GreenGuard Grazing Muzzle

GreenGuard muzzle sizing is based on your horse's nose circumference and bit size. See our complete muzzle sizing guide.

You can also watch a full and detailed walkthrough video on our YouTube channel.

As a rule, the muzzle is angled properly when the front strap is longer, and the rear strap (behind the chin) is very short for size 5 (horse) and Size 4 (pony). For size 3 (mini) the straps tend to be more or less the same length.

Here's our best practices video for our leather breakaway straps. It includes our recommendation to cinch them down with electrical tape. Loopy straps can get caught on things and breakaway prematurely!

• The GreenGuard muzzle is compatible with just about any halter you've ever tried. It's just a matter of finding the right connection points, keeping the muzzle from sliding, and using a breakaway safety halter. Here's our tutorial on attaching a GreenGuard muzzle to a standard halter.
• You can also convert any halter into a GG-style halter - with a center face strap - by using our fleece converter set. The fleece helps prevent rubs while the center strap provides an anchor for the front muzzle strap.

Here is our general tutorial covering all of the major causes and solutions for muzzle and halter rubs.

Nose and Chin Rubbing:

Our Muzzle Rub Protector Stickers adhere to the muzzle panel to prevent chafing and rubbing, or you can DIY this option using smooth tape (our preference is gorilla tape).

Have a draft or draft cross whose mouth is just a little too big for the Size 5 (Horse) muzzle? We have a DIY procedure for expanding the back panel. Note: it will void your warranty, so reach out with any questions.

Jaw Rubbing:

If your horse is developing a rub under their jaw area between their chin & cheek bones, we have a video about treating jaw rubbing.

Our leather muzzle inserts are useful, not only in extending muzzle life and being gentler on horse teeth, but also for aiding in grass restriction. We've developed two approaches to additionally restrict or further customize grass intake.

1. Customize the size of the holes to restrict grass intake
2. Temporarily block all holes for a medical reason/procedure or farrier visit

According to the National Equine Welfare Council's "Grazing Muzzle Guidance," all grazing muzzles carry a risk of tooth wear. The NEWC recommends your horse get at least an annual check by an equine vet or dental specialist.

This video addresses everything we know to date about preventive measures and solutions for tooth care while using a grazing muzzle.

We highly recommend cleaning your GreenGuard muzzle and checking your horse's teeth regularly when they are wearing a muzzle.

Finally, leather and rubber muzzle inserts have been designed to prolong the life of your muzzle and to wear faster and be gentler on horse teeth. If you horse has existing tooth wear, we recommend the leather insert.

According to the National Equine Welfare Council's "Grazing Muzzle Guidance," "grazing muzzles can reduce grass intake by up to 80%." (skip to 4:24 in the video link for the exact quote)

In practice, real grass restriction depends on a number of factors: the grazing muzzle, the horse that is wearing it, how long the grass is, and how practiced the horse is at grazing in a muzzle, among others.

What is undeniable is that horses in grazing muzzles get more exercise than horses in stalls or in dry lots. A turned-out, muzzled horse gets less grass and more exercise, both of which contribute to weight management.

If your horse requires further grass restriction than the muzzle alone, there are solutions. Muzzle inserts cover an additional 30% (leather) to 50% (diet) of the available grazing area.

We have also developed methods for further customizing the size of the GreenGuard muzzle holes or temporarily blocking all holes for a medical reason/procedure or farrier visit.

You can read more details about the muzzle and insert restrictions, and the best way to monitor weight on our blog post, "How much do muzzles restrict intake?"

The mini leather insert blocks part of the muzzle holes right down the center, making the muzzle holes about 30% smaller (see photo below).

Because of the mini muzzle's unique curvature, they typically aren't able to graze through the outer edges very well, so their actual open grazing area is quite small with the leather insert. The leather insert also makes the muzzle grazing surface much thicker. Most owners find that the leather insert provides the right amount of restriction and is comparable to the diet inserts in the other two sizes even though it doesn't look as restrictive.

While you can customize the size of the mini muzzle's holes, we do not recommend doing this unless you have been advised by a vet or nutritionist that they need this level of grass restriction.