How well does your horse eat through their muzzle?

[Cheshire Chestnut]

Muzzled my greedy chubby Welsh D this week and I felt so mean - he gave me such an upset look. It's for the greater good, I'd feel much worse if he ended up with lami or colic.

Anyway, he's usually really clever when it comes to food related matters (very good at treat balls, finding things in hay etc) but he's not understanding or figuring out how to eat through his muzzle - just is frustrated and wipes his nose on the floor and stands looking depressed. It's fitted properly and is the right size so it's not a fitting problem - just a pony brain meltdown one!

How long did it take your horses to get to grips with nibbling grass through their muzzle?

 

[touchstone]

I had to cut the hole slightly larger on my mare's muzzle, once she realised that she could actually eat something through it I was able to use a normal sized one with no problem. I was ready to give up completely as she'd been hurling herself about to the point of being dangerous before that.

 

[Cragrat]

I guess you have tried poking bits of grass through for him?

You could also take a knife and cut the hole a bit bigger, though all 3 I have muzzled end up making the hole bigger by themselves anyway. But if hes really not getting it, a bigger hole could help him get going.

2 of mine learnt within an hour, thought they still sulked and fussed for a coup,e of days. The 3rd took longer, but still got the hang after a couple of days. I always poke a treat through the hole once it's on, and she doesn't object to it going on now. At least she gets to out with her friends, have a whizz around and a roll etc- preferable to the stable or an starvation paddock in isolation.

ETA cross posted

 

[pixie]

Minutes. Though he made sad, starving pony faces every time he thought I was looking

 

[webble]

Mine has a green guard and once I*had*shown him what to do he was fine

 

[sydney02]

I tried all different kinds of the bucket type muzzles, roma, hy, cob sized, full sized, tightened up, loose... She still couldn't get any grass through it unless I poked it through for her, she'd just toss her head around and get really frustrated. I cut a bigger hole in it and now she can eat through it.
With the normal sized hole she went out for 3 days and still didn't get it, with the bigger hole she got it straight away

 

[catwithclaws]

Arguably mine clearly still eats too well through his! He's got the shires bucket type muzzle. He still gives me a long-suffering look when I put it on, but he doesn't even try and take it off now as he knows he can eat through it. Can easily hear the rip-rip of grass when I go to get him in! Granted the grass in the field is plenty long enough to not make it completely impossible for him

 

[mandyroberts]

I had to make the hole bigger. I think they make them for pony types who really need to cut back drastically and if they sold them with bigger holes you couldn't reduce the size.

 

[twiggy2]

the pony never got the idea and the horse was fine within the hour

 

[laura_nash]

Depends on how long the grass is, when I muzzled mine on short (very green) grass a couple of years ago I had to provide some low sugar haylage too to be sure he was getting enough fibre - well shaken out he could eat this through the muzzle fine. On long grass he has no trouble.

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

Thanks everyone. The grass is long in parts so he shouldn't be having too much trouble with it being too short. I might try and make the the hole bigger, just worry if I make it bigger then he will carry on making it bigger hehe.

Will see how he gets on tomorrow

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

It's the bucket style Shires one - very fluffy and looks comfy

 

[nicelittle]

It won't take long. Our Shetland always looks at us as if she can't eat, but then I saw her biting our other horses' rug with the muzzle on! So it really isn't that hard to eat through, obviously!
We always give hay if the grass is short.

 

[Britestar]

Try a dinky muzzle instead. They get the hang much quicker and you can put them out on much shorter grass.

 

[smellsofhorse]

Arguably mine clearly still eats too well through his! He's got the shires bucket type muzzle. He still gives me a long-suffering look when I put it on, but he doesn't even try and take it off now as he knows he can eat through it. Can easily hear the rip-rip of grass when I go to get him in! Granted the grass in the field is plenty long enough to not make it completely impossible for him

Our dartmoor is the same!
He has the bucket type and he eats far to well through it!
To the point I take it off for a small fibre feed twice a day then he has it on all of the time!
😮(nasty person I am!)

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

Our dartmoor is the same!
He has the bucket type and he eats far to well through it!
To the point I take it off for a small fibre feed twice a day then he has it on all of the time!
��(nasty person I am!)

I've put it back on today and he didn't look half as sad as he did yesterday. His field buddy seems to be taking advantage of him having it on - it must be better for scratching!

Still didn't look like his was grazing when I left to go to work (didn't have the time to hang on while he rolled, found a grazing spot etc) but he appeared to know how to eat treats through it a lot better today.

Think he was hoping with it being his birthday today that I'd leave it off

 

[smellsofhorse]

Depends on how long the grass is, when I muzzled mine on short (very green) grass a couple of years ago I had to provide some low sugar haylage too to be sure he was getting enough fibre - well shaken out he could eat this through the muzzle fine. On long grass he has no trouble.

As mean as it makes us feel and the sad looks they give.
Just remember we are doing it for them, for their health.

 

[pansymouse]

It can't be that difficult, Mads is a dim diva and she's worked it out without the drama I was expecting.