My horse requires a grazing muzzle to be out on pasture. Thankfully, he does extremely well with the grazing muzzle. The only issue we’ve had is some minor rubbing and him wearing out the hole in the bottom. I’ve seen this photo of a hay net attached to the halter as a grazing muzzle: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366480488402542633/?lp=true and I’m wondering if anyone has actually tried something like this? I have lots of hay nets I’m not using, and it seems like it would be a super light and comfy alternative. I’d like to have a few muzzles to rotate between to prevent him outsmarting them or getting rubs in a particular area.
No way. It’s basically a disaster waiting to happen between getting caught in their mouths, getting caught in the fence, getting caught in bushes, getting eaten etc. Plus I don’t think the holes are close enough together to do much to slow grazing down.
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That looks like a disaster waiting to happen. And I can’t see how it would really slow them down much.
If you want something that attaches to a halter, I’ve been getting ads for the Thinline one… https://www.thinlineglobal.com/blog/thinline-global-introduces-the-flexible-filly-slow-feeder-muzzle
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Just because something’s in Pinterest, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea 
Definitely no, there are all sorts of ways that setup can go South, not to mention it’s going to be terrible at greatly reducing grass intake.
Spend the money on a good quality muzzle that rubs way less, to not at all, than traditional muzzles - Greenguard.
I’ve also been seeing the Thinline ads and am not going there. The zip tie attachments alone are enough to turn me off - totally non-adjustable without redoing the whole ziptie.
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I just can not imagine how this would slow them down much with grass.
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I did get a thinline one. Having a hard time getting it adjusted right (I’ve just been messing around with the paper ties, haven’t put the zip ties on yet). I want to try a green guard but they don’t fit inside the automatic waterers at my barn. All the rest of them look the same—nylon webbing with a hole in the bottom. I’m open to suggestions, I’m happy to experiment and have a few muzzles to rotate between.
Is there a way to put a small tub of water out so you can try the Greenguard muzzle? My mare has no rubs at all using hers and I don’t see how you can get a good fit with the zip ties when trying to fit the Thinline. Major reason I passed on it myself.
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I bought a muck bucket and filled it with water. Interestingly, my mare did get a bad rub from the GreenGuard – under her chin.
Was it the right size? My mare has an inch or more clearance all the way around the muzzle. It is quite loose( free moving) compared to other muzzles i’ve tried. I kept going out and checking it the first few days thinking that maybe she could get her mouth out if she really was determined, but she has been fine
I have had the GG rub the back of the chin area when it wasn’t adjusted right. It takes a little figuring out over a few days sometimes to see how the halter will settle, and then I re-adjust the muzzle so it’s not pulling against the chin.
I just re-read the fitting instructions and I will do some tweaking. If no one else is finding that it rubs, it must be user error. Thanks.
I had a similar issue. Greenguard was great to work with. I sent them pictures from
each angle and they then told me exactly how to fix it. Mine is sensitive to everything, so I ended up putting a few fuzzies on her halter and they even helped me with making the adjustments to work with what I added.
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I will have to ask about the water bucket. There are 17 horses in the pasture though, so no guarantees he’ll get any of it. The pasture does have a pond that the horses do sometimes drink from (at least until it dries up, which it usually does later in the summer) as well. I did get the Thinline adjusted pretty well I think. I actually am starting to like it. I’m not worried about the zip ties rubbing, and if they do they’re easy to cover. Where he tends to get it is down between his nostrils, I think just the friction of rubbing against the front of the muzzle as grazes. But the Thinline is a MUCH smoother/softer material than his old regular muzzle so we shall see.
I find if you go up one size, rubbing with most brands of muzzles is eliminated; animal is happier because ventilation is better. My mini donks wear pony size, my 14.3 hh mare wears oversize/large horse; all are happy campers and do not avoid having their muzzles put on. Shire’s has a “Deluxe” all in one (halter and muzzle) where the basket rim is pre-padded with synthetic fleece to prevent rubs (~$33+/-) and I use them all spring until my pasture starts drying up and browning out (too many seed heads/spikey things start getting stuck in the fleece)–then I switch to the Best Friend’s Deluxe all in one (~$45+/-). Either of these muzzles will last an entire grazing season, but I have no qualms about replacing them sooner if the hole enlarges too much. I’d rather replace a muzzle than deal with laminitis
I tried something like the Pinterest picture for my ancient pony. It kind of worked, but she ate through it in two days. It was one with much smaller holes, and I velcroed it on so there was less chance of her getting hung up on it. So far my horses’ favourite ones seem to be the tough1 easy breath muzzles. Well, actually, they like the greenguard, but I don’t like that it wears down their incisors way faster than any other sort of muzzle, just due to what it’s made out of.
Amen BayMoose! Muzzles can be replaced; teeth cannot.
