat.
Thank you very much and best regards ...