Muzzles, who's using one as of now?

custard

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 March 2007
Messages
2,925
Location
Worcestershire
Visit site
I feel so mean to have put W's on tonight but watching him graze (our field looks green from a distance but very short and sparse close up) he really does nibble right to the roots and gets his money's worth out of every mouthful. Trouble is it's not really long enough to poke much through the muzzle either so worried he will go all night with next to nothing arrrgggghh!
 
I am, me and two friends have 5 horses between us and all have a muzzle on when they're out during the day (they're in at night) - we're on old dairy grazing so its incredibly lush and really coming though now, better feeling a bit cruel and having a mask then dealing with lami.
 
My fell is still in at night, but as of tommorow she is getting her grass muzzle on. It may be mean but she's starting to gain weight and I want to stop it before the worst of the spring grass comes through.
 
First time using one this year, as on very lush river side grazing. Shetty doesn't get it though, just doesn't eat, so they're only on decent grazing every other day, and he has his muzzle on for 4 hours whilst on it, then off for about 4 hours, then back on crappy winter grazing for the night. Wish he'd just learn to get on with it so I can leave it on happily for the daytime!!!!
 
Not using a muzzle as he is still on his winter paddock which was trashed so just nibbling bits as it grows through...still on mainly hay diet and I stable him at night too so I can measure how much he eats and keep him as slim as possible.
 
My pony has had her muzzle on all through winter.

Mine too, except for the ODD afternoon after riding in the morning and he would only be out a few hours before coming back in for the night.

Also, I thing it depends the reason you are muzzling, weight control only or prone to lami, mine is for lami reasons so would only ever have it off in the winter anyway for a few hours as I've said above
 
Mine wear theirs all year round, they come in every night and wear muzzles every day.
They live on a beef farm and however much I beg, my husband still puts fertilizer on the fields so it's very lush.

My husband is banned from my paddock but has snuck a few in lamb ewes in there.
Mine wears a muzzle 24/7 over grass growing period. Worked for us last year and mare looks great on it.
 
Our cbx has been in hers for a week now. The grazing is still pretty poor, but the size of her belly suggests she is finding more than enough - so time to get the muzzle on. I do feel bad that she has to wear it, especially in this glorious weather, but I think it would be cruel to allow her to gain the weight and put her joints under stress.
 
I just cant stomach the idea of putting either of mine in a muzzle! Seren, who is a 12.2 welsh x very good doer, is on a 10x10 pen over night and then in the stable with a soaked net during most of the day, and Mels, a 14.2 Fell also a good doer but not as dangerously as Seren, is in a 40x40 pen and in during the day. Neither are worked as such as Mels is lame with Spavins and Seri is off to sud fairly soon. Id rather restrict and stable than put a muzzle on...It just seems like chinease water torture!!
 
I'm now joining the hoards!!! How did we ever used to manage??? I've never used muzzles before this year, but my mare despite full work is still gaining too much weight from grass so I bought her a muzzle yesterday! Looking at my youngsters one of them is joining the gang too as of tomorrow! He's a sec D cross and looking too well, so getting him a muzzle tomorrow.

Have things really changed that much since I was a kid??? We never seemed to have these issues? Maybe the livery yards we always used were just over populated! Therefore lots of horses per acre to graze it down! And now I'm at a less populated yard!!

I do feel cruel but would rather they stayed out more with more room than be stabled or kept on starvation paddocks.
 
My shetland would fret herself into a frenzy if she was kept in isolation like that. I'd rather her walking around with the rest of the lads and keeping active than stuck in on her own.

I think if she could talk she'd take the muzzle over segregation anyday!
 
Top