Graze your horse in-hand to encourage him to try eating with the muzzle on. Another that looked at muzzle use over 10 hours, combined with 14 hours of un-muzzled turnout, and found that weight gain was reduced over a three-week period in most ponies. Research studies have found that grazing muzzles can reduce grass intake significantly – one study found an 83% reduction over a three hour period.

It’s not recommended that they’re worn for more than 10–12 hours each day, but it’s important to remember that during muzzle-free hours your horse’s grazing or access to forage should be restricted to avoid compensatory eating undoing your hard work. Grazing muzzles should not be left on 24/7.

How long should a horse wear a grazing muzzle?

They are usually used in conjunction with other measures, such as strip grazing, as part of a weight loss or maintenance plan to protect against equine obesity and other associated problems, such as laminitis. Grazing muzzles are used to restrict grass intake, while allowing your horse to benefit from turnout.