I would really appreciate hearing recommendations for a comfortable but effective grazing muzzle for my lovely little welsh pony mare. At this point I can’t go into tack shops and get to look at them to compare … so I’ll be shopping online. Need input so I don’t end up with 10 of these needing to be returned !
What works for a horse muzzle-wise depends on the individual animal. One of my mini donks can only wear the Best Friends pony size one (mini size is so shallow it’s basically useless) that attaches to his breakaway halter–he gets his mouth over everything else. My other mini donk (with a big nose) and my hinny wear Shire’s muzzles with the attached halter–either the fleece lined or the non lined–in yearling size. My mare wears the large/draft size Easy Breathe muzzle. My experience has been to go a size larger than what is recommended by the mfg–easier to breathe, better ventilation, no rubs. When I tried a regular horse size on my mare who has a normal sized head, she got rain rot under her jaw I’m assuming from her moist breath getting trapped in the muzzle. It’s trial and error to find the best one for each horse; start cheap and work up from there. BTW, the “economy muzzle” from Stateline/ Horse.com have very soft rubber bottoms that wear out really fast…sometimes in one day–save your $. They used to be decent, but no longer.
Check out the Greenguard muzzle (https://www.gg-equine.com/collections/muzzle-halter-only/products/greenguard-grazing-muzzle ). It’s more expensive than the conventional basket type muzzle, but it’s worth the money. I used to use Tough One Easy Breathe muzzles, but I was having to replace them every 2-3 months because the bottom wore out. The Greenguard muzzle is now on it’s third year and showing almost no wear at all. I also like that the Greenguard is designed to fit loosely and has lots of airflow, so it should be more comfortable in the summer heat. The Greenguard looks like it would allow too much grass through, but it doesn’t. Both of my horses are slim and trim. In fact, I’ve found that they keep the weight off better with the Greenguard than with basket type muzzles. Greenguard makes a halter that is designed to be worn with the muzzle, but you can also use any breakaway halter.
If you search the forum archives you can find other threads about muzzles. Lots of COTHers like the Greenguard.
I use the Tough One Easy Breathe muzzle on my warmblood. He hates it and has learned how to destroy it and get it off. He rubs it on the fence rails and the ground.He keeps breaking them and I keep repairing them. What can be restitched goes to the tack shop, what isn’t stitchable I use zip ties and make small holes in each of the pieces to hold them to each other. I’ve taken his neck strap and attached the ring on it to one of the rings on the side of the muzzle. Three zip ties to attach the two pieces together. At least that holds the muzzle on his head much better than just just sticking it on like a halter. He’s in a 5 acre grass pasture and searching for a black muzzle is laborious. So many black mounds wind up being piles of manure.
Get some neon orange duct tape and start decorating it for visibility…
The Tough 1 easy breathe muzzle in pony size fits my 12.1 hand welsh pony perfectly. He wears it without protest. I did buy the fleece padding for around the nose as it looked like it might rub. It hasn’t with the fleece. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. The local tack shop has a Tough 1 Easy Breathe on the way to me now. I will see if I can get a Greenguard shipped to Canada as a backup.
I am using a grazing muzzle with my mare for the first time. She is having great success with the ThinLine muzzle. I like how it’s soft and flexible plus it is SUPER airy and lightweight.
I’ve used the Best Friends, Thinline and Greenguard. They all have their pros and cons. I’d say that the mare seems to prefer the Thinline of the three. It’s the only one that she’ll happily put her head into before I turn her out. Downside of the Thinline is that it’s an ordeal to add it to a halter and get it properly adjusted(zip ties everywhere!), it won’t last forever, and my mare has figured out how to eat from one corner so she gets more grass. But since it does slow her down and she does like it the best, it’s the one we use.
I do NOT recommend the Thinline halter. It’s just a regular nylon breakaway for three times what you would pay at your local co-op.
However, the Greenguard is definitely the sturdiest of the bunch, and still quite comfortable for the horse. I love the halter that Greenguard makes, as well. It’s very safe and fits both the muzzle and horse very well without allowing escapes.
The Best Friends is definitely the most restrictive (in terms of how little grass they can get). But the bottoms wear out, it’s more hot and uncomfortable, etc. I do always keep at least one on hand in case the mare breaks or loses one of her other ones, because they’re cheep and effective.
Really comes down to what matters the most to you, however.
