Unhappy Horse

Isis Bint Sirdar

Isis is thoroughly pissed at me. I’ve purchased a grazing muzzle for her to wear in hopes that it will reduce the amount of grass she is eating.

Isis Bint Sirdar

She had it on for the first time on Saturday. She was not a happy camper. The grass in her diet paddock (dry lot) was so low that she couldn’t get any grass through the hole in the bottom of the muzzle. She walked around, tossing her head, glaring at me. For 30 minutes, she tried to rub the muzzle off on trees, fences, posts, her legs… anything that might free her from the annoying contraption.

She figured out how to get it off, alright. The next day when I was out and turned her out with her buddies with the muzzle on. She tossed her head a few times, took out her frustrations on her herd-mates, then went down to roll. Gracefully rolled side to side, got up, and the grazing muzzle was on the ground.

I’ve seen her do this several times now. Usually within 10 minute of being put out, she rolls and gets the muzzle off, even after it’s been readjusted to be tighter and fight well. If the muzzle is much tighter it won’t fit properly.

If she doesn’t keep it on, she really won’t be happy. She will be sequestered in her diet paddock instead of out with her buddies. I pity the horse that ends up in with her…

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