Oh dear. Hovis is not going to be happy.......

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

For the first time in his life he's going to have to be muzzled....
Normally our YO is fabby and doesn't fertilise Hovis' fields as being a mean mum i don't like him on really lush grass.
This year however because grass growth has been so poor we have agreed she's had to fertilise. We've even come back onto our winter fields for a period for her to re-fertilise and rest our summer fields and we're just about to swap back.
Part of me feels an absolute meany but i'm not risking lammi so a greenguard muzzle has been purchased and arrives tomorrow. I wanted one that will still allow him to drink properly because he has a tendancy to dehydrate if you don't watch him.

Anyone else use a greenguard muzzle? Are they any good? Do they rub noses?
Any bets on how long it takes for him to figure out how to get it off?!!

I am predicting major major sulking and a phone call to horseline...........

 

[benson21]

Oh, now I cant wait for this weeks diary!!!!

 

[FriendlyCob]

Ah another person in the same situation as me.... I haven't used mine for years but I can honestly say it the best one around- not that my boy doesn't give it the' mum I'll starve, can't eat eyes!' but then you go back 5 mins later and low there he is eating! Telling porkies isn't he!? Your have to be cruel to be kind, imagine if the worst happened, you'd be devastated.

I can;t say there's ever been any issues with rubbing and once the grass has gone down mine will come off, but may be see how your boys goes... x

 

[Pink_Lady]

Good luck with the muzzle .... I've used a Greengard one in the past - its stayed on but did rub a nasty sore on his chin. Did the job tho

 

[margaretb]

Oh bless; I had to put one on Poppy cos she was a tad too portly, and there wasn't an easy way to fence a section of field off for her. I was dreading putting it on her, but she has been a star! I bought a Kadence one, cheap just in case she destroyed it, but she has only removed it once, although she does have her headcollar over it.

she now wears it during the day, and off at night, her weight has come back down.

 

[sadiedeb]

Poor Hovis looking forward even more than normal to his diary -to find out if he uses the rude language you've taught him and what he thinks of the Hannibal Lecter mask! I'll give him hour to work out how to get it off - then another hour working out where he can hide it

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

Good luck with the muzzle .... I've used a Greengard one in the past - its stayed on but did rub a nasty sore on his chin. Did the job tho

Hum that does concern me a little as his nose skin is so soft. I guess i'll just have to keep a very careful eye on him.
Hopefully he'll only need it until they get the grass down and it loses some of its richness but i'm not risking the big man. Besides which I try very hard to keep him lean and mean and i'm not failing now!!

 

[china]

greenguard are the best for the job but i dont know one that hasnt rubbed yet. I have the simple shires bucket muzzle and i cut the whole slightly larger as i think its abit to small. They drink fine with them on also.

 

[Shazzababs]

I've got one and it did rub, but I've made a chin pad from some fake fur and chunk of foam and this works a treat.

Somone on here made a pad for theirs from a sheepskin car polishing mit.

 

[jnb]

My very sensitive cob is in a 3-strand, 4ft electric fence starvation patch (with his own fencer).
He lost 6 notches off the weigh tape and is now much better weight-wise.

We are strip grazing with the fence and he seems perfectly happy...I wouldn't dare muzzle him as his skin is so sensitive even leaving a leather headcollar on rubs him so I know a muzzle would!

 

[tallyho!]

Ooh, I don't like greenguards... have two, one supposed to be "improved design". It rubs like mad. Unless you have a smooth snout, it hurts. Not for my pouty boy.

Ended up buying £15 Roma Comfort (can still drink, yawn, breath through it and does a good job of keeping sunburn at bay!!! ) and he can eat through it, keeps it on quite happily i.e. doesn't run off like he did at the sight of the greenguard.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

As Pink Lady has said the Greenguard ones tend to rub on their chins. A section or two of sheepskin/fleece noseband covers work well as they can vercro on to the back of the mask. Sparks also has a wodge on the front as she got a sore spot on her nose too.

ETA - Shave any whiskers off his chin as they will catch and be pulled out by the mask.

 

[Double_choc_lab]

I can see a warning coming with the diary post on Friday.

"This post may contain bad language".

Tell him it's a fetish toy to impress his ladies

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

Thanks all.
Will look at fashioning some sort of protection on the chin area and nose.
I tried one of the "bucket" types but his nose is just too big and he couldn't open his mouth properly at all even in the biggest one i could find.
I hate doing it to him but it is for his own good.
I predict much requesting of rescue in fridays diary!!

 

[picolenicole]

I have a Dinky's grazing muzle brill for letting them drink and breathe well, but has rubbed his face. I had to vet wrap all of it and use an old badage on his white side. The bucket part is fleece lined but that's still rubbed!! Also he's almost eatten his way through it, RI had a greegaurd one, she said her welsh cob just slid it out of his way and could still eat the same with it on as without.

 

[Dollysox]

My crafty 24 year old mare had a Greenguard a couple of years ago. Within a day she had learned exactly how to slide it to one side and eat out of the back of it. no matter how tightly it was done up.

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

oh dear. Gaffa tape it is then..........

 

[SilverSkye]

I quick positive review for the greenguard, i was in the same situation at the start of this year, and purchased a greenguard muzzle for my girl. Thought i would be a real wimp when she started wearing it, but i put it on, turned her out pushed some grass through for her and then made sure i watched from a distance as the 'please help my eyes' and cute noises she made melted my heart.
She was only out during the day and she had it on from the morning through till 3 ish when i took it off for half an hour before i bought her in. For the 1st 2 days she hardly ate and i very nearly caved in and took it off, however within a week she was scoffing happily and i left her slightly later every evening.
In terms of rubbing she had a 50p size friction burn appear on her chin within the 1st couple of weeks, i stayed strong and put sudocreme on morning and night and kept putting the muzzle on as normal and it healed within another fortnight. She then had a rub on the front of her nose and again i stayed strong and put sudacreme on morning and night and kept muzzling her and again within a few weeks it had healed.
I have never been a fan of muzzles and despite having my girl 10 years had never needed to muzzle before, but circumstances and situations dictated and to be honest it worked really well, she had more energy when ridden as she wasn't so bloated, she didn't put loads of weight on with the spring grass.
I took hers off around mid July as our grass had gone down well but will use it again without a 2nd thought.
Good luck
Edited to add she wore it from Start of April through to mid July and never once got it off ( did buy the green guard headcollar as well although i didn't use the strap down the middle of her face so it was just like a normal headcollar with slightly more adjustable bits!)

 

[NeilM]

The latest design greengaurds don't rub nearly as badly as the old ones. You can tell the new design as it is a big square bucket of a thing.

H has managed a little pimple sized rub on his top lip, but a couple of days treating with Aloe gel soon had it sorted out.

However, after three weeks use, and H looking a sleek as you like, he has finally managed to work out how to break it, and eat through the side. Why I have a mega brained Forester instead of something nice but dim is beyond me

 

[mulledwhine]

Oh no, you are going to be in the bad books, I can already hear the rage

Never used one, but good luck, I also have a friend who fashioned a pad from sheep skin x

 

[spookypony]

NeilM, I've often wondered if mine is Forester as well, from the brains in him...that or Connie!

The Spooky Pony had a Green Guard for a short while---it soon decorated the side of his nose while he merrily ate away as normal.The bucket type? Got a new one this spring; it was in pieces by evening. I posted a thread about it then, with many large-font capital letters and use of red colour.