Hi all, I am new here and need some help.

Has anyone out there used a grazing muzzle?  I will probably have to purchase one this spring for a horse that is gaining too much weight .  I have been looking in various catalogues but am unsure what safety and comfort features I should be looking for in an effective muzzle.

 Would someone who has used grazing muzzles give me some feed back as to what features I should be looking for in such a muzzle and how effective they are?  Will I have to spend every evening looking for a lost muzzle?  Hate to have to confine this poor mare to a dry lot,,,,,,she would be the only one   Thanks,

Make sure that it fits close to her face so she can't get a foot in it while grazing.  Folks at our farm use both kinds, the clip on and the full halter version, both seem to work fine.

Thanks Solaris for your comments.  pat

Don't waste your money.  My mare had hers on for a total of 5 minutes.  I tried everything - nothing would keep it on her.  I had the halter/grazing muzzle all in one.  I'm putting mine on eBay this next weekend - as soon as I can get my digital camera to take a decent picture of it.  Of course, my mare can also undo knots tied in any lead line/rope.  Maybe she's just talented - and fat!

I'm glad to see this post. I'll explain my situation and then ask my question, so pleas bear with me! Our two guys are turned out 24/7 on a 1-acre dry lot paddock. They get bermuda hay and a token handfull of alfalfa. They get no grain. Chic, the mare, maintains a good weight and condition, no problem. Scout, the easy keeper food-aholic, is turning into a fire plug! He doesn't eat Chic's hay, because there's usually some left in both their piles. He just spends more time eating than she does. As I see it, I have two options. #1 is to keep them in their stalls so I can cut his hay back without him eating hers (they would both hate it and get less exercise), or #2 put a muzzle on him and leave them turned out. However, I don't know if a grazing muzzle will work with hay. The hole in a grazing muzzle is designed for grass, which stands up, and hay lays flat. So I'm thinking he wouldn't be able to pick up any hay, and he would get nothing to eat. If I used a cribbing muzzle, which is essentially like the face guard on a football helmet, would he be able to eat as much as he does now? I've never used either type of muzzle, so I need some advice!

I am new to this site also.  I own a 9 year old Buckskin Quarter Horse mare named Winona Rider (Whinny for short)and she is what you call an "easy keeper".  Like me, she loves to eat.  She gets no grain, just hay in the winter and grass in the spring and summer.  I love using a grazing muzzle on her.  This was money well spent.  Be sure to get a good muzzle.  I use the "Best Friends" brand.  It costs a bit more than others but it is made well and takes a beating. It attaches to her halter.  When you use a muzzle BE SURE to attach it to a break-a-way halter just in case your horse would get caught on something.  The hole to eat through is also a bit small and you can cut it wider to your liking. My friend bought a cheaper one that is already attached to a halter, and in no time it had ripped.

I have tried both the metal wire type and the nylon/rubber disk type. First, the metal one was HUGE! You could almost fit a soccer ball inside it. It was way to big, heavy and floppy for my mustang. The second one I tried was the nylon type that has a rubber disk with a small hole in it (this particular one attached to his halter). It fit much better and I feel it would have worked had it not been for my bone-headed Appy Draft!  He and my mustang play constantly and tug-o-war with halters every chance they get.  Within 12 hours he had destroyed it!  My advice would be try the nylon type but ONLY if you don't have another bone-head in the pasture!

I purchased a top of the line grazing muzzle for my Percheron cross and used it for only a very short time.  My horse went a bit crazy with it and spent all her time trying to pull or rub it off.  I had followed the instructions and first introduced it in her paddock and put bits of carrots in the muzzle when putting it on.  I made sure she could drink water with it on..but when I released her to where there was grass she couldn't figure out how to eat any grass and it drove her crazy.  I attempted this in the fall when the grass may have been too short.  I will try again when the grass is longer in late spring. My horse is a bit of an escape artist and likes to figure ways out of everything.  My final solution was shorter hours grazing and switching to grass hay from alfalfa.

I didn't realize that the metal cribbing muzzle was so huge! I've seen the Best Friends grazing muzzle. I might try that and just make the hole a little larger, if necessary. I know it would not be good if he went all day without eating. I don't need a colic case on my hands. I guess I could experiment with leaving it on for only part of the day, too. Scout's pretty amicable, so I don't think he would freak out with it.

