Worried re Grazing Muzzle

chickeninabun

chickeninabun

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My fat cob has been put in her grazing muzzle. She had it on all day yesterday, then yesterday evening I took it off but put her in the fatty field, which she was strip grazed in before the muzzle. So she had all night to wander, nibbling at the short grass before I put the muzzle back on this morning and put her back out with her friends in the big field.

When I got there this morning there were no droppings in the field from the whole of the night before!:confused: Am worried she's not actually eating anything with her muzzle on.
She didn't drink loads of water overnight, so that must mean she is either getting water from the grass through the muzzle or has worked out how to drink, because I thought if she's just stood sulking in the field with her muzzle on she'll drink like a fish when it comes off, but she didn't.

Should I be worried or am I just being silly and she'll work out how to eat soon enough??:confused:
 
I had the same proble, I was putting muzzle on during the day and bringing in at night into her stable with one slice of hay in a hay net with very small holes.

I only found one dropping each night so I stopped using it.

She is now out during the day - come in at 4:30pm and goes back out at 9:00am. gets one slice of hay at night in small holed haynet.
 
I don't really want to stable her at the moment, but it's something to consider. Might try and make the hole bigger, but without defeating the object, of course.
I'll see how many droppings I get overnight tonight then decide what to do.:confused:
 
My fat boy is in during the day when the sugar levels in the grass are at their highest and out at night without his muzzle. Im going to see how that works out and monitor him with the weigh tape.
 
Is it a shire's muzzle? If so they are only really designed for drinking, and only should be left on for a couple of hours as they can't get anything through them. Unless you make the whole bigger of course.

Have you considered a greenguard or dinky pony type of grazing muzzle? Then she'll be able to be out with it on all day, and be able to pick at the grass and drink no problem. Providing she works it out, but most of them do! :p
 
It is a Shire's yes! I didn't realise they weren't designed to eat with!:confused: There's no way I could only leave it for a few hours as I'm out at work for 11 hours a day.
I didn't get the Greenguard ones as they were so much more expensive.:( Might have to go back to strip grazing, although even then I feel bad as she's not with her friends.:o
I'm sure it must be easier to live with a poor do-er than at fatty bum-bum!!:(
 
I know how you feel. Mine has been wearing hers 8 hours a day and for about 8 week but she still won't eat with it on :(. She's living out 24/7 I can't stable as she won't stay in her stable alone (enclosed barn) can't section off field as YO needs access to the much heap :(. Not sure what I can do. She's got a dinky pony 1. I'm not sure if that's true about shires 1's as know several people who have shires muzzled n they eat fine.
 
caitlineloise said:
Is it a shire's muzzle? If so they are only really designed for drinking, and only should be left on for a couple of hours as they can't get anything through them. Unless you make the whole bigger of course.

Have you considered a greenguard or dinky pony type of grazing muzzle? Then she'll be able to be out with it on all day, and be able to pick at the grass and drink no problem. Providing she works it out, but most of them do! :p
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Sorry I have to disagree with this, my horse has his on for at least 8 hours a day and in the past has had it on 24 hours, he has the knack with it and grazes great, you just have to pursevier (sorry sp) my horse always has bits of grass inside it where he's been grazing
 
chickeninabun said:
It is a Shire's yes! I didn't realise they weren't designed to eat with!:confused: There's no way I could only leave it for a few hours as I'm out at work for 11 hours a day.
I didn't get the Greenguard ones as they were so much more expensive.:( Might have to go back to strip grazing, although even then I feel bad as she's not with her friends.:o
I'm sure it must be easier to live with a poor do-er than at fatty bum-bum!!:(
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They ARE designed to eat with ! and drink

Laminitis trust told me a muzzle only restricts about 40% but I think its higher, but my horse does fine with his
 
Shires GRAZING muzzles ARE designed to eat with. My mare wears one pretty much 24/7. If she couldn't eat she would be dead by now! Instead she isn't even losing weight (she isn't gaining either). No I haven't made the hole any bigger, that would defeat the object.

You do need to watch for signs of rubbing. The cob sized one rubbed my mare badly, after some research many people suggested going up a size. The full size seemed huge but not a single rub mark. We are now in our 4th year of muzzle use.

The worst thing is dealing with yard bitches who say things like "I would have mine shot before I would put one of those things on it" and "that is so cruel".
Funny how it's the 3 people who have obese horses that get laminitis every year are the ones who inform me how cruel I am!.

According to the dengie website
How effective are grazing muzzles?
There have been very few studies investigating how effective grazing muzzles are but Tracey Hammond, a nutritionist at Dengie, carried out a study for her Masters Degree dissertation. Although the trial was small scale, the reduction in intake was between 75 and 85% which would have a significant impact on the amount of energy consumed. The added benefit is that the horse can still be turned out which is better for their respiratory system, allows them to interact with other horses and move around more which will use more energy than if they are stood in a stable
Click to expand...
Doesn't say what make muzzle though.

I estimate it to be about 33% reduction. Without a muzzle on there are 8/9 droppings in 24hours. With a muzzle on it's down to 5/6. Very crude way to estimate how much extra grass they are eating I know.
 
Just to add mine is a Shires muzzle and my gelding eats and drinks through it just fine. I did make the hole bigger as he stressed a bit in it and was spending more time trying to get it off. He was much happier and it does prevent him taking huge mouthfulls of grass, instead he nibbles it. Does work as his weight stayed stable. (the whole isnt massively bigger either by the way)
 
Mine is also in a Shires grazing muzzle pretty much 24/7 and she is the same, not losing weight not gaining weight and for a porky cob that puts on weight looking at grass i'm pleased with that! she definitely eats through it, in fact when I took it off tonight she still had a huge bit of grass sticking out the side of her mouth! she had a few tantrums when it first went on (she'd come to me with it so knew she'd settle) and pretended she couldn't eat whilst I was around but is now fine.

And I agree on the sizing, mine is in a full. She does still get a few rubs so i've got another one in the same style (different make but can't remember what!) so I just alternate the 2 and she's fine now.
 
If they cause rubs put them through your washing machine several times, it does soften the fabric and the rubber a little. If it rubs on the cheeks where the velcro sits, fit a cheap girth sleeve, the sheepskin type, over the top. Stops all rubbing.
 
mine has a shires muzzle on and grazes through it - albeit very slowly and carefully but he has got the hang of it. He can also manage to pick up the odd dropped nut through it (his friend still has to have build up feed) and the chunky one scavenges like mad!
 
I buy sheepskin nosebands and cut them length ways you then have enough to go round the whole inside of the top of the muzzle and attach with spur straps, simples ! no sewing and you can remove them to wash it :-)

If your horse rubs the front of the muzzle on a gate or fence post to get it off you need to by a greenguard headcollar and use the centre strap to stop that and I use the extra throat lash too for extra security, I can provide pics if you need them. I don't put the headcollar on, just use the bits
 
Just experience of them at our yard and what everybody says to me :) Haha. I did say about making the hole bigger.

We've had four horses have them on for a number of weeks who never managed to get anything through them. That's all :) I wasn't slamming people for using them, Sorryyy! It's just out of the experience I've had with them. Every horse on our yard that needs one now has a GreenGuard. But it is true no muzzle should be left on 24/7 :)
 
The hole on my shires was a little to high so I have cut the hole longer so my horse can eat out of it now, I also cut the webbing from by nostril area so he could breath a bit more, it doesnt let anymore grass in just air. I wasnt under the impression they were not designed for eating, my horse has worn a muzzle for 3 years now and does fine with it on.
 
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