By Rebecca Wyatt, Farrier
One of the biggest challenges of my career as a farrier was convincing horse owners that their horses should lose weight. Obesity in horses creates many issues, like muscle and soft tissue strain, joint arthritis, and trouble with thermoregulation. The overweight horse is also at a greater risk of laminitis and founder. If you've worked with foundered or laminitic horses, you know how challenging it can be to overcome devastating hoof damage.
It's heartbreaking to watch a horse suffer needlessly; it's one reason many of us chose this profession. Rehabilitating horses is rewarding, but most of us would prefer to prevent equine diseases like laminitis and founder in the first place!
Don't wait for a horse to founder before trying a grazing muzzle.
An Ounce of Prevention Against Laminitis
A grazing muzzle is the most effective solution to reduce the risk of laminitis and founder if a horse must be kept on a grass pasture. Using a muzzle allows a horse to live a more natural lifestyle with herd mates while reducing caloric intake from grass.
Aside from weight gain associated with pasture grazing, the sugars and starches of grass increase the risk of colic and laminitis in some horses. Metabolic issues like PPID (formerly called Cushing's disease), equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), insulin resistance (IR), and a previous history of sore hooves mean that large amounts of grass and all of those sugars can easily trigger laminitis.
What veterinarians and farriers say about preventing laminitis
There are many things you can do to help your horse avoid laminitis. At the end of the day, horse care is often about managing risks while providing a natural lifestyle. Here are some ways to mitigate risks:
- Have your vet test for metabolic disorders. You can better understand and modify their lifestyle if they are at a higher risk.
- Use slow feeders for forage, grains, and grazing. HayPlay bags and grazing muzzles are the perfect slow feeders.
- Work with an equine nutritionist to formulate a low-sugar and starch diet for your horse.
- Dry lots are necessary for some horses if the grass is too lush, they are dangerously obese, or the risk of laminitis is too significant. A drylot is easy to outfit with slow feeders.
A grazing muzzle may look weird, but it's an essential piece of horse tack if you have an easy keeper.
Why Veterinarians and Farriers Recommend Grazing Muzzles
Grazing muzzles, like HayPlay bags and other slow feeders, limit the amount of grass a horse can eat. These clever tools reduce caloric intake and sugar consumption but allow acres of movement, natural eating, herd interactions, and mental stimulation.
Traditional canvas or flimsy plastic muzzles are one option, but many users report to me that these styles often come with:
- Rub marks, especially around the noseband and crown piece
- Not enough airflow
- Halters that a clever horse easily removes due to inadequate straps
- Wearing and enlargement of the muzzle opening
Trying to convince horse owners to try a grazing muzzle was a daily struggle. Unfortunately, my concerns proved correct in far too many cases, and laminitis ensued, along with a 6-12 month rehab journey.
Farriers, rehab specialists, and equine vets are starting to discover the Greenguard muzzle.
The best grazing muzzle and halter
One day, I heard from a client who had problems keeping a muzzle on her laminitic horse. Desperate for a solution, she went through the trouble of ordering a GreenGuard muzzle from Europe. I'd heard of this brand but hadn't seen it in person. My clients wouldn't order them because the price was much higher than that of the typical grazing muzzles available in the US.
Miraculously, my client's "Houdini" horse didn't get the GreenGuard muzzle off. He didn't mind wearing it, there were no rubs, and the pasture mates weren't removing it.
The GreenGuard muzzle was such a success for my client that she became the North American distributor for the brand. The muzzles are now much more affordable, and durable enough to last years, unlike their predecessors, which only lasted a few months, if that!
I became a reseller to demonstrate their effectiveness to my clients directly. Local veterinarians, fellow farriers, and clients started recommending them as well. This muzzle has genuinely saved lives!
If you want to help your clients -- and yourself! -- let them know that a comfortable and effective muzzle is finally available!
