Don't feel sorry for the horse!  Overweight horses can have so many serious health problems.  

 Wow what a great site this is!!!!!   Thank you all for your wonderfully informative comments, when I am purchasing the grazing muzzle I will keep your excellent advice in mind. Thanks for the comments regarding teaching the horse to use the muzzle.  I don't think I would have thought of that..... 

Genuine Drafts MOM,,,,,,pat

Hi,

I have used two types of muzzles for my part draft/paint gelding successfully. I will share what has worked for managing their health successfully.

Two types we use successfully- Best friend grazing muzzles or Green Guard (www.harmanyequine.com) from England. Both take some figuring out and constant monitoring/adjusting/repairing, but are worth the peace of mind in knowing my horse won't suffer from more serious health concerns from the sugar overload and the sheer amount he can eat.

We can go through 3 muzzles per year, (best friend type) as my gelding needs them 24/7 and the hole in the bottom gets chewed through and enlarged too much. The only time we don't use one is from mid or end of november thru feb1 or mar1 depending on how the temps drop. If nights go below 32, I take it off and put back on during day / higher temps in winter. He successfully eats grass, long grass and hay. They learn to eat quickly. It is a bit frustrating the first few days to a week or so for both you and your horse while you adjust, find lost muzzles and figure out teh adjustments and what works.

I use 'Gorilla' tape to repair and adjust. Just cut the tape in half for a more narrow pc and make long pcs. of 12 inches or more to wrap around and between the holes to repair the muzzle in any number of areas. This tape really holds. It can only be removed with scissors and does not harden or crack with weather. Even my horse cannot chew it off.

Another must for us is to use real fleece halter wraps. I wrap all the straps that come into contact with his face to prevent the rubbing off of hair. Sometimes I have to cut special holes and weave extra cord thru a piece to ensure it stays on after the velcro wears. If you keep two muzzles on hand, you will always have a spare when one is lost or needing repairs. The real fleece washes my hand very well. Again, I keep an extra set so I can replace a lost piece until I find in in the field.

The nose area is especially important to pad with real fleece as the weight of the muzzle pulls the halter down. I cut a hole in the center of the nose piece to allow for the muzzle strap and to keep the nose piece attached well. It tends to fall off more easily.

Lastly, I keep Desitin on hand and put on his muzzle for the first two weeks or so until his skin gets suited to wearing the muzzle. I also apply whenever he appears to be getting a rub on the nose, before a sore appears. He doesn't like the smell too much, but it has zinc and heals the skin rapidly and does not sting. I also use in on his white blaze to prevent sunburn all summer. It can be rubbed in at night, so it is not so messy when you want to ride during the day.

Also, one last trick - my friends braid their horses manes around the top of the halter, and put a second breakaway halter over the muzzle for those escape artist horses.

 It was hard for me to get used the muzzle wearing and all the hiccups, but it is much more humane than overweight issues and allows the horse to walk in the pasture all day alongside his mates.

Good luck. 

 

mwf3460:

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. 

That's correct, they're fed from hay piles. It's too bad the grazing muzzle won't work for hay, because if Scout's in his stall while Chic is turned out, he'll paw at the door for hours and I don't want him to hurt himself. Chic takes so long to eat that Scout would be in his stall all day! I'll try cutting back on how much they're fed and watch to make sure Chic doesn't start to get thin. Thanks for the suggestion. Wish me luck!

HI, we use muzzles on several of the horses at our farm. For the most part they are fabulous. Yes, you lose one once in a while, but rarely. I think the "Best Friend" muzzle is the best: a tiny bit more expensive, but worth it. Good luck.

