What Are Horse Grazing Muzzles and What Do They Do?
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Have you ever driven by a pasture and seen horse wearing something around their mouth? That was most likely a horse grazing muzzle. While it may look a little odd, it serves several purposes that impact a horse's overall health.
Key Takeaways
- Grazing muzzles can be beneficial for a horse’s health, but only if they have a medical need for it.
- Grazing muzzles come in a variety of types, sizes, and materials to suit different horses.
- Grazing muzzles should only be worn a maximum of 10–12 hours a day and used during pasture turnout.
What Is a Horse Grazing Muzzle?
A grazing muzzle is a fabric or plastic muzzle that fits loosely over the horse's mouth and has straps around the ears.
Grazing muzzles allow a horse owner to control how much grass their horse is eating every day.
Horse muzzles are made with different-sized grazing holes that allow them to eat certain amounts of forage. Some have bigger holes to allow the horse to take bigger bites, while some have much smaller ones that let in less forage at a time.
No matter which muzzle size you buy, they should all allow water to flow freely through them for horses to drink.
Grazing muzzles are recommended for pasture use only and do not work very well for hay, as this type of food often doesn’t fit well through the muzzle. Horse hay nets, like the Tough-1 Slow Feed Web Hay Horse Feeder, are a much better option when trying to reduce hay intake.
Why Would a Horse Need a Grazing Muzzle?
There are a few reasons why a horse may need a grazing muzzle.
Obesity
Obesity is the excessive accumulation of body fat on horses. Usually, a body condition score (BCS) of seven or greater out
Excessive intake of food in lush pastures can increase the likelihood of obesity.
Laminitis Prevention
Laminitis, also called founder, is inflammation and damage of the laminae, the tissue that sits between the hoof and the coffin bone. This is a very painful disease and can cause lameness.
In severe cases, the coffin bone ends up dropping toward the sole of the foot because the tissue is too severely damaged.
Pasture Management
Grazing muzzles are also a great way to manage your pastures if you do not have space for pasture rotation. The grazing muzzle makes it so the horse does not eat as much and gives the pasture a chance to grow and thrive.
Keep in mind that if your horse wears a grazing muzzle for pasture management—not for a medical reason—they’ll likely need extra hay to make up for the reduced grass intake.
Metabolic Conditions
Metabolic conditions are one of the most common reasons to use a grazing muzzle for horses.
Horses with conditions such as equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), Cushing’s disease (PPID), or a predisposition to laminitis are most severely affected by pasture intake. For these horses, it’s important to limit grasses high in sugar and starch.
The Best Horse Grazing Muzzles
A good grazing muzzle is a mix of affordability, durability, safety, and material.
Consider a grazing muzzle that reduces chafing and maintains good airflow, like the Shires Equestrian Products muzzle.
The Best Horse Grazing Muzzles
Other options include muzzles made of durable lightweight material with adjustable grazing hole size, like the ThinLine muzzle.
How To Choose an Equine Grazing Muzzle for Your Horse
When choosing a grazing muzzle, consider the material, durability, and safety features.
Safety
Safety is the most important thing to be aware of when choosing a muzzle. You want one with a breakaway feature, so if it gets caught on a fence or a branch, your horse can break free and reduce the chance of injury.
Material
Rubbing and chafing is the biggest complaint when it comes to why horse owners choose not to use a grazing muzzle. Canvas and nylon material are most known for rubbing, and they’re also usually cheaper.
Durability
Durability is also an important factor. Because horses are constantly rubbing a grazing muzzle against the ground, it has to withstand a lot of movement and friction.
Forage Consumption
Lastly, consider how much forage to let through the muzzle. It is important to speak with your veterinarian about your horse’s unique needs to decide how much forage is safe for your horse to consume.
How To Put On a Horse Grazing Muzzle
Grazing muzzles are fitted like most halters:
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The basket goes over the muzzle of the horse. You want this to be snug, but not tight.
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There should still be enough movement that a horse can properly chew their food and drink water, but not loose enough where they could pull it off their muzzle or get it stuck on something.
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The side pieces should have about a two- to three-finger width of space from the cheekbone.
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The crown piece should fit snugly behind the ears, but not pressing into the head.
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If you have just the basket portion of the muzzle, those will either get attached to the nosepiece of a halter or onto the cheek rings.
Horse Grazing Muzzle FAQs
Are grazing muzzles good for horses?
Grazing muzzles are beneficial in certain scenarios. Horses who are obese, have metabolic conditions, or need help managing forage intake are ideal candidates.
How many hours a day should a horse wear a grazing muzzle?
Limit grazing muzzle use to 10–12 hours a day.
Can a horse still graze with a grazing muzzle?
Horses can still graze while wearing a muzzle, but they consume less forage.
Can horses drink with grazing muzzles on?
Yes, horses can drink water normally with a grazing muzzle.
Can horses still eat hay with a grazing muzzle?
Grazing muzzles are designed mainly for pasture. Hay nets are a better option for reduced hay intake.
How long does it take for a horse to get used to a grazing muzzle?
Horses generally adapt rather quickly to the grazing muzzle and are usually used to wearing it after one week.
