Grazing Muzzles - How, Why (or Why Not!) You Use Them

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

My little man is fat. I purchased him grossly overweight (100+ lbs he's LOST!), and last year we had a drought, so the pasture was kinda crappy, so we had no issues keeping weight off of him.

This year though, the pasture is awesome, and his waist line is increasing. I recently bought a grazing muzzle. My question is - how do I use it? I am an extremely firm believer nothing good comes of stuffing a horse in a stall 24 hours a day, and besides, his "wifey" plays with him, which helps keep him in shape.

12 hours of it on, turned out, 12 hrs inside with it off? 12 hrs on turned out, 12 hrs off turned out? 24 hours on? At first I would like to take it off a few times a day and offer him water, just to make sure he doesn't dehydrate himself and colic. What other tips do you have?

 

[MyMiniGal]

I think it all depends on where you are at, and how lush your grass is. Where I have my mini now, we use a grazing muzzle. At first it was 30 mins. on, with 30 mins. off. We slowly have worked her up to an hour on, and an hour off. So two hours total. Which is good, as one of the bigger horses foundered, so all were put on dry lot for several days. I was happy she had her muzzle on and that they have really been monitoring it.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

That's only 2 hours outside then? My guy has a stall, but he is currently pasture breeding a mare. Plus, they do run A LOT (him, the mare, and the gelding buddy), so I wouldn't want to take away exercise, it just seems counterproductive to me when trying to get him to lose weight. Plus, I want the mare bred back without hand breeding if I can avoid it. Its been super hot too, so I'd prefer him outside so he can get the breeze. Should I keep him in more though?

 

[MyMiniGal]

She is outside all the time. She is never put into a stall. Just the other times, she is in a dry lot. I live in Oregon...so our grass is really lush and green right now. Have to be extremely careful especially in Spring.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Ah, makes more sense now! We have a small kinda dry lot, but his daughter is in it right now and will be for awhile more until her mother is completely dry. But even that has a bit of grass in it.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

If you have the muzzle on a lot I recommend getting fleece padding to put on the halter to avoid rubs. Check face regularly so they aren't getting sores. We have had good luck with 2/3 minis, the other still looks pretty chunky, but I don't know what else I can do. I can't wait till the grass drys up, but I don't see it happening with all the rain we've been having.

 

[MyMiniGal]

I will be moving my mini, this Saturday, and the people there, keep the grass cut way down. They have like 11 mini's and don't have to use any muzzles. But there isn't as much grass there either. I know Halo will like not having to wear one.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

What was your "system" fourluckyhorseshoes?

MyMiniGal - my board owner mows regularly, but the pasture still looks better than most lawns! All the other minis aren't chunky, just my guy, and he's the only one who doesn't get grain! Halo will love to play wiht other minis Im sure

Its always fun to watch them make friends!

 

[MyMiniGal]

LOL This place, the majority of the area is dry lot, with some grass here and there. A guess would be each lot is 1/4 grass and 3/4 dry lot. As the heat hits, there won't hardly be any. Yes, Halo is going to be in "mini" heaven.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

My have been on grazing muzzles since mid-April/ early-June I believe. They are on them 24/7. I may give them a day or two off here and there, but they are on all the time. We have about 8 acres of lush grass and clover and my aunt is taking care of them so she doesn't have time to deal with stalling. I would say the 2/3 are a good weight. I can't figure out the 3rd--he's not huge, just a bit chunkier than he should be.

 

[Relic]

l hate them though l know some need them...we have 3 that are problems and would founder and get fat as all get out..to date one stallion refused to drink through it and when l took it of every so often didn't seem he wanted to drink at that time just eat real fast because the thing was gone of his face so after a few days of this back to the dry lot for him...another got depressed and just stood with his head hanging and ears flat for most of the day also back to the dry lot.. the fat mare ran around in a twitter till she was sweaty and dripping wet and didn't hear or see anything except she was wearing a bag and all her cronies were not also back to the dry lot for her. The one thing l do for them once daily is pull grass so they at least get some without making me the enemy and they seem fine with being in the winter paddocks looking for stray weeds and watching buddies out in the fields..l hate nose bags and anyone sees me coming with one they aren't going to be caught till they wear me down and l throw it over the fence.

