Grazing Muzzle Woes

sonjafoers

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I've just put my mare into a grazing muzzle due to the fact she is looking like a beach ball on legs already, and the plan is (was) to have it on for 12 hours during the day and off overnight. However she isn't grazing at all and I'm a bit stressed about it :(

She has a Dinky muzzle which fits well and had it on for just over an hour on day 1, 3 hours on day 2 and day 3 which was yesterday 4 hours in the morning, a 2 hour break for riding & to have her feed and then 3 hours again later. I have put it on again this morning.

She isn't even attempting to graze, I watch her from a distance and she is just standing looking around but not trying to get it off. I'm giving her treats through it & poking grass through but when I take it off there's not even a tip of grass in there & it's completely clean so I know she isn't eating.

My mini has the same one & I'm not even sure it reduces his grazing at all! He is constantly eating in his even managing to get leaves off branches & eat twigs so I expected my mare to be the same.

I've searched on here & other forums and have read that some horses just don't take to them at all and owners have to give up. Has anyone else experienced that? I'm happy to persevere but am slightly worried that if she goes such long periods without eating it could cause some digestive issues/ulcers regardless of how unhappy she will be.

How long do you think I should continue?
 

Cragrat

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have you enlarged the hole a bit?
It is a bit annoying tohave to take a knife to a brand new muzzle, but I found enlarging the hole by about a cm really helped.
They eventually wear the hole bigger themselves, usually in a oval shape, so you are just speeding up the process.

I also cut some straps away from infront of the nostrils to keep them cooler.

I use cheaper shires muzzles though.

A bit of sulking from your pony now is better than pts from laminitis later!

Mine wear theirs 24/7 at first - your may decide to starve in the day and gorge at night.
Later, when the spring flush has calmed down, then I take them off at night.
 

sonjafoers

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Thank you for your reply Cragrat, I have just come back from checking her again & a friend at the yard suggested exactly what you've said so we cut a section from the bottom of the muzzle. She now has a strip to graze through rather than a small square at either side if that makes sense.

She just isn't attempting to graze though, I've been there a few hours and not once has she even put her head down even after the modification.

I think I might do as you do and keep her in it 24/7 for a few days at least, I'm sure she won't completely starve herself so that way she will have to try & eat. Do you think that might work? I don't like the thought of putting her through even more unhappiness but it might just force her to start grazing.
 

Cragrat

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Can you tell which are her droppings - i.e. is she doing any / what consistency /size etc are they? that would tell you if anything is going through the digestive system.

Also, is she drinking? Any signs of deyhdration?

Does she have a favourite bucket food? How about offering soggy unmollased sugar beet, whilst still wearing the muzzle? This is good for digestion and hydration.

The other thing is the tightness around the jaw - I found mine are better in oversized muzzles, to allow room for the jaw to open and close comfortably - my pony was in a cob size, the 14.2 in a full size, and my 16.2 fatty dumblood is in an extra-full.
 

sonjafoers

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She is in a field with my other mare & a mini overnight and when I pooh picked today there did seem to be slightly less than usual but only slightly. I'm not sure if she's drinking as they have a stream so nothing to measure but I will check for dehydration when I go down again tonight. I am a bit worried but want to persevere because I don't really have any other option. I have some speedibeet which she doesn't normally have so I'll make her up some & try that,it's a good idea, thank you.

Her muzzle is quite loose around the jaw but I couldn't exchange for a smaller size as it's nearly at it's maximum in length around the ears if you see what I mean. I can get a few fingers in & she has no trouble eating the treats I poke through or whinnying whilst wearing it. She is 14.2hh and it's a large size and it seems a good fit.

I think I will leave it on overnight tonight and see what happens, hopefully she will be grazing by the morning.
 

heebiejeebies

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I was just about to say offer her a bucket of something tasty - maybe she is so busy sulking she doesn't realise she can actually eat with it on ;)
 

sonjafoers

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I gave her some speedibeet as Cragrat suggested & she wolfed it down, she was trying to bite with her front teeth once she got to the bottom of the bucket so she can do it. After that I spent ages poking grass in and she was pushing down with her front teeth to bite at it so I was convinced she'd cracked it. I then left her in the field and hid watching her for about 20 minutes but she didn't graze once.

I've left it on tonight but will go back later to spy. How much longer do you think I should try?
 

heebiejeebies

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I very much doubt she will starve herself, she will eat when she's hungry. I wouldn't give her any more bucket feeds though so she isn't relying purely on them!
 

Holly Hocks

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Mine did this when I first got one last year. I use the shires ones and ended up making the hole in the bottom larger and that seemed to work. Unfortunately mine is the Houdini muzzle remover this year. She has removed every type of muzzle every day. We had one day when she kept one on which had been seriously adapted with the help of baler twine by me - next day it was gone again!
 

heebiejeebies

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Mine did this when I first got one last year. I use the shires ones and ended up making the hole in the bottom larger and that seemed to work. Unfortunately mine is the Houdini muzzle remover this year. She has removed every type of muzzle every day. We had one day when she kept one on which had been seriously adapted with the help of baler twine by me - next day it was gone again!

Plait her forelock through the headpiece :)
 

Doublethyme

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Try a greenguard. More expensive but they seem to settle and accept them better than the bucket type. Although I have known two horses that couldn't cope with muzzles, but both showed stress when trying them and shutdown and not just not understanding how to eat.
 

sonjafoers

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Hollyhocks I undersand your frustration, my mini did it with his initially and I tried a few before I got the Dinky one which he took to straightaway and has never tried to remove.

When I went back about 8 last night she seemed to be grazing, I watched her from a distance as I know if I go onto the yard she will just come and stand at the gate, but she was definately moving around the field with her head seemingly grazing. I won't know if she's actually eating until I get into the field with her so I am on my way down now to check.

Thank you for your replies everybody, I'm hoping she's finally got the hang of it though!
 

loopylucifer

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I would try a greenguard one I persevered with a bucket one but my horse just stressed in it. much happier with a greengaurd one had to poke the grass though the holes to start but very quickly got the hang of it. she has it vet wrapped on her headcollar.
 
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