3 of mine are getting ready to start Season 6
All the other brands - Weaver, Best Friends, Jacks, and at least 2 other brands, lasted max 1.5 seasons. So, at $45-ish a pop, it didn’t take long at all for GG to pay for itself and then keep on.
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The syrup idea is clever thanks!
They are closer to “$100 a pop” now.
I just bought a FF for a horse that now needs a muzzle-I was stunned at how much the price had gone up. Oh wait- just like everything else.
@2DogsFarm, if your mini is fairly easy on muzzles the Tough One may well be the most economical choice. One of my horses, on the other hand, is very hard on muzzles. I used to buy the Tough One muzzle for him, and he would chew out the hole in 2 months or less. At the time, those muzzles cost around $30, so by the time I bought 3-4 muzzles in a year I was spending at least as much as I would pay for a Greenguard muzzle. The Greenguard muzzle lasts this horse 2-3 years, which works out to be around $35 - $50 per year for a muzzle. My other horse is easy on muzzles, and the Greenguard he’s wearing is now in its 4th year and looks like it may last for at least a 5th year.
Greenguard now has muzzle inserts to protect the horse’s teeth. These inserts come in 3 models: a regular insert with holes that match the muzzle holes, a leather insert with holes that are about 25% smaller than the muzzle holes, and a diet insert with holes that are about 50% smaller than the muzzle holes. These inserts cost about $25, and they can significantly extend the life of the muzzle. I bought an insert for my horse that chews through muzzles, and it is now in its 2nd year and not showing much wear at all. The muzzle itself is not showing any wear on the bottom and should last several more years. So yes, Greenguard muzzles are pricey, but they can be much more economical in the long run. And the inserts can extend the life of the muzzle even with horses that are hard on muzzles.
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I used the Tough-1 muzzles for years. I think my first lasted 5-6 years? Then I went through 3-4 in 6 months. The stitching kept breaking. (My mini is super easy on his muzzles and there has never been an issue with the opening even on the 6 year old one).
I ended up getting a Flexible Filly muzzle and I love it. I use it year round and my mini prefers it to any other muzzle and it fits him better than others. We’ve been using it for 15 months?
I’m sure the greenguard is great too, but we love how light the FF is. I personally love it’s not conducive to pulling out electric fence wire like some of the harder muzzles. My mini is on a dry lot so he mostly eats hay through it. We have the one with the smaller opening. It works great!
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Sorry, I meant I was paying $45-ish for the other style, and replacing them every 1-1.5 seasons. I did get my first set of GGs from Tack of the Day for around $50, IIRC, back when they were around $75.
Another fan of the ThinLine Flexible Filly muzzle here. It is lightweight, and the horses barely notice it. It is more cost-effective than the Greenguard and, in my experience, easier to fit to the horse.
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I see a lot of good reviews on GG and FF muzzles. Do these work with auto waters? We have the drinking post waterer.
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GG has a list of auto-waterers they know will work with their muzzles. There may be others they don’t know about.
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No kidding! And another $75 for the green guard halter. Def costly.
For anyone buying on the Greenguard site: the code Millbrook10 gives you 15% off. One time use per email address.
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That is impressive. I haven’t tried GreenGuard. Mine are in Thinline’s thanks to Naturally Happy and they love them. They love going out on grass and put their heads down for their muzzles.
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And yes, my Thinlines work great with the large bowl Nelson’s.
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I never bother with the halter, I just buy the cheapest breakaway halter I can find. Thanks to a roll of self stick Velcro, you can make all sorts of adjustments!
@2DogsFarm I finally had to replace the first one I bought last year, it just wore out on the side (that was the original model, the newer ones don’t have that weakness) and this year I had to replace the other one (finally wore out at the bottom), so that was 6 and 7 yrs, maybe 7 and 8 yrs.
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Ditto - all my own halters. BUT, it also really depends on how that halters fits on that face.
That said, I personally know of a few horses who really just did better in the GG halter, and a couple who had their halter modified to have a strap (I think it might have been twine) running from the crown piece to the noseband, to mimic the GG halter’s function
Awesome thanks!!!
I tried your type muzzle and after 1 day of her wearing it I couldn’t even approach my mare with anything in my hand. She stood in 1 spot for the 12 hours it was on. Refused to eat or drink the whole time and that is why why I use the GG.
Some horses are just difficult and I figured I can cough up an extra $60 when it is time to buy a new muzzle. Mine usually last 3 years.
I have the inserts but I find them too restrictive. I asked my vet about the wear on teeth that can happen and he wasn’t concerned. He was just out to float them all, so saw it first hand.
I buy my own halters too.
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So you can use your own halters with GG?
I have for now 6 years
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