Grazing muzzles, anyone use them?

Keltic

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A few questions, what are the best ones to buy? How long do you leave them on for? Do you leave on over night or in the day? Roughly how much grass can they still get? Any other pieces of advice you can offer me would be greatly apreciated as have never used one before but feel I might need one on my cob very soon.
Thanks
 

Chestnut mare

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Hi, I've used a muzzle on my mare for the first time this year. I'm on a yard with a big field, loads of grass and only the 2 horses. They are living out at the moment. Shes never had laminitis but is a little larger than I would like so am being cautious.
I've got a dinky ponies muzzle (she's 14.2) I put it on about 8am and it comes off around 5/6pm.
She unfortunatly will sulk with it on and just stands at the gate all day does not attempt to eat or drink :(.
I put it on her slowly about 5 minutes to start and then building it up. I've tried poking bits of grass thro but she doesn't get it :rolleyes:.
 

Izzwizz

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I use one on my ISH as he can put weight on at the drop of a hat. I use it all the time hes out and its a Shires one. Hes in at night. Its been washed a lot so that the fabric is softer as they can rub a bit when new. I also put a fluffy girth sleeve over the top behind his poll and this comes down the sides of his face so that the velcro doesnt rub. I wouldnt leave one on overnight for safety reasons. I know some people do. He can get grass through the hole and it may sound silly bit I enlarged it a bit as he was getting stressed at not being able to get hardly any grass and was trying to get it off in a big way. It still limits the amount he gets and I know this by his girth and the weigh tape. He is happy in it, doesnt like it particuarly but now accepts it goes on when he goes out.!
 

ElleSkywalker

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I have had one on on one of my fatties for about a week, she sulks with it on too! :D

She goes out at about 8.30 pm and comes in about 8.30-9 am, she has the muzzle off for about 1 1/2-2 hours in the morning before she comes in.

I did think she wasn't eating etc in it, but when the muzzle is taken off in the am she isn't desparate for grass, she just hangs around for a stratch then toddles off for a chat with her friends, then starts eating so I figure she MUST be eating or would be ravenous by 7am!!

Think they just might be good at making us feel guilty...... :rolleyes:
 

loz9

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I have a dinky one, a shires one & a greenguard one & would choose to use them in that order. The dinky ones are by far the best for my mare as she just twists the shires one to eat through the sides, definately doesn't use the hole, & she hates the greenguard one.
Hers is usually on whenever she is in the field, so approx 18hrs a day atm. She comes in during the afternoon so she can have a breather from it & fill herself on soaked hay. It has rubbed her dispite being lined with fleece material, but I have several that I rotate between so that I can keep them well washed (She loves dunking them in the water buckets so you can imagine the smell that comes off them after a while!) & try to minimise the rubbing.
To begin with I didn't like the idea of using them, but by wearing one she is allowed to spend her time out in the big field with the other horses. She has even learnt to mutually groom the others whilst shes wearing it! & she isn't hugely overweight or suffering from lami atm :D
 

ElleSkywalker

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Oh and its a Shires type one but with padded head and chin pieces, have heard a few suggestion at how much the reducing grass intake by, ranging for 40% - 85% but I tend to work on reducing by 50%.

Oh and the sulky stomping about paddock coz cross with having muzzle on helps too as pony excercising self! He he!:D

Wouldn't like to leave it on for more thant 12 hours at a time :)
 

treacle_beastie

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I use a shires one for a couple of weeks in spring and autumn when they change fields. She didnt get it at first and after a few days I made the hole a bit larger. She happily grazes in it now and still gets loads but not as much as she would without it.

At the moment she wears it from 6pm to 9am - when i'm at work this will be 8pm to 8am.

Shes only had it on a couple of nights and it has already started rubbing her though under her jaw and she has sore pimples at the back of her muzzle. In the autumn she only wore it a few hours so I might swap it round to in the daytime soon so she is in it less.

Also use fleece over the straps which has stopped it from rubbing there.
 

Keltic

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Thanks guys ill go google the various different sorts, seems to be a general opinion that you need to make the hole a little bit bigger? I think i will give one a bash and see how we get on!
Thanks again
 

RobinHood

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I recommend buying the Shires type a size bigger than you think to avoid rubbing round the chin. Most people sew fake fur fabric round the top of the muzzle and the webbing straps which works well. I would wait and see how the horse copes before you make the hole bigger as some horses manage to make it bigger themselves! Electric fencing is better than post and rail so there's nothing to rub it off on, and I'd also advise against catching the horse in the field just to put the muzzle on - it only works a few times ;).
 

Shysmum

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A question close to my heart, as I'm making 8am trips to put Shy's shires muzzle on, and I take off when I get down later - he has about 9 hours off full grass, including exercise time and stuff. His muzzle is attached to a fieldsafe headcollar, which keeps it steady, stops him getting it off, and it seems to stop it rubbing.

I bought a secondhand GG headcollar and a set of muzzles at a tack sale, but it was hopeless - he got the whole lot off with one rub on a fence post. I am now using the straps to attach the shires to the headcollar. Just trying to fit the GG was a nightmare, and he hated it, wheras he's very laid back with his usual one.

Watch this space - one GG headcollar and set of muzzles going on ebay, any time soon (minus any straps of course ;))
 

Chestnut mare

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How quickly do the horses start eating with the muzzle on? My girl has had hers on a month and has made no attempt! The muzzle still looks brand new :confused:. I'm worried about her not eating anything for 9 hours and not drinking in this heat :(. Also if she's not eating (starving herself) will the body start to store fat anyway?
 

Shysmum

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I'm afraid the only way is patience, and very little and often at first.

You need to have some sessions where you put the muzzle on, then hand feed the horse thru the muzzle holes with grass. If necessary, sit down beside her and just keep feeding. Then take it off. Then if you can, put it on for longer periods, reminding her what she should be doing, but keeping an eye on her.

She should click on from that - but if she doesn't (and quite a few don't), you may have to look at stabling for part of the day, tho I'm sure it won't come to that.
 

suestowford

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I recommend buying the Shires type a size bigger than you think to avoid rubbing round the chin. Most people sew fake fur fabric round the top of the muzzle and the webbing straps which works well.
Yes, I had to do that. My 11hh is in a cob size one! I have padded the bucket bit with strips cut off a car sponge and covered in fleece so this one doesn't rub at all. The pony is a clever clogs and figured out how to eat through the hole in about five seconds, have also seen him drinking with it on so I have no guilty feelings about making him wear it. But he only has it on overnight, he comes in during the day.
 

bryngelenponies

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I've got the Roma comfort one, I spent about half an hour teaching my mare to eat with it on- pushing grass though it etc. Didn't take her long to get the hang of it and after a day or two she was happily grazing with it on. I'm also on the 8am shift to put the muzzle on and the 9am shift to take it off- I don't think she appreciates it though!
 
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