Does anyone muzzle 24/7?

Swift00

Swift00

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sorry it may be a bit long, but i think the background behind the question may be important, so i recently moved Swift to a new yard so he could be on 24/7 turnout.
He lost a lot of weight over winter so i wanted him to gain condition, but being native, i obviously didn't want to risk laminitis. So Swift is out on good grazing, and i have been muzzling him (greenguard) during the day, and taking it off at night when the sugars are lower. this has been going fine and Swift is now back to a really good healthy weight.
Swift gorged on the grass last night, so he had quite a grass belly this morning, so i bought him in for a break from it, and we went out for a gentle walk for about an hour, when we got back, as soon as i took his saddle off he started pawing and trying to go down, I immediately, thought colic as he never rolls unless he has had a bath.
So i spent the next 2-3hours keeping a very close eye, with 1/2 hourly phone calls to the vet, incase he suddenly took a turn. Thankfully he eventually perked up and and started to have a nibble of grass through the muzzle. Vet said it was probably gas colic caused by eating too much grass in a small space of time.

So my question really is does anyone muzzle their horses/ponies 24/7? How do they cope? because i think that's what it might be coming to, i don't want to have to go through this again, and am ever so grateful that it was only mild, but next time it might not be.
Currently i cannot stable him, he receives only a feed balancer with a handful of hi-fi molasses free and magnesium oxide each day split into 2 feeds (unnecessary i know but having recently moved, i haven't changed him to 1 meal a day yet) so he would have muzzle off for a little while am and pm.
Any ideas welcome
 
Swift00 said:
sorry it may be a bit long, but i think the background behind the question may be important, so i recently moved Swift to a new yard so he could be on 24/7 turnout.
He lost a lot of weight over winter so i wanted him to gain condition, but being native, i obviously didn't want to risk laminitis. So Swift is out on good grazing, and i have been muzzling him (greenguard) during the day, and taking it off at night when the sugars are lower. this has been going fine and Swift is now back to a really good healthy weight.
Swift gorged on the grass last night, so he had quite a grass belly this morning, so i bought him in for a break from it, and we went out for a gentle walk for about an hour, when we got back, as soon as i took his saddle off he started pawing and trying to go down, I immediately, thought colic as he never rolls unless he has had a bath.
So i spent the next 2-3hours keeping a very close eye, with 1/2 hourly phone calls to the vet, incase he suddenly took a turn. Thankfully he eventually perked up and and started to have a nibble of grass through the muzzle. Vet said it was probably gas colic caused by eating too much grass in a small space of time.

So my question really is does anyone muzzle their horses/ponies 24/7? How do they cope? because i think that's what it might be coming to, i don't want to have to go through this again, and am ever so grateful that it was only mild, but next time it might not be.
Currently i cannot stable him, he receives only a feed balancer with a handful of hi-fi molasses free and magnesium oxide each day split into 2 feeds (unnecessary i know but having recently moved, i haven't changed him to 1 meal a day yet) so he would have muzzle off for a little while am and pm.
Any ideas welcome
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I have to muzzle 24/7 with my mare as she gets very very fat at the grass is phenomenal where she is! she comes in from time to time to have a break from it and has it off every day to be groomed and ridden etc but she has had gassy colic before and being chubby as it is she has to put up with it or stay in and shed much rather stay out with her friends! She has some hairless areas where a callus has formed from the muzzle but doesnt seem to bother her, she has no sores as I have cut out lots of sections on the muzzle to stop rubbing!
 
This is an interesting post. My pony is a laminitic and i have just moved yards so i can have a stable. The problem now is the "fatty paddock" Is far too grassy!

I can only get once a day during the week and dont want her in all the time, but didnt think I could leave her muzzled all that time either. Shes new to the muzzle and hasnt mastered eating or drinking yet so I certainly wont do it until ive seen her do both.

Be interesting to see other responses. xx
 
Absolutely not. Not a fan of muzzles at all but I accept in some circumstances people need to use them but I wouldnt be happy seeing a pony muzzles 24/7.
 
charleysummer said:
I have to muzzle 24/7 with my mare as she gets very very fat at the grass is phenomenal where she is! she comes in from time to time to have a break from it and has it off every day to be groomed and ridden etc but she has had gassy colic before and being chubby as it is she has to put up with it or stay in and shed much rather stay out with her friends! She has some hairless areas where a callus has formed from the muzzle but doesnt seem to bother her, she has no sores as I have cut out lots of sections on the muzzle to stop rubbing!
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Thanks for the reply,what type of muzzle do you use? so far Swift's greenguard one hasn't rubbed, i did try a shires bucket one but it rubbed a lot and he could only eat out the back of it? often wonder why they put the hole in the middle when ponies mouthes are at the bottom of it!
I usually have trouble keeping weight off of Swift, the weight loss this spring was quite a shock!
 
monkeybum13 said:
Personally I cannot stand muzzles left on 24/7.

OP you say you cannot stable him, is this because there isn't stables on the yard or another reason?
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Hi, I cannot stable him as he's on grass livery and there are no stables available at the yard at the moment.

I don't like the idea of leaving it on 24/7 either, but neither do i want hi ill:(
 
I do not like muzzling 24/7 but have to with my mare. She is a very very good doer & unfortunately suffered low grade laminitus (concussive) several years back, this has left her prone so i'd rather be safe than sorry! She does get breaks from it, riding, grooming & few hours in turnout with haynet few times a week. Also gets molasses free chaff & balancer so is receiving the required vits & mins. She has a lovely figure to show for it :)
 
chestnutmarelover said:
I do not like muzzling 24/7 but have to with my mare. She is a very very good doer & unfortunately suffered low grade laminitus (concussive) several years back, this has left her prone so i'd rather be safe than sorry! She does get breaks from it, riding, grooming & few hours in turnout with haynet few times a week. Also gets molasses free chaff & balancer so is receiving the required vits & mins. She has a lovely figure to show for it :)
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Thanks for the reply, your post sounds just like i feel about it, although Swift hasn't suffered from Laminitis, it's always a threat.
 
