Grazing Muzzles - Thoughts??

AmyMay

AmyMay

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I wondered what people's feelings were about grazing muzzles, generally.

I am for them in principle. However, it occurred to me yesterday, whilst looking at a couple of horses who were wearing them - that they could be a serious health problem for many horses in the heat.

Example. Hot, hot day here yesterday. Horses wearing bucket muzzles could overheat due to the design of the muzzles - and I've yet to see a horse drink with one on. Certainly one horse yesterday was quite distressed, and I removed the muzzle to allow it to drink before putting it back on. Some of the horses where also wearing fly rugs - so again lack of air flow and potential to overheat.

Thoughts???
 
I'm looking to buy some, as my 3 horses are basically on 5 hectares of really good grass. I can't bring all 3 of them in (1 gets very stressed in teh stable) and they don't respect electric fencing. And we can't afford to put post and rail in. There is 95% of the time someone at home, so they will be wearing them for about 3 or 4 hours at a time. I don't think they should be worn for too long!
 
could see how it could be a worry. My oh mare has one of the shires ones and she doesn't seem to suffer in the heat. Drinks in it (have waited around until she does so I don't worry all day!). Think you do get decent airflow with the muzzles and fly rugs. In a perfect world I would like to do without both, but until the fatty learns not to eat herself to death, and the flys learn to do the same, then they are def the lesser of the two evils!
 
I'm for grazing muzzles in principle and when I worked for a feed company they were a standard line of recommendation to restrict grass intake for overweight, laminitic or good doing ponies.

However, having recently acquired a fell pony who is extremely good doing I have found it much harder than it is on paper. He went out in a bucket muzzle twice, he seemed to cope quite well with it and didn't appear too stressed, however after 2 hours on the first day and 4 hours on the second day he had rubbed a large sore on his chin and a smaller one on his nose simply from eating the grass through it (he seemed to develop a technique of rubbing his nose along the floor to get the grass - and believe me he will have done it for all 4 hours he was out without stopping!). The bucket muzzle was also very warm and sweaty with lots of condensation / moisture on the inside. I have to admit I didn't try any other styles (I've heard the greenguard ones are very good), I have opted for limited time out on a well grazed field and increased exercise (he was just broken in spring so it was a delicate balance between learning and not pushing too much and exercise to keep his weight down!).

I think they are useful but I wouldn't want to out one on for excessively long periods of time or all the time.
 
I have both the shires type and a greenguard type.

The shires one is useful if you really want to restrict your horses grazing as it seems really difficult for horses to eat anything through them. But I agree with those above that I wouldn't want to leave it on too long. I use it for my mare if we have a sudden flush of grass and she balloons into an elephant before I notice. (Believe me, she can put an incredible amount of weight on in just one day!)
Once her weight is back under control, I use the greedguard muzzle. I find that she can eat quite well through this but it probably reduces her intake by about half. This seems to keep her at an acceptable weight. But I do make sure that she comes in to a haynet for a few hours each day so that she can have complete break from wearing her muzzle. This seems to work for her.

Out of the 2 I prefer the greedguard for warm weather as it is quite airy - she has never sweated in it.
 
I had similar concerns when I first bought one for my mare, but it has worked very well. She is a cob x WB, type that lives on fresh air, but was competing at Novice BE. Last year she wore it from spring to autumn with no problems. She is stabled during the day and turned out on crappy pasture at night so her grass was pretty restricted anyway :D

I see her drink with hers every day and have never seen her distressed by the heat. She grumped and huffed at me when it first went on but accepted it quickly. I use a bucket style muzzle with modifications - sheepskin around the straps to prevent rubbing, or I put it over the top of her fly mask.. and a good amount of duct tape wrapped around the rubber bucket where her chin touches it has prevented any soreness. OK, it's not perfect, but it means she can still have turnout.

She wore it again this spring but I've found an almost bare paddock for the summer, so she can go out with her weight-watching companion with no muzzle - hooray!
 
They are a godsend!

I use the shires bucket muzzle and for me it means the pony can go out with the horse overnight in the same field and the fact that I don`t have to endure an unsightly 'stripped bare' weed patch (which is also stressed grass so stupidly high in sugar and still lethal) greeting me everytime I walk out the door is a definate bonus!

He comes in during the day so only has it on 12/24. I don`t think i`d be happy to have him out on a searing hot day in one but if needs must then I would, as hey, that`s got to be better than a fat pone at risk of laminitis!

He drinks in his no problem and now he`s sussed it, he puts his head down to eat when he`s turned out and doesn`t look up until it`s time to come in. To start with he used to paw at the grass and 'scuff' it along but never does this now he`s got the hang of it (you have to be patient and they will eventually)

For anyone suffering with rubs, try getting the next size up (my NF is in a full size as the cob size one rubbed) and some fake fur (noseband liners with velcro less than £2 each from robinsons!) and cut to size and add to straps.

Everyone comments on how fit he looks (which as anybody who has a native will tell you is no mean feat!)
 
My little pony practically lives in her muzzle now. Other ways of keeping her just don't work for her and this is the way that she is happiest. A few busybodies....sorry I mean people on my yard have expressed 'concern' at her wearing the muzzle but I am happy to explain my rationale and reasons.

She is now out with my horse and her pair bond all the time. She comes in everyday for between 2-4 hours to have the muzzle off and she has a haynet and small feed. Twice a week for 12 hours at night she is turned out without the muzzle on, this enables her to catch up on some snogging and grooming with her boyf ;)

She grazes happily (just a limited amount) and drinks freely with the muzzle on. As for the heat it has stopped her little pink nose getting sunburnt so there is that advantage.
 
