Grazing muzzles - pros and cons

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Natassia

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My horse went out 24/7 on Monday and has put on weight already, and I've cut his feed down to a quarter of what he used to get, and thats a fibre-based feed, he has to have it because he needs supplements for his arthritis. He's really happy living out but I can't have him putting on much weight because of his arthritic pastern, so I'm considering getting a grazing muzzle, but are they cruel, do they stop their natural behaviour?
 
No they're not cruel, try a greenguard grazing muzzle, pricey compared to the rest but do the best job. Only thing they can't do is scratch other horses if they have it on but they can eat (though obviously not as much) & drink with it. There was a posting the other day about this - have a look for it if you have time.
 
Another vote for Greenguard! As has been said they are expensive but when you take the time to fit them correctly they really work well. My horse is in one as from yesterday & he has no problems. He eats, drinks fine & he never gets 'grass bloat'. He remains in great shape, good condition & very fit. Some of the 'bucket type' rub the horse badly & people fit padding, cut larger holes etc.....this just says they were poorly designed to start withj. Greenguard is the only one that was designe with the assistance of vets.
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Muzzles aren't cruel at all........Laminitis is cruel & is totally preventable these days & muzzles are a valuable tool in the fight to prevent it.
 
It's more cruel IMO to let them get fat and risk their health. My horse moved to fertilised grazing on Thursday and was already fat, so I put her muzzle on and she sulked. She was so miserable I put her in her stable overnight with some rubbishy old hay and she was as perky as anything this morning, even pleased to go out in her field with her muzzle on again. If I had no stable I would be putting her muzzle on for 12-18 hours a day. She can still graze and drink in it but she can't groom her friends over the fence, that's about all it stops.
My horse had a Greenguard one and managed, however much I adjusted it, to eat round the side of it. I MUCH prefer the Greenguard but I now have her in a webbing bucket-type one. It has extra holes cut around the nostrils so she can breathe better
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Another one for Greenguard! They can be a bit of a pain to get just "right", comfortable for the horse but doesn't allow them to eat around it. When you get the balance though, they are very good
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They aren't cruel at all, although if you're like me you will feel slightly nasty at first. I think all horses stand and 'sulk' when they first have them. Just walk away and don't look back, they will get over it as the day goes on! When a vet came to our yard once he said "It's so nice to see people actually muzzling their horses, rather than just letting them become overweight" (or something similar anyway).
 
My horse destroyed the greenguard one within 2 days. He now has the shires one, it does rub a little under the jaw, but we cope with that.

Much less cruel than letting him suffer with laminitis and have to be pts.

He wears it during the day and comes in at night. I sometimes take it off for an hour in the afternoon if I get time. He will stop wearing it in a few weeks when the grass has been grazed down (7 horses on a 3 acre paddock).

If your horse is out 24/7, put a muzzle on during the day and take it off at night.
 
The only problem I've had is with using the shires, with a pony with COPD his nose was running very badly after only a few hours so had to take it off, not sure if the greenguard would suit him?
 
Did you know the greenguard are a slightly different design this year? They are not nearly flat anymore, they are much deeper and I defy ANY horse to get their nose out of the side of one now!!!
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