Most grazing muzzles are attached with Velcro, so they do come off. My horse learned how to take his off by putting the metal piece in between his hoofs and pulling................ Some are connected to halters so I suggest putting a break away on the halter. I have found the best price at horse.com or horseloverz.com . Other horses will find this object interesting too, so watch when you first put them out with these on. Most have a rubber circle  with a small hole in it for them to eat through that is removable. Have you looked into changing her diet before hand? Look at the information from Dr. Dan at naturalhorsevet.com it is very helpful.

hello...until about 3 years ago i did not know what a grazing muzzle was..i have a horse that has been foundered many times..i got her when she was 20 years old...during the spring (first sign of grass) i locked her up in a corral from night to the next morning...i felt sorry for her, because she missed her pasture mates...i saw the grazing muzzle and purchased one now she wears it after supper till we feed in the morning...i usually give her a cut of hay before puting in on...she has not had any problems with her feet..the vet and farrier both say she looks great..we have hunted it about once each season...she wears it until middle fall...we put in on her no matter what...she can put many miles on the trails and never miss a step, due to problems...you have to make sure its adjusted correctly and that take a time or two...the bottem is about an inch to inch and half from her mouth so she can get water...i bought several of the breakaway clips and only used two out of 6.... jean at lockkey@bellsout.net

I'd suggest feeding both of them in their stalls, but if Chic takes all day to eat that wouldn't work.

Have you had Chic's teeth looked at???  With no grass to to graze on, one would think a horse would eat through a pile of hay in no time. 

I bring my boys in 2X daily (AM/PM) and I give them one hour to eat (grain/hay) before I turn them back out again.  I have 5 acres of pasture (all currently dorment for the winter) and after an hour, not even a stitch of hay can be found in their stalls. 

One more suggestion would be to feed Scout his hay ration THEN put a muzzle on him so he could not eat Chic's hay.  Good Luck. 

Hi Genuine Draft,

I recently purchased and have been using a grazing muzzle. I bought a "Best Friend Deluxe Grazing Muzzle." It came from the Horse Health USA catalog and was about $45, incl. shipping. The best thing about it is that it has a breakaway strap in case it gets caught on anything, and all straps are adjustable. It is the one that includes its own halter, but I use it over top of my horse's regular halter (has an old leather headstall that can break if it gets caught on anything), to make sure that it won't come off! I just wrap the muzzle halter headstall part one time under the regular halter headstall and then buckle it. That way the halter stops the muzzle when they try to rub it off. It's a great piece of eqipment, and although there are cheaper ones out there, this is very well-made and has never come off. It's easy to clean, as well!  Hope this helps...

Why not just let Scout be out there attmepting to eat the hay regardless, but WITH the muzzle on. He'll keep himself pre-occupied with just trying to eat the hay. He will be able to pick up the chaff or leaves or wisps of fine grass hay to keep himself occupied, while Chic eats hers. Of course you will need to shake out each hay section in order to make for chaff, leaves, and fine bits on the ground for him to pick at. Then just take Scout's muzzle off when you're ready to have him eat seriously.  

I would measure his muzzle and any areas that you think measurements would be helpful for, then contact Best Friends Co., or go to a good tack/supply shop and compare the adjustable grazing halters to your measurements, in order to find the one with the best fit. I have also made some sewing alterations (adding on to lengths or cutting off- kind of custom making my own) on fly masks to get them to fit correctly, so if you find the best fit, perhaps you can do alterations to make it the perfect fit? Use heavy duty thread and needle, like a tack repair person does. Maybe you even know a tack repair place that would do the alterations for you? Once you have the basic size halter you need (Best Friends is best!), then you can customize it to fit your horse to meet his needs.

mwf3460:

Have you had Chic's teeth looked at???  With no grass to to graze on, one would think a horse would eat through a pile of hay in no time. 

Her teeth were just done a few months ago. I know she gets distracted by watching what's going on. She'll stand in one spot for 2-3 hours just watching things that I don't see! She's the ideal weight, so maybe she just doesn't need as much to eat as I think she should. I've cut back on the abount of hay they both get. We'll see what happens.

931303:

Why not just let Scout be out there attmepting to eat the hay regardless, but WITH the muzzle on. He'll keep himself pre-occupied with just trying to eat the hay. He will be able to pick up the chaff or leaves or wisps of fine grass hay to keep himself occupied, while Chic eats hers. Of course you will need to shake out each hay section in order to make for chaff, leaves, and fine bits on the ground for him to pick at. Then just take Scout's muzzle off when you're ready to have him eat seriously.  

That's a good idea! All he'll know is he has to try to get at the hay. It might cut back on waste, too. Thanks!