 

[Shari]

I use Maggie's off and on. She is starting to gain to much weight, so I will either have to limit her time out or put her grazing muzzle on.
None of my horses have a problem wearing it,( while they might not like it because they can't get large mouth fulls of grass), they have no problems drinking or eating with it on.

 

[happy appy]

I have used muzzles on and off over the years as needed. Never had a problem with the minis and eating or drinking. I also feed with slow feeders so the herd is use to having to work for the food. I only use the best friends one though.

http://www.bestfriendequine.com/deluxe-horse-grazing-muzzle.htm

 

[MyMiniGal]

Halo doesn't have any problem eating or drinking with it on, but the first time it was put on her, she threw a fit. Now, you can tell she doesn't like it, but she just puts up with it. She will still come up to us and rub out legs, like she is asking us to please take it off.

 

[eagles ring farm]

We have 1 mare we occationally use one on. Our horses are stalled at night when we use it in the early

spring, we give her grain in her stall like everyone else in the morning, then let the others out and give her hay in her stall

(she is not needing to loose weight just sensitive with early spring grass)

then let her out late morning after she is finished her hay with a muzzle on so she can be outside for

about 7 hours with the rest of the mares. It works well for her.

 

[wingnut]

I have not set standard but I've a variety of things:

Hard keeper needs nothing. She can have all the grass she wants for as long as I can keep her out on the pasture. If I could keep her out there 24/7, I would.

5 yr old mare recently diagnosed with EMS: she can't even be out with a muzzle. Only grass/alfalfa hay for her now.

Two 4 yr old mares: both are at decent weights and we're now working them regularly for our shows. They go out with muzzles alternately with the hard keeper. They get about 4-6 hours on the days I let them out. Some days they get no pasture time because of my schedule. I do not put them out with muzzles if I can't be home to watch out for any problems while they are wearing them.

Starting in November, when our pasture is dead they can be back out there with no muzzles for the winter...through to late February or early March depending on when I see the grass starting to regrow.

I had hoped we had managed things so that they could all have pasture at least 12 hours a day, but the EMS diagnosis changed that.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

I have heard of a mini that got ulcers from being so stressed out because she couldn't eat. If the muzzle is causing extreme mental anguish, it is clear that a muzzle is not the right solution for your horse.

 

[Jill]

My why not is that because a horse CAN drink with one on, that doesn't the horse will. I'd mnsje sure that the horses would, and that it would break away (for a mini) if a horse got it caught i something. Not all of "mini breakaway" items are what I feel a mini can break free from.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I use grazing muzzles because without them I would have to severely limit grazing time. I have four horses that wear 3 different types of grazing muzzles, they all wear them for 4-4.5 hours a day for grazing on pasture, the rest of the time the muzzles are off and they are on a dry lot. When the summer heat starts to fry the grass, I will extend the time to 6-7 hours/day grazing with muzzles. Over winter if they are not too overweight, they go out without muzzles for as long as possible during the day, usually about 10-12 hours. But spring & summer in my pasture the grass is way too rich and they don't need it. The muzzles allow them to move around more than they would in the dry lot, and they look forward to getting the muzzles on because they get to go out and eat grass! None of mine hate them, they don't all love them, but they all tolerate them very well.

Mine will eat hay in their muzzles, but I don't do it on purpose, they will walk over to the little bit of hay I put out when they come in from the pasture and start eating before I get to them to take off their muzzles. and I have seen every horse that wears one take a drink.

I do know the Tough-1 brand of grazing muzzle with the Velcro will break open if they get caught, it happened twice with mine. I don't know about the Best Friends brand, no one has ever gotten it caught on anything.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Thank you all! I went for the tough 1 simply beaause of the breakaway. I could see his 4 mo old daughter getting a foot stuck in it, him hooking it on the shed, and too many other scenarios to not have breakaway.

I board with a retired couple that has a handicapped child. They are home a good 90% of the time. I want to wait until the god awful heat wave passes to introduce it, just in case he's goofy about water