Horse muzzle that prevents biting but allows hay eating?

[jonem004]

Did I miss something? They have been living across a fence from each other. I tried them out together with him in a grazing muzzle. They settled right down. I’m curious if there’s some contraption I don’t know about that would allow him to eat hay more easily while protecting her from being nipped.

She isn’t being harassed. She winked and backed up into him and nailed him a few times because that’s what mares do.

I’m absolutely willing to do AI, but perhaps she would rather have a companion than have a vet shove his arm up her ass? I certainly would.

It doesn’t sound like there are any muzzle options I’m not familiar with, but it doesn’t hurt to check.

[jonem004]

I let my mare know she had your sympathy.

[sascha]

@jonem004

I’m absolutely willing to do AI, but perhaps she would rather have a companion than have a vet shove his arm up her ass? I certainly would.

Sure, always go for the least safe option. It’s always the best choice!

AI is not just about being able to breed more animals. It’s about the safety of breeding stock, safety of those that handle breeding stock, etc.

[Amy3996]

@jonem004

I’m absolutely willing to do AI, but perhaps she would rather have a companion than have a vet shove his arm up her ass? I certainly would.

The risk for trauma or injury to your mare’s vagina/vulva is much greater with repetitive/careless mounting efforts from an inexperienced stallion than a vet artificially inseminating her.

You’ve described this mare as “not likely to be the one to teach him manners” and said she kicks out at him when he “chews on her knees” in play. This doesn’t sound like a companion situation for her. If they’ve been fine living in adjacent pastures, why fix what isn’t broken?

[Clover5]

I will caution you that mounting behaviour, even if it doesn’t result in pregnancy, is a risk to both horses.

I have a 16.2h warmblood mare. She is built like a tank - tons of bone and good conformation. When she was boarded, she (unbeknownst to me) got into a ‘relationship’ with a gelding in her field. He was mounting her all hours of the day. The gelding was even bigger than she was. She was a very willing participant, backing up into his chest and everything (she’s an ex-broodmare so she knew what she was doing).

When I found out what they had been doing, I wanted them separated immediately. Unfortunately the BO thought everything was fine and insisted on keeping them together. The gelding ended up in a private paddock with an injured stifle the next morning. My mare needed chiro and significant time off because she was quite sore from having 1000 lbs repeatedly balanced on her back.

[endlessclimb]

This time. How about next time? Or the time after that?

[trubandloki]

@Amy3996

The fear was that one could bash the other (accidentally or intentionally) with the metal muzzle and cause significant injury.

I had to get stitches in my face once because of one of those metal muzzles. I walked by a horse in cross ties just as it tossed its head because of a fly. Did not hit me very hard (or so I thought) and then the blood started gushing down my face.

[skydy]

The risk of infection to the mare is also a concern if she is being mounted in a clumsy manner.
Have the mare checked by the vet for breeding soundness, and teach the horse to mount the correct end of the mare if you are well versed in how to breed horses live cover.
Letting them out in a field and hoping for a foal from them is risky to both of them and is a backyard breeder approach that often ends badly.

@jonem004

Definitely appreciate your concern. He is the ID and she is a paint/Arab so not tall but quite broad. He’s not much of a kicker as horses go. Seems to prefer the paw and chew method of interacting with the world. She has definitely kicked the snot out of him. He is only mildly discouraged and seems to enjoy the contact. But having horses out together is never without risk and certainly including a pair of testicles in the mix makes injuries even more likely.

She’s really not kicky at all when he’s not chewing on her knees, so that gives me hope. Wish I could explain to him that’s not how horses get laid, but alas that was not part of my equestrian education.

He just seems like he wants a friend so badly. Like he NEEDS to be touched and I’m not up to the task of putting him in enough headlocks to satisfy that need. He’s a lovely guy and such a pet. I’m determined that he’s not going to live that lonely stallion life. If I have to do him up like Hannibal Lecter​:zipper_mouth_face: then I guess that’s my life now!

You are wanting a foal from an ID x “Paint Arab” ? She must be a pinto Arab, unless your mare is a Stock Horse Arab cross?

[Cat.J95]

I’m not going to comment on the OPs decisions. I was just pointing out she wants the mare bred.

[Mulligan314]

I had a gelding who would self mutilate due to allergies. He had to be muzzled 24/7, and was fed in a feed bag. I used a soft grazing muzzle because the cage muzzle that was present above was too rigid and would not be comfortable over long periods of time. I cut the hole in the bottom of the grazing muzzle slightly bigger since the point was not to reduce food intake but to keep his teeth off things. This was easily done with a box cutter. I attached it to an old leather halter, so if he got in a bind in the field, it would snap - this never occurred though.