I have used the "Best Friend" grazing muzzle for two years, the model you attach to your own halter (definitely use a breakaway) and the halter/muzzle combined. The all-in-one model is the best fitting. Do not leave the muzzle on all the time, give your horse a break from it. The muzzles are prone to rub a sore on their lower lip because they DO get grass through the small hole, and also they figure out how to turn their noses "sideways", and grab grass through the vent holes.  These gymnastics of getting grass through the holes causes the lower lip rub. I use synthetic sheepskin from the drug store and wrap Vetwrap (cut it into thin strips) to secure the sheepskin to the muzzle part meeting the lower lip. (sounds like a hassle, but it isn't). Depending on how much grass grazing you want to limit, some people have to duct tape the small hole shut.

My guy is insulin resistant (IR) and these muzzles were a lifesaver before I had a drylot. Now we alternate between muzzle and drylot.

I have never had one to come off or to be pulled off by another horse! 

I have used the Best Friend grazing muzzle for 5 years on my donkey and will be putting one on my paint this spring.  I bought the muzzle/halter combo.  The only problem I have had with the donkey is rubbing on his face and vet warp to the rescue for that.  I will say when you introduce the muzzle it can take part of an afternoon to get them use to it.  I tried it on in the stall to check for fit and to see what the response was going to be.  When I put the donkey outside with it for the first time, baby carrots worked very well to get him to figure out how to eat with the muzzle.  I put one or two baby carrots up through the whole of the muzzle and then let him figure out that he could indeed eat with it on.  I then put some cut up bigger carrots on the ground and let him figure out how to get the carrot into the muzzle to eat.  It took a day or two to get him adjusted to wearing it, but after that, not a problem. 

I highly recommend the Best Friend grazing muzzle.  You can contact the company if you have a question re: sizing and/or fit.  They are very very helpful.

 

Hi,

 My horse also has a weight problem. I found "Best Freinds Muzzle" to work the best. They cost about $ 44.00 dollars. The reason I picked this one is because it has a breakaway halter and no rubbing occured. If they due break it you can get replacement parts. Also on the bottom it has a small hole so they can keep busy and get a little grass. Good and safe buy.

Doris

Hey...

 I purchased a grazing muzzle last year for my older mare who blows up at the sign of good green grass. While I don't have a lot of pasture myself, but  I take my horses on an annual vacation and there is so much lush green grass that, I totally get a vacation myself from haying them.  Previous vacations I had to put her in a dry paddock because I was afraid she would founder, she got so big by the end of the week.  Last year I put the muzzle on her and while she didn't like it, it worked great!.  I purchased it at my local tack store for about $30.00.  It came with the halter and was soft, weaved out of the same material most halters are made from except the bottom was rubber with a hole.  It allowed her to drink and still get some grass but just more controlled than free grazing.  I was worried too about her getting it off, but she couldn't. I put her on about 8 hours on the rest of the day off.  I think the metal coated ones look very uncomfortable and harsh  I like the fact that mine had the halter with it,  You want to make sure you leave about 1-2 inches from their muzzle to the bottom of the rubber cup so they can drink and graze just a bit and that it doesn't rub.

From what I've read you are feeding your horses by flakes (in piles) vs. them eating off a round bale.  Unfortunately you are correct is assuming Scout will not be able to eat hay through a grazing muzzle.  Since you have a dry lot paddock, eating too much grass isn't an issue.  If Scout doesn't eat Chic's hay and there is usually hay left over in both piles, maybe just cut back on the amount of hay you feed to ensure they eat it all.  If Chic eats slower than Scout, then maybe Scout can be fed in his stall and turned out when Chic is done Just a suggestion. 

Hi Guys

I too have a grazing muzzle dilemma! I have a clydesdale gelding, and the vet told me last summer I must muzzle him, as he was getting too fat. I tried and tried last year, I bought an extra full size webbing grazing muzzle, and put it on him and he refused to eat, he didnt seem to be able to get his thick lips thru the hole, so i cut the hole bigger and he still wouldnt eat, he just stood there for and hour by which time I got fed up and took it off him, which I know was kind of giving in to him, but I was worried he wouldn't eat and would get colic.

 Maybe the muzzle isnt right for him coz he is a draft horse, but it seems to fit ok, but the hole seems to sit higher than his lip, and also he has pollen allergies so i think the muzzle irritates his nostrils more, he seemed to sneeze more while wearing it.

Anyone got any suggestions plz? maybe I should try a best friends one in the draft horse size, but he fits a full size head collar so I thought this would be too big . I want to try and get him one before spring is upon me!

 

Thanks in advance