Dinky Classic Grazing Muzzle - advice please

[Rose Folly]

One of my liveries has just bought a Dinky Classic Grazing Muzzle for her Shetland. Instead of the conventional rubber bottom with a feeding/drinking hole, on this one there is a 'cross' (St George's flag-shaped) of fabric across the bottom, so the pony can only access food/water through the sides.

The picture on the front of the pack shows ponies contentedly 'grazing' in these muzzles. But in the picture the grass is probably 9-12 cm high. Our pasture is about 4-5cm (like upland sheep pasture) and we cannot see how she is going to be able to access grass at all.

Any advice from those who use these muzzles would be much appreciated. she's not a happy bunny at present - just standing miserably while her normal-muzzled friend nibbles happily. Thank you

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

4 - 5cms is pretty reasonable length for pony to eat through.

My mini wears these quite happily, tho to start with she really was very unhappy.
I ended up buying 2, one which I cut a little to make 2 of the holes bigger. Also popped her out into grass about 3ins long for 2 or 3 days (for a couple of hours at a time) so she could work it out. I also pulled short grass & poked it through the holes & popped polo's through there (which she adores). Took her about a week in total to get the idea that it was NOT coming off & YES she could eat

Roll forwards 18months & she wears the battered one in the daytime in the bare paddock (and still manages to scoff the under 10mm - yes milimetres, prob even less) of grass and wears the undamaged one at night when she & FLF have a gate opened into a better paddock

 

[3Beasties]

The pony will manage fine, it's amazing how much they can still eat through muzzles!

My section A has got a rubber bucket one and she amazed me today by pulling big mouthfuls of hay from a small holed haynet whilst wearing it!!

 

[Rose Folly]

I am such rubbish t centimetres - shows my age!

The grass we have on the pasture is about 1 inch long - so about 2.5cm?? the grass in the picture looked to be about 4 inches. Will that muzzle work on grass that short? I know they can do amazing things through ordinary muzzles but wondered if this was a step too far on our lawn-like pasture.

Thank you for the feedback. I'll pass on what you both say to the owner.

 

[3Beasties]

I actually think they find it easier to eat short grass through a muzzle rather then long grass.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I actually think they find it easier to eat short grass through a muzzle rather then long grass.

They certainy do
As I said above, mine can manage to scoff on under half an inch high grass & also managed to ingest something on a billiard ball paddock too

 

[vicksey]

Mine is muzzled on grass less than an inch and copes well. Recovering from a very mild bout of lami Im not taking any chances! He will find a way of eating through it, they are very effective grazers! Good luck!

 

[moana]

The shorter grass is definately easier for them to access than longer grass. Shetlands are also very adept at finding ways to eat!

 

[Rose Folly]

Am probably being thick; I quite agree that with a conventional muzzle shorter grass is easier for them to eat - but with this muzzle there is no hole at the bottom - so the grass has to be long enough to come about 1.5 inches up the side of the muzzle and then go sideways through the holes. Have opened up a little bit of strip grazing and she can manage there - but the overall paddock grass is way shorter.

 

[Tronk]

My horse ate his way through 2 Dinky muzzles - short grass or long grass they soon develop the technique of pushing the cross bit slightly to the side and eating round it. There is a few days of sulking initially but the pony will soon master it I promise!

The Dinky's didn't last long though ... He's in a Greenguard now and it's amazing.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Am probably being thick; I quite agree that with a conventional muzzle shorter grass is easier for them to eat - but with this muzzle there is no hole at the bottom - so the grass has to be long enough to come about 1.5 inches up the side of the muzzle and then go sideways through the holes. Have opened up a little bit of strip grazing and she can manage there - but the overall paddock grass is way shorter.

This is exactly the same muzzle I have & have described mine using

 

[frozzy]

Like the Op I also could not see how on earth a pony could eat with the muzzle on, but I gave it a try. My old boy had one last but good summer with it on allowing him to be in the field rather than stood in a stable. I bought another cob sized one this year for my greedy cob mare!.