muzzle help please

asbo

asbo

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my little one will throw herself on the ground and have a full on tantrum when muzzled till she gets it off, doesnt matter what ones i try with her and how its fitted, she ended up hurting her back last year when she threw herself over so hard to get it off.
any ideas on how to get her used to it, i have tried her for a few minutes daily etc but even building the time up doesnt seem to work.
also best way to stop them rubbing her, shes a sec a with a tiny muzzle and they always rub her no matter what size i get her, shes currently got a green guard.
 
i use sheepskin to stop mines rubbing. just use a cheap girth sleeve and chop it up! as for getting her used to it. Im not really sure what to suggest. if mine sees me with it in my hand she wont let me near her, you have to be very crafty. she stands their refusing to eat and by the time i get back shes happily grazing away. have you got the option to put in area where there is not alot of grass or no grass at all for the day?
 
we have a fenced off area but its still got grass in it and she would be on her own, plus its pretty difficult to get water too as its at the other end of a 18 acre field and i cant carry the water she would need across.
 
I've got the dinky pony 1 for my 14.2 pony she's got a small face. The muzzle is a good fit and has not rubbed at all. Other that putting her in a smaller paddock/strip graze her you have no choice but to perservere with the muzzling.
 
She may feel trapped wearing a muzzle and may think she can't access any food through it.

To get her used to it, could you try putting it on for just a minute or two at first, increasing as possible and feeding her cut up carrots through the hole, the after a few take the muzzle off. Repeat over a few days, so she sees the muzzle as a way of receiving treats.

Then alternate the carrot with grass, lowering her head by holding you hand just off the floor as you feed them. She will then have got the message she can eat through it, and perhaps hand graze her, helping her feed through it, before setting her free in her field.

As for rubbing you could try to get a sheepskin noseband cover and cut it up to attach around the nose part of the muzzle to lift it off her nostrils?
 
My pony will not eat or drink through the muzzle :( stands at the gate looking very miserable. I've tried poking bits of grass treats through and she doesn't understand. I'm worried bout her not eating or drinking for 10 hours a day. I take the muzzle off overnight.
 
My horse (who is not a pony but a 17hh IDx!!) absolutely hates his muzzle. I've tried him in it a few times and he refuses to even attempt to eat through it, after trying to once. I have put grass through the hole, pony nuts, all sorts. He tried to drink once and nearly drowned himself (not quite as serious as it sounds LOL!) so now if I put his muzzle on, he just stands at the gate neighing and looking miserable.

I think I'm going to see if I can make the hole in the muzzle a bit bigger...
 
I poked slices of carrot through my horses muzzle, you could make the hole bigger as suggested until he gets used to it then you'd have to buy another one, keep the bigger hole one for when the grass gets shorter. I use sheepskin nosebands cut in half length ways, attach with spur straps. I have customised it a bit with a centre strap off a greenguard headcollar, that muzzle didn't work so just used the bits I needed to customise his shires one. Let me know if you want a picy :-)
 
NOISYGIRL said:
I poked slices of carrot through my horses muzzle, you could make the hole bigger as suggested until he gets used to it then you'd have to buy another one, keep the bigger hole one for when the grass gets shorter. I use sheepskin nosebands cut in half length ways, attach with spur straps. I have customised it a bit with a centre strap off a greenguard headcollar, that muzzle didn't work so just used the bits I needed to customise his shires one. Let me know if you want a picy :-)
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to do something because he just can't work out how to eat with it on - I didn't think the idea was that they don't eat because they just stand by the gate looking miserable for the entire day they're wearing it!!
 
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