how long to leave grazing muzzle on for?/weight question

caroline/halle

caroline/halle

Member
Nov 4, 2008
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ive got the bucket style grazing muzzle as our yards just switched fields and the amount of grass in it is too much(imo), considering quite a lot are cobs (but not overly fat) so will obviously put on weight quicker/easier

im planning on getting a weight tape so i can monitor my boys weight more closely he is a 15.2h med/heavyweight cob is there an approx weight he should be?

i currently muzzle him for about 8 hours a day but not sure if i should leave on for longer (have read some people leave on 24/7 when not being ridden/brought in for an hour or 2 etc) as he will be getting at least 12 hours on the lush grass still, so will this counter act the time he is muzzled? he doesnt mind his muzzle and so far it isnt rubbing and he has actually managed to keep it on! which im suprised about

also, our yard is providing ad lib haylage for winter time, is it wise to feed him this if he is prone to putting weight on at the mere sight of food? i know lots of people soak hay to reduce calories but not sure if can do this with haylage? or if i should decline the haylage and try just getting my own hay instead?

any advice welcome :)
 
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It'd be easy to work out muzzle time with my 2 as there are just them in the field.

I dont muzzle but I hugely restrict grazing as they both are good doers. The way I tell what is just right is by monitoring the number if poos they produce. I am for 8 each in 24 hours. Any less than that and they get more. Any more than that and I restrict further.
 
mine has hers on 24/7 or not at all (as do various other ponies in the field). I work full time and cannot go back and forth to the yard several times a day. she has a greenguard though, which may be better suited to 24/7 .

I guess it depends how overweight your horse is and what your field looks like. if he is porky and your field is pretty green, i wouldnt hesitate muzzling 24/7 - remember they can still eat with it on, but get less.
 
he isnt massively overweight(although will ask people on yard as i am no expert) suppose most cobs always look "heavy" but i would like him to loose some weight as i am trying to fitten him up and any extra weight means he has to work harder so we cant go out for a long as he gets tired and i would like him to be fit enough to do some faster work which will in turn help his weight loss, its just since moving to this field with all the grass in i am concerned about lami if he is overweight and grass is rich
its a pain going to yard twice a day as i havnt passed my test yet so have to rely on family to take me, ideally only want to be up yard once a day but of course if it isnt advisable to keep bucket style on 24/7 it wil have to be twice
 
Ive not had a problem with leaving dinky rugs ones on 24/7 but couldn't use the shires rubber bucket ones. Greenguard also get good reviews.

Post a couple of pics on here if you want some fat reviews - or ask joyscarer (I should really save this link instead of sending people her way - sorry JC!!! :eek::giggle:) for the link to the nine point condition scoring - it breaks down the areas really nicely and makes condition scoring much easier.
 
I leave Louise's on 24/7 (it's a greenguard) as I think muzzling part time defeats the object and actually is worse for them IMO - massive sugar rush when the muzzle comes off :help:

Post pics for fat critique :) Louby's lost 40Kgs this summer.

As for the haylage, I would just go for that as hay is going to be hard to come by. Just net (or double net) it - this is what I will doing with Louby Lou!
 
When we muzzle friends cob we leave it on from when we do them in the morning - 6.30am to 6pm at night. Probably we should leave it on 24/7 because she is a proper little piggy, but we feel mean and at 18 she hasn't had lamintis yet. Having said that we are not on top quality grazing - it is all probably reclaimed moor and we never ever fertilise.

I certainly would not feed him haylage. Haylage has a far higher DE percentage, and is also higher in sugar. You will therefore be able to feed him less hay than haylage and as haylage is higher in water content you should actually feed more haylage than hay pound for pound.

Hay, and not the best quality - not dusty, but certainly not rye or good quality meadow, would be best for him. In my humble opinion.
 
at our yard we have to have them in at night so could do the double netting thing? will take some piccys tomorrow, he doesnt seem to bad looking sideways on, its just when you are directly behind him and his stomach is visable sticking out past his bum..if tht makes sense? i also notice it seems to go down after being in the stable a few hours, so dont know if too much of this grass is making his belly bloat/gassy?

sjp1 - how much haylage would i need to give him overnight? my knowledge of haylage/hay content is basically i know haylage is more sugary and hay for the fatties lol last year i got his summer weight off by feeding hay and having him in a lightweight rug(he was unclipped so had his furry coat as well and was never cold) not sure wether to clip him this year or not though as now have access to indoor arena?

ive noticed he had lost a little weight since having it on, or it may of just been that super hack we went on today! lol
 
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I know plenty or peeps who muzzle 24 hrs acday. Obviously very important to check for rubbing and condition of muzzle/head collar, but I guess it avoids mass binge eating..
 
If weight is a concern I would definately clip. You can always ride in an exercise sheet if you fully clip :)

Grass does cause them to gas up a bit and they do deflate after a few hours in. Truffles currently looked like he's swallowed a beach ball :rolleyes:
 
Am not hugely up on haylage weights, and although I know that everyone who feeds haylage feeds less than hay, actually any nutrition book will tell you that haylage weighs heavier than hay because of the water content and you should therefore feed more. However, because it is higher protein and sugar, that isn't always good.

I firmly believe that horses require a lot of fibre, and I feed ad lib hay - or at least, I expect there to be hay left in the morning so I know he has had enough. BUT it is not top quality hay, not dusty, but not particularly highly nutritious.

Sorry, can't really answer you on the weight of haylage to feed, as I don't feed it to my porker!
 
Midnight_Ashes said:
I leave Louise's on 24/7 (it's a greenguard) as I think muzzling part time defeats the object and actually is worse for them IMO - massive sugar rush when the muzzle comes off :help:
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totally that. Research has been done recently which proves MA right - muzzles are more effective than 'starvation' paddocks, or strip grazing, or partial stabling, and muzzles work best when used 24/7. Take it off, they binge!

Haylage is lower fibre/higher nutrient - mix with clean straw if you can, and triple net.
 
I would be muzzling 24/7. This is what we have always done with shires type muzzles. Ours have never had a problem. However Moet HATES the muzzle, she rears when I try to put it on, then if I do get it on she then gets it of in the field within half hour, then she won't be caught again for days!! So for us it has been a godsend keeping them on strict restricted grazing.

My friends cob wears a muzzle and his muzzle seems to rub really badly so she had been keeping him in the stable alot and turning him out to grass without a muzzle....this made NO difference whatsoever... She also tried muzzling for a bit and then taking it off for a bit - result was binge eating FAT cob. Now she has bought a different muzzle and keeps him in at night then is out during the day always muzzled and he has lost some weight.
 
thanks for the replys, i think il try leaving it on the whole day tomorrow, see how it goes, was just concerned if he would be getting enough grass with him being out 24/7 and only gets a token feed after being ridden, will check for any rubs afterwards, his is the aerborn one seems well cushioned and no rubs so far, and is a full so a bit big on the bucket bit without it being too big to get off so i think that helps prevent rubbing.
 
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