I keep my pony on a drylot and do timed turnouts. I think it will be easier to muzzle. How do you know how much grass is being consumed with a muzzle? ( He’s never had a metabolic issue, I just am always super careful). Thanks!
Muzzles supposedly decrease intake by 20% - so not Lifechanging.
BUT:
My mini tried to founder 3yrs ago. Vet prescribed Thyro-L, Triple Crown Sr & a muzzle.
I got the Tough One Easy Breathe, but when that wore out (maybe 6mos?) I got 2 similar versions from Stateline on sale. They don’t have the larger openings for nostrils, but that isn’t making a difference.
He can eat hay & drink muzzled.
And accept small treats through the opening 
Problem is the wearer rubs the small opening at the bottom wider, until it’s basically useless.
I tried adding a leather insert - from a scrap my shoer gave me - but that wore out too.
I’ll stick with the cheaper muzzles as they fit the mini & he’s doing great - lost weight, no sign of any laminitic issues.
He’s muzzled when Spring grass first appears, wearing the muzzle from 7A-10P, with a break to be fed grain in the late afternoon.
Muzzle came off about 2 weeks ago, when grass in my never-lush pastures was dead.
I have found best muzzles are the ones you are going to buy multiples of and put anti rub things on them. Horse.com has cheap basic muzzles that are my go to. I have a body type and they tend to be easy keepers so I have taught multiples about wearing muzzles. Key is to let them be mad about it and try to make sure you do a few hand walkings with them before turning out. Take them to shorter grass to let it actually poke up in there. They always try to get the tallest parts first and then get frustrated as it bends rather than poking up for eating.
We’ve had very good luck w thin line muzzles. If you buy them from their website, there is a choice of sizes in the hole. They are very lightweight and seem to hold up well. I have one who lives in it year around. He has the smaller hole size. I don’t care for the halter they sell w it, but it’s been awhile since I saw it so I can’t share why.
I have a haflinger that is not metabolic but we use the muzzle to limit her intake lest she go from fluffy to fully obese. I have been happy with the Greenguard muzzle I got her a few years ago. She has not had any rubs, but it does wear her teeth down a bit in front. Not enough to worry about, per my vet, as the advantage of the muzzle outweighs the extra wear. The new GG muzzles have inserts you can get to help with that, or an insert to make the holes smaller, which is a great idea.
Greenguard - totally worth the initial investment.
Greenguard for sure! My IR/Cushings gelding wears his every single time he goes out of the drylot. No rubs, he tolerates it very well, and has been a game changer as far as his weight and risk for laminitis.
Another vote for Greenguard. Yes, it looks like the multiple slots would allow a ton of grass, but it doesn’t. They are physically MUCH lighter than basket styles, and very breathable.
And still another vote for Greenguard. Both of my horses wear them. One horse has the new insert that is supposed to limit wear on teeth, and so far it seems to be working well. Another advantage of the insert is that is should prolong the life of the muzzle, because the teeth don’t scrape the muzzle surface.
I disagree with this statement. Published studies have shown that muzzles can reduce intake from 30% (https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2014/10/14/effectiveness-grazing-muzzles-us-study/ , https://extension.umn.edu/horse-nutrition/using-grazing-muzzles-reduce-forage-intakes-horses ) to 80% (https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/06/121.shtml ). And yes, grazing muzzles have been life changing and life saving for my horses. My very easy keeper riding horse lost around 200 pounds by wearing a grazing muzzle during the day and eating hay in his stall at night. Without a grazing muzzle he could never be turned out all day.
You won’t know how much grass the horse is eating, but you can monitor his body condition and see whether he is losing, gaining, or maintaining weight. You can also get a weight tape or even just note whether you have to tighten or loosen his cinch.
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I’ve had great success with the Tough-One Easy Breathe basket for my mini. Never had any rubbing problems. I have learned that when the bottom starts to wear, I cut a hole in the middle of a hoof pad and zip tie it to the outside bottom of the muzzle. Then I just have to switch the pad about once a year. I’ve had the same muzzle for years doing that. Every now and then I put it in a pillow case and wash it in the washing machine.
I had one mare that lost her mind when we put a basket muzzle on her and she never got used to it. A Greenguard would have been better for her.
I have used the Greenguard on two horses. It worked really well on one, but on the other I couldn’t find a way to stop it from rubbing.
I’d be inclined to try a basket muzzle first because they’re so cheap. If the horse seems fine with that, great!
It’s really important to introduce a horse to a muzzle gradually. Put it on and feed treats through the hole, then hand graze them to make sure they are figuring it out. And then you need to always keep an eye on the length of the grass if it’s too long or too short, horses can’t grab it through the muzzle.
I have read that if a horse is usually muzzled and then you let them graze without a muzzle, they will generally gorge themselves and within about 3 hours, they can eat a day’s worth of grass. So be aware of that!
Great tip re: hoof pad!
