Making the eating hole in muzzles bigger

[Yardbird]

How many of you do this? At the livery yard I am at it is common and I mostly have done it too. I mean with the bucket muzzle type the hole does seem very small. Does anyones horse manage to eat with the muzzle as you bought it?

 

[ester]

yup shires deluxe as I bought it no issue at all.

The initial dinky ponies one I did make a hole in the bottom to teach him to use it, but was then fine with a new one of those and then the shires.

 

[rabatsa]

I did once then had to go out and buy another as the greedy sod could eat too much.

 

[oldie48]

I use the dinky muzzle and I don't make any changes to it although with use the hole does get bigger.

 

[holeymoley]

Yes I’ve done it with the shires one I have 2 of. Quite difficult to do though.

I’d like to get another one I can’t remember the name of it but it looks much better than the Shires one, id like a bit more open area at the nostrils.

 

[chaps89]

Mine is exceptionally adept at eating with her muzzle on as it is so she gets no extra help!

 

[Equi]

Rather than make the hole bigger I added a rectangle hole about 1cm width and about 6cm long (XL muzzle!) and he actually uses that to graze not the hole. It works on very short grass and he still lost a good inch on the weightape in a month so it clearly worked.

 

[Surbie]

Made mine slightly bigger with a stanley knife & sanded the edges. Cobbus is missing a tooth at the front and was struggling to use it I think. As soon as it was bigger he was sorted. Losing weight according to the tape, so it's working.

 

[HorsesRule2009]

No, my elderly mare got more than enough food with it on as it came.

Personally I think making the whole bigger defeats the use of the muzzle.

They soon learn to function with it on

 

[Fransurrey]

I did it for my gelding, as he needed more and he had dodgy incisors, but not for my mare, who inhales calories!!

 

[BMWKIPP]

Mine is exceptionally adept at eating with her muzzle on as it is so she gets no extra help!

Snap

 

[Cat91]

Mine could eat fine with his as it came but I've had to stop using it and strip graze him instead because it was rubbing him raw, despite it being fleece-lined!

 

[Spangles]

I've moved over to a Greenguard muzzle. No rubs, better ventilated as much more room around the muzzle, just much kinder - especially in hot weather as no think webbing around the nostrils etc. Make sure you invest in the headcollar too. They are expensive but worth the money IF fitted correctly. We have a 14.2hh light cob (5.5" bit) and she needed the Full size. https://www.greenguardequine.com/

 

[Chinchilla]

My fat sods make the hole bigger themselves 😂

 

[HorsesRule2009]

I've moved over to a Greenguard muzzle. No rubs, better ventilated as much more room around the muzzle, just much kinder - especially in hot weather as no think webbing around the nostrils etc. Make sure you invest in the headcollar too. They are expensive but worth the money IF fitted correctly. We have a 14.2hh light cob (5.5" bit) and she needed the Full size. https://www.greenguardequine.com/

I went for one of these for the reasons stated above, and it rubbed my poor mares face completely raw in just a few hours, so think it depends on the horse and which suits them best, I much prefer muzzling over strip grazing as they generally have more room to move about and still in with other horses

 

[Spangles]

Mine did too but I’d bought the wrong size. I needed the large & no rubbing since. I’ve heard if you don’t use the Greenguard headcollar then rubbing occurs too. Correct sizing is key

 

[miss_c]

No chance.... the mare can eat pretty much anything with it on, so to make the hole bigger would make using the muzzle pointless!

 

[scats]

I do this if a horse is struggling with the concept. I have a ‘sacrifice’ muzzle that I made the hole slightly bigger in. A couple of days in this and then I can put a normal one on. It just helps them get the idea that I’m not actually starving them to death!

 

[ester]

I've moved over to a Greenguard muzzle. No rubs, better ventilated as much more room around the muzzle, just much kinder - especially in hot weather as no think webbing around the nostrils etc. Make sure you invest in the headcollar too. They are expensive but worth the money IF fitted correctly. We have a 14.2hh light cob (5.5" bit) and she needed the Full size. https://www.greenguardequine.com/

Please keep a close eye on their tooth enamel with the greenguard.

 

[miss_c]

Please keep a close eye on their tooth enamel with the greenguard.

Genie ate a hole in a greenguard in one night... I wasn’t impressed with her!