GRAZING MUZZLE HELP PLEASE!!

GMR

GMR

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My horse is very fat, so have tried to use a grazing muzzle, as a restricted patch I don't think he will lose enough weight and I would like him out longer.

However....I have tried doing this correctly with the bucket style muzzle and gradually introduced to my horse, (feeding through the hole in the bottom by hand etc...)
But he either tries to dig a big hole in the field or screams or runs around in a 10 meter circle in it. He has suffered a lameness problem on the front feet and is just sound...so is not allowed to go in small circles and digging is probably not good either with this hard ground.
He wont put his head down...but he was a bit like that when he first had a hood on a rug and refused to move in that as the weight on his neck pust have felt odd.
Any ideas to help lose the weight appreciated!!!
 
Yes, and poking grass throught the whole.
At first he thought he couldnt move his jaw to eat , but now he knows he can...and does eat what I poke through put tries to put his head down ...the stops , so wont go near the grass think its the weight of it , as he was odd with the hood of a rug the first time as he never had one before.
I am a very patient person , so have done all this in his own time.
But he is now an older horse so maybe he is too old to learn this new thing?
 
I've just bought my second dinky rugs muzzle. The first one was for a pony who is used to wearing muzzles, and it is the best one I've ever had for him (so far - been on a week!), the latest one is for my cob who has in the past always thrown a hissy fit about wearing muzzles/fly masks/etc, to the point where even though he could do with muzzling I've not as he is so bad about it. He's been out in the dinky one (in XL size for horses) for a few hours for the first time today and there has been absolutely no drama whatsoever, he's eaten, drunk, gone about as normal. I'm really happy with it. Might be worth a try with yours? Oh, and mine's 15 in a fortnight too!
 
Hi GMR, I commiserate, I tried a muzzle on my chap, did everything right ie introduced it gradually fed him and dunked his muzzle in a bucket of water but still he stood in the field thinking he couldn't eat or drink, he is in a starvation paddock with minimal grass and thought it would be nice for him to have the freedom of the larger field during the day and "in" at night, after 5 days he was fretting and looked tucked up, so I keep him in the paddock now, I rode him out and he had zero energy so back to the usual routein. There is another horse in our yard who has a muzzle and grazes, so why can't mine?? Sorry havn't got any answers but your not alone, I hope other folk may know, watch this space...........
 
Thank you will look up the dinky grazzing mask ,
My horse is 16...and forgot to say...he is fine normally but since he has has this muzzle on..the last 2 days properly in the field his behavour is odd...frustrated!!! I'd say and has eaten a huge lump of his stable door when he has come in from the field..he is not happy...and very humpy when i hacked out today.snorted all the way!!
He is also the most dominant horse in a field group too..so may be this doesn't help also.

Actually just looked up the dinky muzzle , looks very much like the one he has.
 
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You can find the Dinky Rug muzzle here - http://www.tackandturnout.co.uk/10-Grazing-Muzzle
I've been using them for years on my Shetland, and i've also got my mums warmblood in one (my mum hates the Bucket type ones).
I promised to photograph the underneath part to another post - keep forgetting.
Can't recommend them highly enough, although my Shetland is a little too effective with his and they do wear out, but they don't rub, are lightweight and my mums horse carried on eating without any prior training.
 
Thank you , maybe mine is too heavy, its delux something or other !! muzzle and its very heavy.
 
I have tried one of these muzzles on my horse, he hates it, won't even try to eat and spends all his time trying to get it off. He eventually broke it last week and was happily grazing for about an hour:eek: I wouldn't dare leave a horse in one of these for longer than a couple of hours. I've gone back to starvation paddocks at night and in with hay/straw mix during the day.
 
I can't muzzle my horse either, he goes mad in throwing himself about and hitting his head against anything and everything so I've given up, he's out for about 4 to 5 hours a day then in and ridden most days, which is working:)
 
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