Grazing Muzzles

Grazing muzzles are a really, really useful tool. A muzzle means horses can be out grazing 23+ hours per day. Without them they would be strip grazed (trashing pastures in the process) or locked up for extended periods, which for gut and mental health is not ideal either.

But they come with their challenges. They can rub if they don’t fit properly. If you don’t have one that your horse is OK with, they can create behavioral issues (rearing while trying to put them on or being impossible to catch to put them on) and certain brands can be too hot to wear in hot climates.

And of course, there is always that unknown of how long you should leave one on in your particular muzzle+horse+pasture combination (which can cause a bit of angst for a while until you get it figured out!).

The other thing you need to be really aware of is how they limit normal behavior. Horses love to groom one another, but with muzzles on all the time they can’t do this. So, make time to let them have muzzle free time together so they can do some mutual grooming.

Just something to keep in mind for those of you with muzzled horses.

Wondering how to calculate your horse’s grass intake while wearing a grazing muzzle? Get the answers in our blog: https://feedxl.com/grazing-muzzle-pasture-intake/

 

 

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