Muzzling 24/7 wwyd?

MrA

MrA

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Feb 8, 2012
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Not yet obviously as the grass is barely there. Every year I try to muzzle ale and every year I fail and end up having to bring him off the field for the whole day, where he gets hot and bored in his stable. Going to try desensitizing him to a muzzle this year by first starting with a muzzle with no bottom and then using progressively smaller holes once he is used to wearing it.

Just looking to hear from those of you who do muzzle especially if you muzzle 24/7 or should I be taking it off at night? He will probably come in for a couple of hours a day anyway when I would remove it. We don't have long lush grass but even the short stuff makes ale balloon. When do you all start muzzling??

Or am I wasting my time and is he ever going to get used to wearing one?? I've cut holes in the bottom before but he just will not try to eat with it on so if I cut the whole bottom off hopefully he will just eat like normal. Then I can make a huge hole that won't restrict him too much so hopefully he won't get frustrated!
 
Personally I think it depends on the field size/grass - when mine were in a 10 acre field of rich grass they had to wear it 24/7, if they didn't they would just binge for the time they didn't have it on, then basically starve themselves for the time they had it on. I had a couple of muzzles - one I cut a larger hole in, the other one was a normal one, so at beginning/end of season Major would wear the larger holed muzzle, or after a day's hard work etc...but from April to oct he would have it on 24/7 if out in the field. He was fine with it - yes not ideal but unfortunately it wasn't healhy for him to get obese and this was the only practical way to keep him slimmer.

How long have you left him with it on? It does take a few days to get used to it - and if I was in view they would just stand and wait for me to take it off, I had to spy on them to watch them eat with it
 
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Ale isnt in a very large field and the grass never gets long, I think its just all the new growth that is very rich?
 
June moved to summer grazing yesterday, the field has been rested since the beginning of October and the grass is really rich. It's not a big field (roughly 2 acres with 3 ponies) but the grass is rich and lush. She will be muzzled from tomorrow 24/7!
 
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I will be muzzling Ben in the next week or so. He comes in for 6 hours as I think that it's important that he has some time without it but he wears it for all his field time from March to September. .

I initially spent ages teaching him to wear it and will do some work to re-introduce him to it. I always start by feeding chopped up carrots by hand, and then chopped up carrots on the floor. I will then take him for in-hand walks for short periods so I can watch him graze and make sure that he can eat through the hole. He has always got the hang of it pretty quickly.

I don't see the point in making the hole bigger, the whole point of him wearing it is that the hole is small so he can't get as much grass. If you make the hole bigger, what is the point? Yes Ale might find it frustrating, and I'm sure that Ben would prefer not to wear his, but I made the judgement that it's better for his physical and mental well being to live out in the herd in the big field. Without the muzzle he would be confined to a small individual 'fatty' patch or his stable and in my opinion, the muzzle is the lesser of 2 evils.
 
Trust me MP I've spent hours with him trying to teach him to use it as it is but he just will not. He will just go out in the field, stand around till I go then spend hours and hours trying to get it off until he does. A lady with a haflinger who did the same did what I was planning to do and he now wears one with no adjustments made so that is the ultimate goal. Even if I slow ales consumption slightly at first it will help
 
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MP I think Ale was suggesting having a larger hole just to start with so he got used to eating through it before she put one on with a smaller hole. Unless I read it wrong. Sorry cross posted with Ale.
 
I have done it, but wrestled with my conscience over it, but really it is better than the alternatives, so long as they can eat and drink and are physically comfortable I don't see the issue. Perhaps getting a couple of different styles and changing them daily might be a good idea just in case of any pressure sores/rubs developing, even if not I think it's important to check daily under it just in case.
 
I would leave him wearing for for a few days and see what happens. I am sure that he won't let himself starve and if you knows that you are not going to come and take it off after a few hours he will just have to learn to eat through it. Keep an eye on his poos and make sure you see him drink through it, or at least see evidence that he has drunk something.

I am a fan of the tough love approach. It's better than having a fat lamanitic horse.
 
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I left him for a whole day once and didn't eat a thing. Yard staff kept an eye on him and he just stood by the gate for 8 hours.
 
Ale said:
I left him for a whole day once and didn't eat a thing. Yard staff kept an eye on him and he just stood by the gate for 8 hours.
Click to expand...

Storm did similar and after discussing it with our vet we agreed it was not going to be an option. We worked on more exercise and soaked hay at night instead.
 
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Ale said:
I left him for a whole day once and didn't eat a thing. Yard staff kept an eye on him and he just stood by the gate for 8 hours.
Click to expand...
Bo did that, he did give in eventually after a session of scattering treats on the ground, pony nuts :D
 
8 hours isn't the same as a couple of days though. I would bring him in to give him some hay each evening and morning, but keep it up the muzzle in the field for a few days. Perhaps some pony nuts or polos on the ground might encourage him as Jessey says. It sounds like a battle of wills and he knows that you will give in before he does. I do think that it is worth trying for a few days. If he really doesn't eat for 2 or 3 whole days (apart from the hay when you bring him in obviously) I would admit defeat, but I don't know any greedy horse who could resist lush spring grass for that long.
 
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Unfortunately he then decided to kick at the gate with his front hooves and I can't risk him doing that, I tried bits of carrot and small treats from the floor but he would just push them aeound then look pissed off
 
Ale is there any way at all that you could strip graze him instead? Before anyone jumps on me I am well aware that this isn't ideal BUT it's my only option for Belle and it works, I gave up trying her with a muzzle as no matter what I did she would get it off, (short of gaffa taping the damn thing to her head) I'd much rather she was strip grazed or in a fatty paddock with soaked hay than stuffing her little piggy face with lush grass after artfully removing said muzzle and coming down with full blown lami, I know in theory all horse should get used to a muzzle but they don't work for every horse in every situation and I find it somewhat frustrating when people assume that they can and do.
Yes in an ideal world we shouldn't restrict our horses to a small paddock or to strip grazing but in an ideal world we would all have access to rough grazing and unlimited time to chase them around putting on the muzzle which has been carefully removed by our rather clever horses who really do object. In an ideal world we wouldn't have to shoe either or keep our horses on livery yards and be subject to yard rules but it happens.
Sorry to go a bit off topic Ale and I imagine strip grazing is probably not an option for you, I like your suggestion of trying him with a bigger hole to start with and to get him used to the idea that he can actually eat when he has it on and then gradually reducing the hole size once he does, better than nothing as you say.
 
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Well I cut the bottom off his muzzle and left him out with hay, he took 2 mouthfuls of hay then went and stood trying to scratch it off for the next hour even though it wasn't hindering him at all. So looks like it won't really be an option :/ I can't strip graze either as on livery and he's out with a herd of 11 other geldings. Going to just try no rug, upping exercise and less hay for couple of weeks if that makes no difference will have to rethink!! Everyone at the yard asked why he was out naked when it was only 2 degrees this morn, but it was 10 by the time I got to yard!!
 
Magic wears his muzzle 24/7 in the summer. If I bring him in at all it will be soaked hay in the stable. Rainbow is going to learn about grazing muzzles this summer. She's already tried one on but never left with it on in the field to have a go at grazing with it.
 
I had the same issue with Stella. I eventually had to cable tie it onto a field safe head collar to keep it on her and made sure I toom it off once daily to check her sheep skin and apply Vaseline to stop rubs.

She refused to eat out of it for about a week the caved. I had to be rather hard hearted but rather that than a pony with lami. She got an hour in the stable with a small soaked elimanet after being ridden and her balancer/oats/beet mini feed.
 
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