Muzzling guilt

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Peglo

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please tell me it gets better?

First time muzzling and the guilt is bad. And she seems sad. Will she cheer up about it? I’m hoping in a month I’ll be able to free her but any words of support would be appreciated 🙏🏻
 
Leave her for 1/2 an hour to an hour and let her get over herself. Saus actively guilt trips you and pretends she can’t eat if you muzzle her, so I just leave her until she gets over herself and then she seems happy enough! If it means they get to spend more time out with their herd being a horse, that’s a win.

Natives, and most horses in general, are designed to walk great distances nibbling on whatever high-fibre, low-energy stalks they find in their path, muzzles mimic this action.
 
It gets better. I now have absolutely no issues at all with muzzling my pony. I think if you know you have a correctly fitted and adjusted, nothings rubbing etc they will be fine.
The only time I now struggle in in very hot weather because however nice a muzzle you have I just feel It can't be nice to be breathing into something. This kind of weather Im totally fine with!
 
smolmaus said:
Every time I put the muzzle on its immediately followed by a handful of treats which, to a short term thinker, seems to take the sting out of it 😂
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Oh yes, my girls get 1/2 an apple each in their muzzle when I put it on and now they definitely don’t mind it going on! Erin’s even started actively shoving her head into the muzzle for the apple!
 
both my previous ponies wore muzzles, Jester who was 14.2 Dales and had PPID and 11.3hh Dartmoor who literally breathed air and got fat, they soon get the hang of it, my two could even eat hay out of a greedy feeder net with their muzzles on (I used greenguard for both) it did wreck their teeth somewhat though but that was the lesser evil of that or laminitis.
 
I did feel bad until BF designed a muzzle that allowed sufficient air in without rubbing, that also restricted grass. Rigs used to get asthma, had an inhaler etc, but this year, apart from a few coughs on about three occasions, has breathed easily.

He shoves his head in the muzzle every morning.

I think the only issue may be that I trust the process that much that I have allowed him on grazing that I never would have, such as the rather lush lawn, and the orchard (before the apples dropped). But, he has to enjoy life not just survive!
 
I felt bad when I used a bucket muzzle, which my horse hated. The flexible filly muzzles have been a gamechanger, though I wish that they had an even bigger size than the draft, which only juuuuuust fits.

I dread to think how massive he would be, and the consequences of that, if I had left him unmuzzled. Zero guilt here now.
 
Thanks for the support. 🙂 it does help to hear from others that have to muzzle.

She was pretty agitated to get it off last night when she came in but she was fine to get it on again this morning.

I am hoping that in a month it will be fine to ditch it and I’m mostly relieved to know her grass intake is limited but I do feel bad for her.
 
My first year muzzling was tough ... but is now about 12 years in the past. My cob doesn't remember that new grass can be accessed without a muzzle on. He thinks you need to pt it on for new field to open int he rotation. Muzzle on = his hjappiest self now because it means freedom and grass!
 
nikkimariet said:
She’d be more sad if her feet were dropping off from lami tbh
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This.

One of the RDA ponies is muzzled 24/7 most of every summer, she is as grumpy as heck about it, although tbf, she does cooperate when it's being put back on after riding. We were very pleased that we could leave the muzzle off sometimes during the very dry summer this year.
We tell ourselves (and her) that she's much better off wearing a muzzle than having laminitis.
 
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