A Look at Grazing Muzzles with The Saddlery Shop

Lucy Nicholas of online retailer The Saddlery Shop offers this advice on restricting grazing with a muzzle this spring, for horses prone to weight gain or laminitis. They are something of a necessary evil for some owners, but a grazing muzzle can be a useful tool. By using a muzzle, your horse can still be moving around the field and socialising, but will be getting limited spring grass that has high levels of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). Top Tips! 1.Introduce the muzzle gradually by starting off using it in the stable - reward your horse with a treat through the hole in the muzzle when you put it on and take it off. Once outside, feed grass through the hole to help him understand the principle. Leave the muzzle on for short periods, gradually building up the time it is on. 2.Most manufacturers recommend leaving a muzzle on up to a maximum of 12 hours, so don’t leave on for too long, as you may restrict the passage of food too much! 3.Remember that grass needs to be at least two inches long for ponies to be able to draw up some grass and not get too frustrated. If your horse is hungry and cross, this is not a good scenario! Dengie Horse Feeds performed a preliminary scientific study nine years ago to see how much grazing muzzles restricted grass intake. Bite depth, weight, area and volume were measured to ‘determine the effects of a grazing muzzle on bite parameters’ - the study showed a 75% to 86% reduction of intake. In addition to a comprehensive range of spring and summer items including a wide range of grazing muzzles, The Saddlery Shop offers a selection of great summer rugs, all below RRP. The site offers free delivery for orders over £75, and £4.99 for orders £75 and under. Visit www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk.