Grazing Muzzle 24/7 and teeth damage?

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webble

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I have two questions please hhoers.

First one is a couple of years ago I mentioned to a friend I had muzzled my mare for 24 hours and she said it was a bad idea as it can damage their teeth. I can see this would be true long term but for a few months a year is it ok?

Second question. I started muzzling my boy a couple of weeks ago as he was starting to look a bit curvy and I normally put his muzzle on in the morning after I have ridden and YO takes it off early evening for me. YO is going away for three weeks shortly, her horsey neighbour will be doing an evening check on the horses but I don't feel I can ask her to de-muzzle on a daily basis. Would leaving it on for 24hrs then off for 24 hrs be ok? He isn't hugely fat or at risk of lami the muzzle is more a preventative measure. There is only me and YO
 
My feeling is that grazing muzzles are quite a drastic solution and I certainly wouldn't ever leave one on over a long period like 24 hrs.

You say your horse is "looking a bit curvey"; that's not a good reason to use a grazing muzzle. IMO you need to be a bit more scientific than that and use a weigh tape so you know whether your horse is definitely overweight or not. You need to start by finding out the ideal weight for your horse (ask your vet if you're not sure) and keep monitoring it using the weigh tape.

Grazing muzzles have their uses, but they can cause a lot of angst and frustration in horses. I did use one on my old boy for restricted periods of no more than 6 hours, because he had laminitis, during the daytime only - I used the Greenguard one - and what happened was that his lips became very rubbed and sore and I had to stop using it.

There are a lot better ways of restricting a horse's grass intake: electric fencing off a small plot would seem the obvious choice, and a far more humane method for the horse.

IMO for any horse to have to endure 24 hrs solid wearing a grazing muzzle is unfair in the extreme and borderline cruel. Sorry.
 
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Feel your pain OP, having just got my youngster to a good point on the weigh tape YO decides we are moving to lush grass- mine will have to be muzzled for most of the day till they eat it down, other fields or fencing bits off aren't options.

However I would go for 12/12 it should be ok for the eve check just to pop it off for you.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Can you not ask her to remove it? Much easier to remove than to put on, and as she is checking all and will obviously be getting close up anyway, then its a 5 second job to unclip one.
Better safe than sorry?
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I don't know her that well. I can go down myself all but one evening and was really just thinking out loud my options. I can leave it off for the other day it's not a problem just wanted peoples thoughts
 
If it's in 24/7 compare it to a horse cribbing on rubber 24/7 for three months.

I hate muzzles and I have tried them various times.
 
I'm not a fan. My farrier told me my boy had to wear one 24/7 as he was looking puffy round he eyes and cresty and had come up with an abscess and farrier thought he was at risk from laminitis. I take it off at night and leave him in a restricted grazing pen, and to be honest I might leave him in the pen tomorrow too to give him more of a break from it. I really don't like them but I admit that they have their uses.
 
Never leave them on 27/7 and don't put them in restricted grazing - they'll just be eating the sugary roots.

Put on in the day and take off when going dark as the grass sugars aren't active at night.
 
Tern said:
Never leave them on 27/7 and don't put them in restricted grazing - they'll just be eating the sugary roots.

Put on in the day and take off when going dark as the grass sugars aren't active at night.
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That's what I've been doing until this week I'll have to pop up at night at leave it off on the Thurs I think. Thanks for the input everyone
 
Be wary to put the grazing muzzle on for 24 hours then off for a period. My horse must wear a muzzle and managed to get it off which caused him to collic as he wasnt used to the amount of grass he gorged himself on! Also don't agree with leaving them on for 24 hours and would try and find an alternative arrangement.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
IMO you need to be a bit more scientific than that and use a weigh tape so you know whether your horse is definitely overweight or not.



There are a lot better ways of restricting a horse's grass intake: electric fencing off a small plot would seem the obvious choice, and a far more humane method for the horse.
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1. A weight tape is not scientific, they are more often then not inaccurate so condition scoring by eye is a better method.

2. I don't think restricting a horse to a small pen is humane (or particularly effective) I would much rather have a horse in a large field with friends with a muzzle on then stuck in a tiny pen on there own.

There is also evidence that horses will gorge when the muzzle is removed and so end up eating as much grass as if they didn't wear a muzzle at all.

Mine wears a muzzle for most of the time and just comes in for a few hours in the afternoon to have a break from it (and to have a sleep!) He is much happier with this arrangement then having to be confined to a small bare paddock (he actually ended up fatter on that routine)
 
I have two ponies that are muzzled much of the time on 5 acres of hill grazing/old meadow. They are out with a horse that is not-they get a break for a few hours a day for grooming etc. They are at their best summer weight ever, they get plenty of movement, are always bombing about playing and totally happy.All barefoot and sound.

