Grazing Muzzles

[swinfen]

I have a 15.2 Appaloossa mare who is on the cobby side and loves her food. Even though there doesn't look as though there is much grass in her field (due to it being so dry) she is looking decidedly chunky. During the winter she lost some of her summer 'fat' and looked great - although she will never be 'sleek'. I do want to keep the weight off her so am thinking of using a grazing muzzle - strip grazing is out of the question due to access to fresh water. I work full time so going up to stables twice a day isn't really an option at the moment, so was thinking of one day on, one day off (with the muzzle) Anyone out there have any experience with fatties and muzzles ??

 

[michelleice]

where is her water supply? cant u strip graze her from it up? i have experience of the bucket muzzles from a lammy pony and all i will say is if they don't like it be prepared for a broken nose or knock to the head lol as this is what my pony did. only thing is if you aren't up there twice a day i wouldn't recommend a muzzle as they can come off/be pulled off or come loose or you will get some idiot remove it as they feel your starving your horse (had that happen a few times)

sorry im not much help really

 

[JenTaz]

i have two of the webbing grazing muzzles for my two faties and they are doing the trick at the moment and have been for the last month and a half they are the roma ones so are nice and soft compared to the green caurd ones which i have been told give your horses blisters, just be prepared for her to give the muzzle hell untill she figures out how to eat with it.

 

[FleabittenT]

Had a webbing grazing muzzle on my 15.1hh good-doer mare last summer. Within a fortnight, she figured out how to roll & slide it off over her ears, before I'd even got the gate locked behind her...

Tried the GreenGuard muzzle but didn't get on with it at all. She kept snapping the leather bits that hold the mouthpiece on, I started taping them to stop them gaping & getting hooked, but then I worried in case they didn't snap & she got stuck

I work f/t too, so in the end we arranged for another livery to bring them both in before work, & I put them out over night. She was in 6am-4pm with soaked hay, then ridden most days & turned out around 6pm. Seemed to help keep her weight down in the end. Good luck!