We feed round bales with a HayChix net over them. We had to put a bale out today, however, my mare will have her front shoes on until the 10th. To keep her from snagging a shoe on the net, can I just cover her shoes and heels with duct tape until then or is there a better way? Thanks for the help. 

I think that would work just fine as long as you keep an eye on it. I'm imagining rolled tape like the reiners do. 

I wouldn’t risk using duct tape, I had a mare in a similar situation, still shod while eating from a net, and I was worried about her catching a shoe too. What worked best for us was simply limiting her direct access to the net for a few days: putting up a temporary panel or giving her her own pile of hay nearby. Duct tape gets wet, comes off, and won’t actually protect the shoe, and if she does snag it, you’ll just end up with a bigger problem. So it’s safer to create a bit of distance from the net until her shoes come off.

From my experience, duct tape can work in a pinch to cover the shoes, but it’s a bit risky it might come loose or irritate the hoof. I’d personally try using a thick pair of old socks or a soft hoof boot over the shoes instead; that gives a buffer without sticking anything to the hoof.

I would recommend a bale feeder around the net. I have seen horses get shoes caught in the hay chix nets and they do not rip....it is not worth the potential disaster