I have tried managing tho older pony every which way (he came to me very obese) and I would rather they are muzzled and in their fabulous field with banks, hills, burns and a variety of grasses than on a postage stamp of bare, overgrazed ground staring at a pile of supersoaked hay. I have known ponies damage their teeth on very short grazing.
 
horselover522 said:
1. A weight tape is not scientific, they are more often then not inaccurate so condition scoring by eye is a better method.
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A weight tape is not scientific but it does give a good idea of if your horse is losing weight, I certainly wouldn't rely on eye alone.

For my horse who has EMS I will be using a combination of a track around the field, restricted grazing and possibly a muzzle. This is all new for me but I am lucky and have my own land so can see what works best for us.
 
My Cushing's horse wears his muzzle about 22/7 in summer; it comes off in the early morning to have his pergolide and then a bit of bare faced grazing. I agree with those who prefer their horses to be out in a decent field with their friends rather than being shut up in a cell.
His teeth are quite worn but I think that's a price worth paying; when I'm strict with the muzzle he doesn't get laminitis, when I've been careless he has
 
horselover522 said:
1. A weight tape is not scientific, they are more often then not inaccurate so condition scoring by eye is a better method.

2. I don't think restricting a horse to a small pen is humane (or particularly effective) I would much rather have a horse in a large field with friends with a muzzle on then stuck in a tiny pen on there own.

There is also evidence that horses will gorge when the muzzle is removed and so end up eating as much grass as if they didn't wear a muzzle at all.

Mine wears a muzzle for most of the time and just comes in for a few hours in the afternoon to have a break from it (and to have a sleep!) He is much happier with this arrangement then having to be confined to a small bare paddock (he actually ended up fatter on that routine)
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The other issue is that he is still growing so a weigh tape wouldn't really give a true picture.

I have discussed the muzzle and his weight with the vet and farrier, saying he is curvy was just me being kind about his curves!

He doesn't seem to mind his muzzle, hold it out and he puts his nose in, it is a greenguard one ad he can still eat with it on.
 
webble said:
The other issue is that he is still growing so a weigh tape wouldn't really give a true picture.
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It will at least give you a guide - it gets quite obsessive when you have a fat pony so I would always use a weight tape to guide me when restricting a pony, you will be surprised how quickly they can actually become poor looking without you noticing. I can't imagine he is growing that much to make a different on the weigh tape other wise you wouldn't be riding him.

I also don't like the idea of muzzles, and I have used them before. The bucket type ones - imagine how hot and smelly that must get. And the greengaurd ones must hurt their gums/teeth over time as it is hard plastic. I would much prefer a restricted paddock and harder workload.
 
I've been using a greenguard muzzle as part of an overall weight management for the past couple of years. Mostly during the big spring flush when the grass was growing so quickly that we couldn't reduce the paddock size enough to limit intake and keep still have enough room for the four horses in the herd to get along. So I've typically used it for day or night only (having it off the other half of the day), and for around 4-6 weeks maybe, in combination with reduced turnout area.
This year for the first time, I noticed very obvious wear marks on the front teeth, matching the gaps in the muzzle. I never noticed wear before, nor did my vet comment when doing his teeth. So this year, I stopped using it after a couple of weeks and built him a very small pen in the corner of the field for "solitary confinement" to reduce his intake. Fortunately, he didn't spend much time in it, as another horse in the herd also started getting too fat, so we built the two of them a slightly larger area.
Long story short, I'm not a fan of muzzles, but they can be useful. IMO, horses need social interaction with the herd, and that means both turnout in a group, as well as mutual grooming without a muzzle in the way. The best way I've found to manage that is by arranging for muzzle-free time every day, in combination with smaller turnout areas.
As for the tooth wear, I think this depends much on the individual and the length of grass. Mine is extremely industrious, and our grazing was short-ish, so I think he spent a lot of time trying to close-crop what he could reach. Another horse, turned out on longer grass might not get the same wear.
 
muckypony said:
I would much prefer a restricted paddock and harder workload.
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great unless they are 21yo, 12h and retired :) and turn into a fire breathing stallion when you try ride and lead.

No muzzle is perfect: the Dinky's tend to not rub, not as claustrophobic or heavy when wet than the bucket type-they are also not as restrictive and I don't like the way horse's twist their heads to the side when eating out of one. Bucket ones are restrictive but see before. I tend to use the American Breatheasy muzzles as they are lighter weight, restrictive and well, easy to breathe in. However, because they are from the US, the sizing is a bit funky and they won't fit everything (one pony is in a yearling one, the other in a horse-they could do with an intermediate size). I change round regularly and don't use bucket types when it is hot (rare where I am!) or wet (often). There is no rubbing with any of them.

We all do what we think is best for our horses and/or what works. I can see my lot are happier where they are now, than the way I kept them before and their waistlines are much better too.
 
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