I have also muzzled 24/7 with my boy this year. He was piling on the weight and I began by keeping him in at night but did this for 3 weeks with no weight loss whatsoever. I spoke to the vet who was visiting the yard and she explained it by saying that a pony that knows he will be restricted will consume in a couple of hours what they would over 24 hours.
My boy took to it really well, we are on day 6 now, he eats and drinks with his on although I have increased the whole slightly.
He comes in for about 3 hours a day and has hay and a fast fibre and safe and sound small dinner, seems happy and I can do the girth up an extra whole already, so I am happy I am doing the right thing for him.
 
swampdonkey said:
I have also muzzled 24/7 with my boy this year. He was piling on the weight and I began by keeping him in at night but did this for 3 weeks with no weight loss whatsoever. I spoke to the vet who was visiting the yard and she explained it by saying that a pony that knows he will be restricted will consume in a couple of hours what they would over 24 hours.
My boy took to it really well, we are on day 6 now, he eats and drinks with his on although I have increased the whole slightly.
He comes in for about 3 hours a day and has hay and a fast fibre and safe and sound small dinner, seems happy and I can do the girth up an extra whole already, so I am happy I am doing the right thing for him.
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Thank you for your reply, i'm glad it's working out for you, i did wonder weather he was adapting to having it on/off and so eating more to compensate when it comes off, which makes sense as i've had this routine for only 12 days, enough time for him to of worked it out:rolleyes:
 
Mine are currently in through the day, muzzled at night.
But until 2 weeks back, I was muzzling from 8pm-3/4pm and then taking it off, and then bringing in, riding etc, before turning out muzzled. Meant going down there 3 times a day
 
Swift00 said:
Thanks for the reply,what type of muzzle do you use? so far Swift's greenguard one hasn't rubbed, i did try a shires bucket one but it rubbed a lot and he could only eat out the back of it? often wonder why they put the hole in the middle when ponies mouthes are at the bottom of it!
I usually have trouble keeping weight off of Swift, the weight loss this spring was quite a shock!
Click to expand...

I used this HM muzzle, it is not so far up the nose so covers only the bottom, which is where the less sensitive skin is, i find that shires muzzle for example do go up quite high and skin rubs a lot easier- I cut out a hole near the bottom where the chin goes as she got a sore, that is totally healed up and fine now. I also cut nose holes where the nostrils go. Personally i hate muzzles and would really rather her not have one however due to colic scares and grass being literally up to their knees in some areas and very rich in others (plus she eats at supersonic speed) it is the much lesser evil. She hates being in too and has adapted to the muzzle well- I know she'd get it off if it troubled her too much and she hasn't done yet!
 
charleysummer said:
I used this HM muzzle, it is not so far up the nose so covers only the bottom, which is where the less sensitive skin is, i find that shires muzzle for example do go up quite high and skin rubs a lot easier- I cut out a hole near the bottom where the chin goes as she got a sore, that is totally healed up and fine now. I also cut nose holes where the nostrils go. Personally i hate muzzles and would really rather her not have one however due to colic scares and grass being literally up to their knees in some areas and very rich in others (plus she eats at supersonic speed) it is the much lesser evil. She hates being in too and has adapted to the muzzle well- I know she'd get it off if it troubled her too much and she hasn't done yet!
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thanks, i'll look into those
 
RubysGold said:
Mine are currently in through the day, muzzled at night.
But until 2 weeks back, I was muzzling from 8pm-3/4pm and then taking it off, and then bringing in, riding etc, before turning out muzzled. Meant going down there 3 times a day
Click to expand...

thanks for the ideas, due to work i'm restricted to mornings and evenings. He was stabled during the day at the last place, but it was really stressing him out (he always used to be out 24/7)
 
Interesting post....

My mare had an attack of laminitis 3 years ago and i nearly lost her, it's something I never want to see again. She has been wearing a greenguard grazing muzzle with head collar for the last 3 years and her management is very strict as she's a very good doer. I ride her every morning then she gets turned out muzzled for 5 hours, she's then stabled with weighed and soaked hay. I would love to leave her out longer but I'm too scared, in the last 2 months 2 horses at my livery yard have been pts due to laminitis.
 
I'm sorry to hear that, one came down with it on our yard last week, and my farrier says he's had a lot of new cases the last few weeks, this year seems to be particularly bad for it
 
Hi,

It is a difficult one, as it is my no means ideal but is better than colic and lami. What muzzle have you got....Greenguards are fab...I hate the shires and best friends...they seem to make horses sweaty and uncomfortable.

Could you bring your horse in during the day for several hours to have a rest from the muzzle and eat ad lib soaked hay? The soaked hay will give them some more fibre...which maybe lacking if in the muzzle for such a long period.

My horse is a "super-good-doer" if there is such a thing. I have to watch him like a hawk on grass as he gets colic, ties up and is a bit LGL as well. He needs the movement from the turn out too.

He is muzzled and out overnight (6pm to 8am) and in the rest of the time and eats soaked hay. I have left him a little longer on the grass with a muzzle (4pm to 10am) but notice he is gassy and uncomfortable with these extra few hours...even muzzled.

I find also the muzzle can cause rubbing under the chin if on permenantly.

My boy likes to come in and see everyone, do some work and have a good groom. Remember keeping the exercise up is also half the battle with weight and lami issues.
 
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