Tips for keeping a grazing muzzle on a Houdini?

khalswitz

khalswitz

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Muzzling is working a treat for Mary - she’s dropped some weight and is looking good again. No telling off from the vet this year and yet she’s still able to be out 24/7 with her TB friends so a great solution!

But that’s the second time this week I’ve found it in a pile on the floor. So she’s figured out how to get it off - and today the padding on the throat latch was ripped so I think she’s stepping on it and pulling.

I’ve tried plaiting her forelock into her mane over the headpiece today, and put a fly mask over the top to make it harder to get a grip on the muzzle. But are there any other tips?

It’s as tight as possible on the cheek pieces and suitably tight over the head, already.
 
I have a bit of a houdini as far as muzzles are concerned. I've found that keeping a field safe headcollar on over the muzzle and using a velcro strap attached to the neck of her fly sheet which I thread under the headpiece of the muzzle sometimes works! No guarantees though.
 
I have a bit of string that go’s from the (tight) head collar between the ponies ears and straight down to the front of the muzzle. This has never ever come off!
Mine scoots his nose along the floor flipping it under his chin, from which he can either just graze with it hanging or it’s fairly easily removed from that point.
The string is our saviour! 😂
 
khalswitz said:
Muzzling is working a treat for Mary - she’s dropped some weight and is looking good again. No telling off from the vet this year and yet she’s still able to be out 24/7 with her TB friends so a great solution!

But that’s the second time this week I’ve found it in a pile on the floor. So she’s figured out how to get it off - and today the padding on the throat latch was ripped so I think she’s stepping on it and pulling.

I’ve tried plaiting her forelock into her mane over the headpiece today, and put a fly mask over the top to make it harder to get a grip on the muzzle. But are there any other tips?

It’s as tight as possible on the cheek pieces and suitably tight over the head, already.
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I can't offer any advice but wondering, do you leave it on 24/7?
 
Flowerofthefen said:
I can't offer any advice but wondering, do you leave it on 24/7?
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Not quite, but almost - she gets an hour with a haynet in the morning and gets it off for a feed and for riding. But she does have it on most of the time.

I bought one with a vertical slot rather than a small hole so she does get to graze more than in some muzzles.
 
Check carefully that she can graze properly, open her mouth to bite, and move her jaws from side to side. You may find a bigger muzzle on a small headcollar works better for her. My old boy would not tolerate the bucket type muzzle with the round grazing hole. Switched to a Tough 1 Easy Breathe and no further problems. He wore it 24/7.
 
Highmileagecob said:
Check carefully that she can graze properly, open her mouth to bite, and move her jaws from side to side. You may find a bigger muzzle on a small headcollar works better for her. My old boy would not tolerate the bucket type muzzle with the round grazing hole. Switched to a Tough 1 Easy Breathe and no further problems. He wore it 24/7.
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She can. She’s wearing an extra full muzzle tightened to fit - hence why she can get it off!

It’s a bucket muzzle but with nose holes and with a rectangular grazing slot rather than a small hole, as I said above. She’s getting plenty to eat, I have watched her graze and watch her poo rate. She just can’t stuff herself silly.

I’m not worried about how much she is eating or the size of the bucket - just keeping the bloody thing on her!
 
I had a field safe headcollarwith the muzzle over the top, i then got some leather lace (ebay) and tied the muzzle to the headcollar using the laces, they would snap in an emergency
 
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