Who's in a muzzle already?

[Chinchilla]

No muzzles here yet.
Hopefully we'll be able to avoid them altogether.

They're both ok weight wise and we'll be building a track soon-ish. It'll be around the two and a half acre field all four have been out on for the past fourteen months so there's not much grass in there*, and it's quite steep and the track will be quite long, so fingers crossed no muzzles will be needed. They've been on hay and straw with no rugs at all over winter and just some top chop zero to carry magnesium and boswellia.
If their crests start to go hard they will be muzzled though.

* This is putting it politely. It looks like it's been ploughed. ?

 

[ycbm]

I found they will either take a muzzle or not. I've had one who simply refused to eat, more than one who it was impossible to keep it on, and this one now who takes to it really easily.

 

[Surbie]

What are people’s opinions of green guard muzzles?

My dentist hates them - he not anti-muzzle, but just the greenguard for what it does to their teeth. My horse fits an XF shires comfort so he has that - butchered to allow for lost tooth.

I have an XF Dinky too, but sadly that is too small for my horse so need to shift it. Good reminder to whack it up for sale!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I get the Shires and butcher them to increase ventilation. What are the Kramer szings like? I found the Hy brand to be a size down from the Shires. All mine are in a cob Shires Comfort - no sheepskin model.

The Kramer one has well placed nostril vents and the hole is rectangular which allows him to nibble the grass more naturally without getting frustrated. The headstrap size in cob fits my 15hh fine and the bucket bit is nice and loose so he doesn’t sweat in it although I did add a fleece strip to make it softer on his nose. He is a good boy and happily keeps it one whereas the Dinky one he regularly jettisoned.

 

[DirectorFury]

Mine will be going in hers as soon as Thinline see fit to post the sodding thing. Up to 3 weeks for dispatch, contrary to what their website advertises, we’re one week down . Life lesson - don’t leave it to the last minute to order important things!

(Ive ordered the headcollar and muzzle together as no one else had the headcollar in stock, now I know why!)

 

[Aperchristmas]

I found they will either take a muzzle or not. I've had one who simply refused to eat, more than one who it was impossible to keep it on, and this one now who takes to it really easily.

This is my experience too. I thank my lucky stars every day that ours is so compliant with the muzzle because without it he would be dead to be blunt.

 

[COldNag]

I probably should be. Just eaten a whole (big) bar of chocolate.....

Pony is usually in one by end of February... playing it by ear but not long now I think. He wears a Dinky.

 

[Bernster]

Haha I def need one!

Tbh I wouldn’t really have thought of this as it’s earlier than I normally would and I prefer not to have him in a muzzle if I can control his weight in other ways. But he is looking a bit porky these days! He tends to need it from spring through the summer. He’s on minimal feed, soaked hay and exercise has been limited due to the ground and weather, but hopefully I can get some more fitness work in now that things seem to be clearing up ?

Ive tried a few but not found the ideal one yet. Shires rubbed, went quite hard and I felt like it was likely to get hot in summer. Greenguard I liked but he got a sore lip and I’ve been put off by the info about teeth. Dinky ones I think might be too small. I bought the flexi filly last year and just need to fit it to a field halter so will give that a whirl but he’s quite rough with stuff so I’m not sure if it will last!

 

[scats]

Not yet, but my flexible filly muzzles are hung up ready to go on when needed.

 

[Lady2021]

Nope there is currently no grass yet just mud where I live.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I don’t muzzle, but my foggage has only just died down enough to be freely strip grazed into! It was much too green before.

No real fresh grass growth here yet.

 

[ecb89]

The flexible filly one looks really good. I like the idea that it can be fitted to a head collar.
Last year I bought a normal ones, shires I think, and it didn’t fit his ID head. Full was too tight and x full too big.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

No muzzle here and horses likely won't be on grass until May anyway (but I begin a slow transition a month ahead of time).

My Spanish horse seems to gain fat or lose fat quickly, either that or I need glasses. He's able to stay on grass since he's in work. Summers have been mostly dry here and at this yard the field gets a bit over grazed and then they put out straw for munching. So it's worked for him.

I always had a muzzle in the back of my mind for him, but haven't had to resort to it yet. Maybe if he were out of work and on more lush grass.

 

[JoannaC]

Mine went into Winter fat as the grass was late growing last year and despite being unrugged and mainly living out she still looks like more like a Highland Pony than an Arab! Grass hasn't started growing yet luckily so hopefully I can still get some more weight off her before it does! The other two aren't so bad but considering nothing was rugged they aren't exactly wasting away. It's hard not to give adlib hay though after the third lot of snow and everything freezing but I clearly need to be meaner!

 

[Marnie]

I'm waiting for the all clear from the vet tomorrow after my little pony Ellie had 2 teeth out 2 weeks ago. I'm restricting turnout to mornings at the moment, they have a large shared stable so am not too worried at having to do it. Ellie seems to be packing some food in her cheeks and I am a bit worried that her face may be irritated by the Shires muzzle she usually wears. I have got a greenguard muzzle too but have never managed to fit it properly.

 

[Honey08]

Mine did really well in green guard muzzles last year. Much preferred them to the bucket type muzzles. Only had a tiny bit of rubbing on my gelding’s chin (my mare has a very flat chin!). Sudocrem seemed to sort it quickly.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I’ve had reminders from my vet and both my farriers about them seeing cases of laminitis already this year. We only appear to have mud in our field but I’ve started reducing their turnout to every other day since we had this spike in warmer weather.

