grazing muzzles - you told me they rubbed but...

[mandyroberts]

So I read the forum. Pony (15.2 trakehner) was so fat - ridden 7 days/week but our grazing is ridiculous with the rain we have had. Got grazing muzzle with sheepskin and have sewn on loads more (I haven't sewn anything for years). But some nights he gets it off and its still done up! Rubs are looking loads better, I had to make the hole bigger as he had tantrums and he is losing weight, but do your horses regularly get their grazing muzzles off? The back hoof behind ear is an interesting manoeuvre!

 

[ester]

Mine is probably a bit too old to be that bendy! His only comes off if he rolls and manages to rub the velcro open (has numerous elastic bands to help this ) at which point I sigh and think better on some time than no time at all.

 

[Fides]

Plait his forelock and attach it to the grazing muzzle - take some forelock and some mane so the grazing muzzle is between the two and plait them together - pony stumped!

 

[ebonyallen]

I have the Greenguard one and to date she has not managed to get it off, my friends horse got hers off every day, this she did buy walking up to her mate pushing muzzle in said horses face, they then grabbed hold of muzzle and her horse pulled backwards ................... Job done happens every day, think they are two very clever horses. The hoof trick sounds like someone has thought about it lol

 

[starry23]

I used a muzzle with sheepskin padding. My horse hated it, always tried to get it off and succeeded. Even with the hole bigger she wasn't happy.

I switched to a greenguard and she doesn't even try to get it off, she is really happy in it. We've had a few issues with rubbing but I think I've got it sussed now. She can eat more through it than the other muzzle but it is suiting us well and she is a really nice weight.

 

[Evie91]

I'll be very interested to hear any other suggestions.

I've tried plaiting muzzle in but pony rubs until she loosens the plait enough and the actual muzzle hangs under her chin.
Any other suggestions?
I've tried three brands of muzzle now, also used head collar over the top but pony manages to get it over her little ears in under a minute!
It's so frustrating!

 

[Copperpot]

Mine has to be in a paddock on his own else my other horse takes it off within about 5 mins.

He also goes around taking everyones fly masks off too. He's not helpful.

On his own he hasn't got it off once. It's a greengaurd one.

 

[mandyroberts]

I'm pleased its not just me. I have also caught his best pal taking it off for him

 

[starry23]

I'll be very interested to hear any other suggestions.

I've tried plaiting muzzle in but pony rubs until she loosens the plait enough and the actual muzzle hangs under her chin.
Any other suggestions?
I've tried three brands of muzzle now, also used head collar over the top but pony manages to get it over her little ears in under a minute!
It's so frustrating!

I tried plaiting, I tried a head collar over the top. The only thing that worked was grazing muzzle on then a fly rug with ear holes (a Swish one for example, for some reason I can't seem to link to it) over the top which was then held in place with a fieldsafe headcollar (I stitched straps on the rug to loop the headcollar through).... She couldn't remove it that way but she was so miserable. I only used it like that for a couple of days while I waited for the greenguard to arrive. She just wears the greenguard one with nothing else to keep it on, I took the "throatlash" type strap off and made the headcollar fieldsafe myself. A friend's pony keeps her shires comfort muzzle on no bother and seems happy in it. I suppose different muzzles suit different horses. I think mine prefers the airy-ness of the greenguard.

 

[Goldenstar]

Tatts took off Fattys I had to give up with it .

 

[ester]

those that have plaited in and not succeeded is that stitched?

 

[Evie91]

Not stitched, bands several. Tried lots of different ways - banding in small sections then plaiting with bands all the way down the plait. Then pulling more mane over and banding this over the plait. Probably takes pony ten minutes as opposed to one minute to get it off this way - took me longer to put it on. The only thing is due to the plait it doesn't come all of the way off and was dangling under her chin and strap partly across her face (near her eye), so gave up on this after a three attempts as was worried she would do herself damage. Think pony sees it as a challenge!

Starry23 thanks for your suggestions. Think I'll have a look at the green guard muzzles. It is one make I've not tried!

 

[ester]

Ah, I only ask because I always stitch my plaits in as find it easier as have a lot of hair and I struggle to get them out at the end of the day so wondered how much rubbing was going on. Good luck with other options .

 

[Copperpot]

I didn't try plaiting as I was worried that if I did it too well when my other horse pulls the muzzle off he'd take the forelock with him 😳

 

[Dizzle]

Using a couple of loose ish plaiting bands I tend to gather a bunch of mane from either side of the head piece and band them together to help hold it on.

Forgot to do it on Sunday, searched the entire field twice and couldn't find muzzle, it was located in the next field over, very muddy. Me thinks the horses in the next field might have assisted her!

 

[Evie91]

Can't sew, so that's not an option for me

I can see what you mean copperpot - a scalped horse wouldn't be good!

 

[suestowford]

Mine can't get his off when it's plaited in. I don't sew the plait in, but do use a human hair tie to bunch the hair from either side of the headpiece, then plait , then use a plaiting band to secure the end of the plait. Make a thick tight plait (it sticks straight up in the air and does look comical) and no amount of rubbing will get that off.

 

[Evie91]

Dizzy - once my pony has got hers off, she actually tramples it, then picks it up and throws it over the fence!

 

[Copperpot]

Can't sew, so that's not an option for me

I can see what you mean copperpot - a scalped horse wouldn't be good!

I have also since hogged him so it's not an option for me either lol.

To be fair as long as he's in a paddock on his own and the fence bordering his mates field is electric he keeps it on. I had to put some tape up over the gate too as they would lean over it and it would get taken off still.

He would stand there and call to Chester until he came trotting over to take it off for him 😊

 

[starry23]

I always just used bands to plait. My plaiting skills are awful so it wouldn't surprise me if that was part of the issue!

 

[Nessa4]

We have a pony on our yard who used to go through muzzles at a rate of knots, then one day his owner looked across at him in the field and was cheering because he appeared to be calmly grazing still intact. Turned out he'd somehow managed to completely remove the bottom of it and was grazing unfettered! (Never did find the missing bit) She gave up at that point.