Just as vets, farriers, and equine dentists are recommending GreenGuard Grazing Muzzles to their clients and using them with their own herds, we’re seeing and hearing the same from horse trainers. Trainers recognize that horses who are treated as partners rather than subordinates are easier to build trusting relationships with. That extends to their health and wellbeing, which includes wearing grazing muzzles.
Some horses can just put on a muzzle and get on with the business of grazing. Others need a bit more finesse, a lighter touch, a bit more reassurance to spend hours at a time wearing a muzzle and halter. It helps that GreenGuard muzzles are lightweight and don’t absorb or hold water or heat. If horses can learn to associate a muzzle with friends, forage, and freedom - socialization time, access to fresh forage, and freedom of movement on pasture - they’re more likely to tolerate the tack it requires them to wear.
Brie is the founder of PATH Equestrian in Ontario, Canada. Her training philosophy encompasses the whole horse in all its wonderful complexity; PATH is an acronym for her Positive Approach To Horsemanship. When we first met her in early June 2023, she’d just taken the GG Equine plunge, buying new GreenGuard muzzles for her small herd, Asher, Peekaboo, and Yeti.
Meet Brie's herd! From left: Asher, Peekaboo, and Yeti. Photo: Brie S.
Brie was ready to take every precaution because she knows that "excessive grazing on such nutrient-rich grass can lead to health problems like obesity and laminitis." In her unboxing post, Brie noted that "all 3 of my horses have risk factors involved with 24-hour grazing. The grazing muzzle allows them to graze for 24 hours a day without overconsumption."
As a positive reinforcement trainer, Brie also took her time introducing the muzzles to her horses. Allowing her horses to get used to the muzzles before being turned out meant that "my boys will now come to the gate and self-halter to put the muzzle on. They seem to have no negative associations to wearing the muzzle and are happily grazing still, just at a lower rate."
Importantly, Brie also turned to GG Equine’s knowledgeable customer support staff to really make certain that Yeti, Asher, and Peekaboo were not only comfortable in their muzzles, but that they were also less likely to develop rubs or to escape from their muzzle and halter set ups. "This is my first year using muzzles," she said, "so having the expertise of the GG Equine support team while fitting my boys has been remarkable."
Asher (front) and Peekaboo have a little rest. Photo: Brie S.
We know something about Brie and a little about her methods; let's meet her herd! Asher is a 7-year-old rescue horse. Brie's "vet guesses he is a Dutch Harness x Canadian cross." Brie says Asher has "been struggling with weight for YEARS. We had tried many slow-feeding options and nothing was working." After a lot of trial and error and a lot of testing, they discovered the issue was his thyroid. "Between a low dose of thyroid medication and the GG muzzle, he is finally losing weight!"
Peekaboo is a 5-year-old Welsh pony. This past winter, he was in rehab and extended stall rest following a terrible car accident. Peekaboo put on some excess weight during a 5-month stall rest, which meant "a muzzle was needed to restrict his intake." Add to his other troubles that Peekaboo "is a Houdini pony and was constantly getting his muzzle off. Thanks to Jodi (and the GG muzzle team) we were able to get this little man fitted to a muzzle that fit correctly and left no rub marks!" These days, Peekaboo is fit, healthy, and doing well in Brie’s track system!
Yeti is a 15-year-old Gypsy Vanner gelding. Brie said that Yeti was fitted for a grazing muzzle since "two of his Gypsy friends foundered in 2023 on the same property. Blood tests" showed that Yeti was Insulin Resistant, or even close to it, "but because he is a more at-risk breed, some of his friends are IR and he is slightly overweight," Brie decided to "use a grazing muzzle as a preventative" measure.
Peekaboo (pink muzzle) and Sandwich. Photo: Brie S.
Horse-care professionals - from vets and farriers to trainers like Brie - have been a crucial part of normalizing the sight and use of grazing muzzles for their clients. Brie's social media posts are also really thorough, offering smart, clear explanations of the whys and hows of muzzling. During the process of building out her track system, "the muzzle allowed our horses to roam on 15 acres while ensuring they didn’t overeat or ingest too much sugar."
Brie's passion for the benefits of using grazing muzzles and her skills as a trainer have dovetailed for her over the past year. As we noted at the start, some horses take a little more work to adjust to a new muzzle and halter, especially if they've never worn one before. Brie says her own muzzle posts have prompted "clients to reach out, and we've made rapid changes in regards to the emotions around the muzzles, and they now all run over to be muzzled!"
What’s her secret? It's different for every horse, but Brie says that "working towards a proper fit is a priority with muzzling. Ensuring there are no rub marks or uncomfortable points of contact needs to be done on a daily basis." As for getting horses into the habit of wearing them, Brie says her herd "get their muzzles off in the morning for their daily breakfast. After breakfast, they get a large treat in their muzzle and they will self-halter" as they "reach in to get the treat."
Brie's horse Yeti's grazing muzzle is preventive. Photo: Brie S.
Horse care has really undergone a transformation in the 21st century. It used to be that between visits from your vet and farrier, sometimes an equine dentist, you'd consider your horse’s health and wellbeing taken care of. In the 2020s, we're seeing horse owners focus on the horse as a whole. They're seeing the connections between physical and emotional health, including how we train and treat our horses.
Brie understands that there is as much curiosity about muzzles among horse owners as there is hesitation or resistance to using them. She says, "I understand that muzzles may seem not seem ideal, but on average 1 in 10 horses are affected by laminitis and 7% of horse deaths are associated with laminitis." Her work as a trainer also involves a lot of rehabbing horses, and for laminitic or foundered horses, "it's not a pretty recovery. The muzzle investment greatly outweighs the cost of vet bills. Having a horse wear a muzzle is a DRASTICALLY better situation."
Thanks so much to Brie for sharing so many details about her work as a trainer, her own herd, and the wisdom she's gained from both. Her interest and deep involvement with her horses illustrates a full range of approaches to muzzling. Find out more about Brie and PATH Equestrian at the links below!
Brie runs PATH Equestrian in Ontario, Canada
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