 

[sherry90]

No muzzles here yet.
Hopefully we'll be able to avoid them altogether.

They're both ok weight wise and we'll be building a track soon-ish. It'll be around the two and a half acre field all four have been out on for the past fourteen months so there's not much grass in there*, and it's quite steep and the track will be quite long, so fingers crossed no muzzles will be needed. They've been on hay and straw with no rugs at all over winter and just some top chop zero to carry magnesium and boswellia.
If their crests start to go hard they will be muzzled though.

* This is putting it politely. It looks like it's been ploughed. ?

this is like me! I’ve kept him at a steady weight all winter and resisting the urge to worry that his paddock won’t ‘spring’ back but I’ll be cursing if he has to have his muzzle on ? so actually him ploughing it up a little bit might help keep it less lush over spring ? fingers crossed for us both!

 

[Nudibranch]

My hunter clipped Dales is staying naked tonight. Minimum of 6 degrees and she is too heavy for my liking this time of year. Even up here the grass has definitely started coming through. Track is going up next week....

 

[Ceriann]

I have a sheep stripped field ready for this stage - they’ll go on there start of March and ideally stay out overnight in the next few weeks. It’s 4 acres, dry, has a bit of rough grass but the sheep have done a great job on it. This worked well last year and got weight off at the time they would usually gain weight.

 

[Gloi]

Pony is fine, it's me that needs the muzzle.

 

[alexomahony]

My Welsh is piling the weight on and there appears to be not much grass in his field and he gets not a lot of hay overnight. Hard feed is a small handful of safe and sound and baileys lo cal. Hoping a few weeks now being able to hack him up and down the local hills now the nights are lighter will shift the majority before spring when he’ll go into a muzzle in their summer field.

Our yard used to be a market gardener so you can imagine how well the grass grows! A blessing for the Connie, and curse for the Welsh!

wishing us all the best of luck! Maybe we should have a HHO slimming club to keep track and motivation?

 

[SO1]

Mine has been in a muzzle and on soaked hay most of the winter and was doing quite well until we had the snow and then he had his muzzle off and on dry hay for a couple of weeks and unfortunately now way too fat. Amazing how these good doers pile on the weight and that was with him being exercised 7 days a week.

He is full clipped and now in just a rain sheet as it is warm, muzzle on and on soaked hay. Problem is we had good winter grazing and his field mates needed more grass so he was moving to better grazing all the time and the hay is good quality as well so when it was not soaked that did not help either.

 

[Baroque]

Can those with the Thinline muzzle please give me some fitting advice.

I've used the Greenguard one for a few years but thought to try the Thinline last year. However, I must have the fit all wrong. I followed their guidance but, when my mare pressed her nose to the ground to graze, the large 'ventilation/nostril' slits gaped to such an extent that she then moved her nose over the new gap she had created and could graze freely through what had become a huge hole!

By tightening the headcollar to a snug fit around her jaw and lifting the muzzle so it is in constant contact with the end of her nose I could prevent most of the gaping but that doesn't seem optimally comfy for her. She's a dear little thing and doesn't at all resent a muzzle but she is endlessly inventive when it comes to discovering ways to put on weight.

And yes, she's muzzled already.

 

[ycbm]

Fit the headcollar noseband high, then they can't do that nearly so easily.

 

[Baroque]

Thanks ycbm, I'll keep messing about with it and see if I can get it right on her. I do love how light it is compared to the Greenguard.

 

[ycbm]

Thanks ycbm, I'll keep messing about with it and see if I can get it right on her. I do love how light it is compared to the Greenguard.

I think it's by far the best muzzle but it's seriously over priced!

I also find that using an ordinary headcollar, the cable tie rubs on the nose and needs to be covered with fur fabric, where the bog standard one (though I do use an over size one) doesn't rub my mare at all.
.

 

[Baroque]

Fit the headcollar noseband high, then they can't do that nearly so easily.

I had a bit of a play around with it again ycbm and I think I may have got it sorted. I shortened the side fins rather a lot, lengthened the back ones then hoiked up the whole headcollar a bit more snuggly and, fingers crossed, that enormous gap at the side has mostly disappeared. I want it as comfy as possible for her, of course, but it doesn't need to be on for more than an hour or so as she is so grass intolerant that more than that blows her feet up anyway. So thanks for the 'prod' to try again. I shall report back!

 

[brighteyes]

Just bought a hay cube to start soaking my fatties hay.

Has it arrived and if so, how do you like it?

I need two and am thinking of using them as just soakers. I fancy the idea of an easily moveable thing, Also wondering how easy they are to keep clean as all my things have needed a good scrub at least daily.

 

[Michen]

Has it arrived and if so, how do you like it?

I need two and am thinking of using them as just soakers. I fancy the idea of an easily moveable thing, Also wondering how easy they are to keep clean as all my things have needed a good scrub at least daily.

i bought it second hand, have had one before years ago. Not used it yet this time round but I did like it, I think the new ones are better designed with the hole to let the water out as I did used to have to tip mine back to get it to completely drain. If using them just as soakers you may find getting a haynet out a little annoying with the rim.