How To Use A Grazing Muzzle
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Time to read 2 min
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Time to read 2 min
Grazing muzzles are specially designed to provide a safe and effective way to restrict your horse’s or pony’s grass intake. They allow grazing to be managed more easily and are often used for weight management and reducing the risk of laminitis.
Grazing muzzles are usually made from sturdy fabric or plastic with holes that allow some grass to enter while ensuring unrestricted breathing and drinking. In this blog, we share our tips on how to safely use a grazing muzzle on a horse.
How to put on a grazing muzzle
When using a grazing muzzle, the muzzle piece should go over your horse’s muzzle and fit snugly with a small gap around the edge to allow for movement.
The muzzle harness should be adjusted to offer a secure fit and a small gap between the base of the grazing muzzle and the end of your horse’s nose should be kept.
How to introduce a grazing muzzle
When introducing a grazing muzzle, you’ll need to give your horse time to adjust to eating with the muzzle. To start, only leave the grazing muzzle on for short periods of time and supervise your horse to monitor if they show any signs of distress or discomfort. At first, you may need to encourage them to eat by carefully poking grass or treats through the hole in the base.
Always check that grass can be accessed through the base of the muzzle. If the grass is very short or too long, your horse may be unable to eat with the muzzle on.
Before leaving your horse without supervision, ensure they have learnt how to eat or drink when muzzled
How long can a horse wear a grazing muzzle for?
A grazing muzzle should only be worn for part of the day and should never be kept on 24/7. Always check your horse daily for any signs of rubbing caused by the grazing muzzle and monitor herd behaviour to ensure your horse is not being bullied and is able to access water.
How much grass can a horse eat with a grazing muzzle on?
Based on scientific research conducted by the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group in collaboration with Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services which included the Shires FreeGraze nylon muzzles, grazing muzzles can help reduce pasture dry matter intake in ponies by an average of 80%
Can a horse drink with a grazing muzzle on?
While grazing muzzles are designed to restrict grass intake, they won’t restrict or interfere with drinking if fitted correctly.
To find out more about how to manage grazing, take a look at Spillers' handy guide that's filled with tips for managing forage intake.
