Are Grazing Muzzles Safe?

by GG Equine

If your horse has never

worn a grazing muzzle before, concerns about safety are perfectly natural. Like any other piece of tack, a muzzle is as safe as the work you put in before you turn your horse out. The better you prepare your horse, the more easily he will transition to wearing a grazing muzzle.

There are three major aspects to grazing muzzle safety: comfort, security,andability to graze. The most important factor is comfort. Your horse should feel at ease and comfortable in his muzzle and halter. Secondly, the set-up should be secure enough to keep him safe in his environment and among herd mates. Finally, a horse should graze naturally in a muzzle. When you can check all of these boxes, you can turn your horse out with confidence.

Comfort

Your horse’s grazing muzzle and halter should be as comfortable and normal as any other piece of tack he wears. Safety begins here. There is nothing less safe than putting a completely new rig on a horse and five minutes later turning him out for a full day. A grazing muzzle and halter are not like a computer part you can plug in and expect to function. If the horse has a halter he’s already comfortable in and used to, that’s a built-in advantage.

Introduce a new grazing muzzle to your horse gradually to make it an easier adjustment. Start by showing it to him. Put a high-value treat inside the muzzle basket and allow your horse to explore it on his own. Let your horse get used to the sight, shape, and feel of the muzzle near and on his face for a few minutes at a time to begin with. In time, some horses even come to associate the muzzle with treats or turnout, and offer their heads to the muzzle willingly and eagerly every morning.

Security

Horses are curious and playful creatures who love exploring the world around them. Their environment includes fences, barns, and other structures; any of which may have stray nails, loose wires, and things that can catch on a passing halter or muzzle. Your horse may also have mischievous herd mates who enjoy biting or tugging on any loose piece of tack.

With that in mind, a critical part of muzzle safety is breakaway components. Make sure your horse’s muzzle is attached to their halter with leather straps, baling twine, or something that will give way with the right amount of pressure. The same goes for the halter itself, which should have a breakaway crown or leather tab that will release if it gets caught. Tack is replaceable, horses are not.

The Grazing Muzzle Learning Curve

If your horse is comfortable and safe in their set-up, all that’s left is grazing. Learning to graze in a muzzle calmly and naturally depends on a variety of factors, from a horse’s personality and history, to the amount of time you can put in to help him get accustomed to it. It can take anywhere from five minutes to five days for a horse to learn to graze comfortably in a muzzle.

Plan to spend at least ten to fifteen minutes a day over several days familiarizing your horse with the muzzle, especially if they’ve never worn one before. Give your horse a treat when you put the muzzle on. Put treats on grass that is three to five inches high so that they get grass while working for the treats. Poke handfuls of grass up through the holes in the bottom of the muzzle, getting closer to the ground each time.

With a comfortable, safe muzzle set-up, and a little time to get used to it, grazing in a muzzle will become second nature to your horses, and you can rest assured knowing they are as safe with a muzzle as without one. 

For more information visit gg-equine.com.

Photo by Kara Musgrave

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