Does anyone muzzle 24/7?

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In the title does anyone muzzle 24/7?

Do you muzzle daytime then leave off at night... When is the grass best to eat, i.e read some conflicting advice on when less fructons in grass... Also read conflicting advice on horses gorging when taking off muzzle. Though think this is a bit of an art when monitoring and adjusting weight / grass / you know your own horse situation.

At the moment I'm muzzling (sp!) when out, do that either 24/7 but comes in on some days (gets hay then) but I've cut a bigger hole in my muzzle plus it doesn't rub etc snd is big so can chew easily enough. So basically does anyone else do similar or not as would be interested to know how others handle this :-)
 
I have mine in a greenguard which I have used with success for the past 3 years. He is used to it and wore it the past 2 summers 24/7 on very rich grass - he still gained weight last year so he can certainly eat with it on. It's well adjusted and has any rubbing bits covered with duck tape. His muzzle was taken off for 5 days last spring and he went lami, so it is a necessity with him.
This spring the grass has been slow so he was muzzled one day, muzzle off the next. He gained 20 kg on the weight tape in a month like this. So from this week when it's been raining, and now the grass is growing, the muzzle is on 24/7. It's either that or a starvation paddock, and I know he'd rather be in the big field with his mates. I am also feeding him equibites with a handful of chaff to take his crushed rosehips once a day. He accepts his muzzle and doesn't try and remove it, though he can if he really tries hard!
 
I would if she didn't keep taking it off! She comes in everyday for a few hours, but other then that she is meant to have it on all the time!
 
noblesteed said:
I have mine in a greenguard which I have used with success for the past 3 years. He is used to it and wore it the past 2 summers 24/7 on very rich grass - he still gained weight last year so he can certainly eat with it on. It's well adjusted and has any rubbing bits covered with duck tape. His muzzle was taken off for 5 days last spring and he went lami, so it is a necessity with him.
This spring the grass has been slow so he was muzzled one day, muzzle off the next. He gained 20 kg on the weight tape in a month like this. So from this week when it's been raining, and now the grass is growing, the muzzle is on 24/7. It's either that or a starvation paddock, and I know he'd rather be in the big field with his mates. I am also feeding him equibites with a handful of chaff to take his crushed rosehips once a day. He accepts his muzzle and doesn't try and remove it, though he can if he really tries hard!
Click to expand...

Thanks... Now I don't feel so mean! lol, but yes my mare would much rather be out than in and I guess the muzzle is the lesser of two evils. Though to be fair I have cut a hole so she can eat quite normally, just not huge massive mouthfuls like she would like to. Having not had her ever have lami (though go footy!) I am so pleased you said this, as without having it I could also be fooled, or tempted to try without sometimes and I guess prevention is so much better than cure that its simply not worth the risk.

Thanks.
 
If you weight tape her now you will be able to check she is eating enough or too much easily enough.
I will never risk my horse on good grass without a muzzle now. I might let him have the odd day without it in the height of summer when the grass is really dry, but not much as a rule. Unfortunately the people who were looking after him while I had my baby thought I was over-reacting about his muzzle and decided he was 'eating around' it - so they took it off causing the lami :( ... So don't listen to anyone who says horses can eat around muzzles - even if they can they are still eating a lot less than they would do without one!
 
Yes.

It's not mean. Allowing your horse/pony to get laminitis through diet or lack of exercise is 1000x meaner in my book.
 
I have done with the donkey who stayed out 24/7 in winter, but she got very footy last year ( suspect) lami so this year bringing her in at night.


So in answer to your question no muzzles in day in at night
 
Good friend of mine does very sucessfully - well it's more 23/7 as he has it off an hour a day for riding/ grooming etc. A bit of trial and error to find the make that worked best for him but much nicer (for him personally) to be out rather than stuck in the stable on his own.
 
Yeah my mare does come in some days, she's not out exclusively but when she's out she's muzzled. Her muzzle is padded (which I have stitched on) and does not rub anywhere in face... Plus I have cut the hole slightly larger so she does eat more than. It's quite large so she can chew normally with it. When (or should I say *if*) then she may have it off but we have rain / sunshine on / off so would rather muzzle plus she's in big field lots of grass. She's quite happy with it in in terms of just goes off to eat, isn't trying to get it off all the time... she much prefers being out anyway.
 
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