Talk to me about grazing muzzles

[HashRouge]

Bizarre to be posting this going into winter but there you go! I'm struggling with my Welsh's weight at the moment and was hoping for some guidance on grazing muzzles. Can they wear them 24/7 for a start? And if they can't, is there any benefit to a muzzle being worn overnight and taken off in the day, or would they just gorge themselves when the muzzle is taken off? And what are the best brands of muzzle? I used to have a greenguard for him but it did rub even with fleece added to it. Are there any better alternatives these days? Once I get them on the winter field I can make him a proper fat paddock but we're on the hay fields at the moment and the YO doesn't want them overgrazed so I don't think I'd be allowed (plus he wouldn't always be able to see the others due to the size of the field). So, grazing muzzle it may have to be!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

During the winter the sugar in the grass shouldn’t be as much of an issue as it is in summer so I’m presuming it is the quantity he is eating rather than the quality. In theory yes they can wear them 24/7 but I always make sure mine has a break by bringing him in during the day. Sometimes if you take them off they just gorge themselves which defeats the object so unless you can bring in to exercise, groom, nibble on a net for a few hours it might be counter productive. For the best kind it really depends on the horse and how clever they are. I always used Dinky muzzles for DP because they are material and he has never had a rub from them but he worked out by shoving it to the side of his mouth he could eat more so I bought one from Kramer which has a rubber bucket and larger oblong hole which allows him to eat easily but not so much his insulin surges. I have tried Shires, Greenguards and Dinky but found the Kramer one is the best one for him, the bucket is large so doesn’t restrict breathing and he rarely attempts to get it off. The only addition I made was a fleece noseband around the top of the bucket to stop it rubbing the fur off his nose.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I use Flexible fillies muzzles on my ponies. They have been a million miles better than everything else I ever tried. They are expensive but....
I do bring them in though either day or night so they get a break from wearing them. I think apart from anything it’s nice for them to be able to have a scratch and groom each other which in any muzzle they can’t.

 

[vhf]

I've been more successful this year with 2 muzzles of different style. An old style greenguard, and a Shires Delux. Fatty ate more through the greenguard and got crosser with the Delux, and they rubbed in different places (!). I found the delux sheepskin went hard and manky (and then rubbed) if not washed every few days. Then combined with part-time restricted grazing so that she still got to groom with her friend, exercise etc. I changed on a 12-hour shift basis, depending on workload, weather, new/old grass... I'm enjoying letting her be restriction free going into winter for once! (she's still clipped and unrugged...)