I have a bucket one, my mare is wearing hers now with a fly mask, though how long it will remain on her is another story!

She is in a huge field with quite a big of grass, so I don't want to stable her so she has a muzzle on in the daytime, being a WC x WB she too lives on thin air!

She drinks with it all the time, no worries at all.
 
yes, their noses get hot and sweaty, and if the muzzle does not fit it will rub. To say they won't drink is not correct. My pony has been wearing a best friend muzzle for years. Some days he tries to rub it off his nose, most days he doesn't bother. He knows he can eat grass through it. He drinks freely. It stops him getting massively fat and it means he can go out in the field with the big horse. At night he comes into a smaller corral and I take the muzzle off.
 
Phil always has a drink before I bring him in and when I turn him out. He has no problem drinking with his :) I don't like them. I always feel guilty, but it's a hell of a lot better than the alternative and he can eat and drink just fine :)
 
I think with ours they would just be something to keep them amused for the first half hour or so, cos after that they would be off and on the floor and grazing would be resumed as normal! :D
 
Small shetland at yard has a slight attack of lami and her owner is going to get a muzzle for her hoping they do one in a shetland size.
 
I use a shires one (i think!) and now he's used to it I'm happier. He is still somehow managing to get very fat, but am thinking of what he would be like if he didn't wear it! I can't stable him at the moment as the stables aren't quite.... built! But will be done soon!

It was a nightmare at first though, when he used to clobber me with the muzzle once I'd put it on, and then go on a couple of hours lie-down strike!! Oh well, at least he wasn't eating!!!
 
HI All

I have a green guard one for my cobby pony, i tried a webbing one once and it lasted a whole 2 hourse before he utterly destroyed it! I ve had the same green guard muzzle for 6 years now, and only problem ive had is replacing the leatehr straps as they wear out, apart from that its great and i find it the best type to use if your pony is an escape artist!
 
Nearly every horse on my yard wears one.

They all eat and drink just fine, the main problem people have had was when the dentist came out he suggested those in greenguards all had chipped teeth and loss of enamel on them. I dont know how true this is though since im no dentist!

Mine is no longer in a muzzle but last year he wore his greenguard and shires alternatively and was fine. Thankfully we have a smaller paddock now which I much prefer!
 
I don't like those bucket muzzles with the rubber hole bit at the bottom that most places seem to sell but I got a leather from from Shires made from strips of leather. It's bucket style but the strips allow more airflow and the sizing isn't as tight as the other bucket muzzles tend to be.
 
amymay said:
I wondered what people's feelings were about grazing muzzles, generally.

I am for them in principle. However, it occurred to me yesterday, whilst looking at a couple of horses who were wearing them - that they could be a serious health problem for many horses in the heat.

Example. Hot, hot day here yesterday. Horses wearing bucket muzzles could overheat due to the design of the muzzles - and I've yet to see a horse drink with one on. Certainly one horse yesterday was quite distressed, and I removed the muzzle to allow it to drink before putting it back on. Some of the horses where also wearing fly rugs - so again lack of air flow and potential to overheat.

Thoughts???
Click to expand...

I have 'modified' my pony's webbing one. He was breathing quite heavily in it - claustrophobia? - so I cut most of the webbing away from the front. He drinks in it quite happily, though. I'm certain of that as I've seen him.
 
My girl is out at night and in during most of the day to restrict her grazing because otherwise she gets HUGE even though she's on a small and fairly sparse paddock... but I will use a muzzle occasionally if she's looking a bit chubby :p

Agree there are downsides to them, but better than a fat/lami horse :)
 
Milkmaid said:
They are a godsend!

I use the shires bucket muzzle and for me it means the pony can go out with the horse overnight in the same field and the fact that I don`t have to endure an unsightly 'stripped bare' weed patch (which is also stressed grass so stupidly high in sugar and still lethal) greeting me everytime I walk out the door is a definate bonus! The thinking has changed somewhat on this, and the latest research suggests it would be impossible to eat the quantiy of fructans to cause a problem

He comes in during the day so only has it on 12/24. I don`t think i`d be happy to have him out on a searing hot day in one but if needs must then I would, as hey, that`s got to be better than a fat pone at risk of laminitis!

He drinks in his no problem and now he`s sussed it, he puts his head down to eat when he`s turned out and doesn`t look up until it`s time to come in. To start with he used to paw at the grass and 'scuff' it along but never does this now he`s got the hang of it (you have to be patient and they will eventually)

For anyone suffering with rubs, try getting the next size up (my NF is in a full size as the cob size one rubbed) and some fake fur (noseband liners with velcro less than £2 each from robinsons!) and cut to size and add to straps.

Everyone comments on how fit he looks (which as anybody who has a native will tell you is no mean feat!)
Click to expand...

Iv'e also added the fleece muffs to the sides and use the padded head and throat pieces the muzzle came with.
 
The thinking has changed somewhat on this, and the latest research suggests it would be impossible to eat the quantiy of fructans to cause a problem
Click to expand...

I`m not convinced as when pony is on a 'bare' stressed paddock his pulses are always up when he comes in and he`s 'footy', but never when muzzled on 'good' grass.

It`s all so complicated when i`m used to T.B`s, I thought ponies were ment to be easy keepers!
 
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