Advice on muzzels/over weight horse!!

[05kitty93]

Hi,

I have a 15hh welsh cob who is over weight, she is stabled by day and out by night. I have sectioned 1/2 the field off (grazing is poor ish) and was wondering if it would be a good idea to buy her a muzzle aswell? There seems to be a few to choose from and they vary in price too. For those who use muzzles how have you found them and which would you recommend?

Lottie is either hacked or schooled 4 to 5 days a week in moslty walk and trot as currently not very fit at the mo. She's fed baileys low cal and chaff. Any and all comments greatly received.

Thanks for your help, I am concerned about her weight but at the same time don't want to waste money on something that wont work.

Here is a recent picture of Lottie -

Cheers
Ruth

 

[taffy2]

Too be onest with you I think she looks Brill!!!!!!! Cobs arnt the easiest horses to keep weight off but I think your doing all the right things!!

 

[flohelf]

What a beauty !!!

Not a specialist of cobs, don't really have them around here but from all the pics I've seen on the forum, she looks fine and certainly very healthy

 

[Law]

I use a Greenguard grazing one and it is fab as it pretty much restricts the grazing by half. I personally wouldn't use the other kinds as I prefer the design of the greenguard one. All I would say is keep an eye on her for 10-15 mins when you first turn her out in it but walk away and check on her from a distance. If she struggles with it at first, as in if she can't get her head round how she can eat with it on, wait and make her work it out for herself. She might throw a tantrum and strop to begin with but once she works it out she should be fine. You could try walking her out in hand with it on and let her graze on long grass along the verges if you have any.
Good luck

 

[Hettie]

My pony is wearing a shires grazing muzzle. Had to make to hole in the bottom bigger doh as he was to stupid to figure it out!

 

[ISHmad]

I use the Shires grazing muzzle one one of mine too. All padded out with fibregee and sheepskin to prevent it rubbing. Didn't get on with the Greenguard one, just couldn't get it to fit correctly, no matter how much I adjusted it.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

My lad & several at our yard use the Greenguard muzzles, absolutely fantastic, providing you take the time to adjust them correctly.
Using them, coupled with excercising & monitoring all aspects of feeding we maintain our lad at his correct weight & he doesn't have to be stabled off the grass. He can stay out which has got to be better.

 

[sophielove]

I have two overwieght ponies. One carrying a stallion style crest and recurrent laminitis. I shipped them over to Oz from UK and they have never been the same since so I had a Horse Herbalist hair test them and now they are on a new diet. They were on grass only (poor quality kikuyu) so god only knows how they were still packing on the pounds BUT they are now losing weight daily - their digestive systems were compromised - chaff, cider vinegar, gp mineral supplement every day and swedish bitters style herbal supplement and they are happy, healthy, slimming and jumping out of their skins. Hope that helps, I hate muzzles!

 

[bensababy]

Sorry to say it (hope i dont upset you) but she is overweight

! what hard food does she get?

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I'd say she could do with losing a little... but is nowhere near as bad as some i've seen (including ours

)

I use the shires muzzle. I wouldnt be without mine, in fact we have a selection of them in different colours, just incase he loses or breaks one. You can get them cheaper on ebay than through shires. Our shettie demolished the greenguard one.

 

[josephinebutter2]

I use the Shires one - again padded with fake fur under the chin to stop rubbing.

Tried Greenguard one and he ate through it! in a week! £35 quid down the drain - although other less troublesome horses at our yard use them successfully.

 

[claireross]

I personally don't think she looks overweight. Her neck isn't cresty and all her bum isn't that big. She looks like she's got a bit of a grass belly. If you' ve restricted grazing then I wouldn't go for a grazing muzzle as well, i dont think she needs it. I have a 12hh pony who is very prone to weight gain and I make sure that her hay is soaked overnight, this may help reduce calorie intake

 

[05kitty93]

Thank you all for your comments.

Lottie is fed 2 and a 1/2 mug fulls of baileys low cal, a double handful of hifi lite, Joint flex, garlic and soya oil to add alittle shine to her coat. When she is stabled in the day she has 2 sections of hay soaked.

 

[amandaco2]

green guard is great!