How long does a grazing muzzle last?
At the end of the afternoon you walk into the pasture to your horse, and what do you see, he is enjoying those juicy long blades of grass. Not exactly what you had in mind when you put a grazing muzzle on him out of sheer necessity. You look around the pasture and see a pile somewhere halfway. You walk over to it and to your great surprise there is very little intact. Ugh! And that too… and your horse can’t really do without…
A broken grazing muzzle, how frustrating is that. You buy a grazing muzzle out of sheer necessity, because you want to protect your horse in its current habitat against the abundance of grass, but it is not the most fun purchase. You can think of something else that you would have rather bought. At the same time, you do not want anything to happen to your horse if it does get caught on something.
Most intensively used piece of rigging. 
A grazing muzzle is the most intensively used item you can think of in the harness category. A horse often wears it for many hours at a time. And the eating violence is a major burden during the 8 or even 24 hours a day. The bottom of the muzzle has to endure the most in this respect. Horses can handle the muzzle very differently. Where one nibbles blades of grass with a calm feeling, the other pushes its teeth almost through the ground in the hope of more yield. Apart from the effect on the teeth, this of course has an effect on the lifespan of the grazing muzzle. The load and durability always create a field of tension. If we make the ground more resilient, this will again be at the expense of the teeth and cause more wear and tear, which is also undesirable.
Get stuck…
Not only the eating violence can cause damage. Where a horse is wearing a halter or grazing muzzle unattended, there is a chance that the horse can unintentionally get caught on something. The fence can contain protruding fence guides or there can be nails sticking out. If your enclosure has a walk-in entrance to a stable, you can also find various hooks or other things that form a protrusion there. With a grazing muzzle, it is also good to realize that a horse cannot see anything at the height of its nose. It perceives with its sense of smell and touch (tactile hairs and lips) and that is where the grazing muzzle is a real handicap and 'blinds' the horse even more. Getting caught on something is therefore really bad luck and a moment of panic for your horse.
As a precaution, always walk around your pasture or habitat with this critical eye so that you can detect and remove unnecessary protrusions.
Also keep in mind that a mask with a more 'open design' such as the ThinLine or Easygrazer can get caught on things more easily.
But my grazing muzzle has a safety lock, doesn't it?
You've probably experienced it at the grooming yard. A horse hanging in panic from its halter. Does your horse have shoes? Then sparks fly around your ears. With a bit of luck, you had a panic hook or a panic knot with which you could quickly free the horse. If not, you often have to wait until your horse comes to its senses or sooner, until something breaks and your horse gets loose. All in all, panic and getting stuck release a lot of force. When something like this happens is very unpredictable and even if your grazing muzzle has a safety lock, it is still impossible to predict in advance how your horse will get stuck and where the most force will be exerted. And whether the safety lock is in the right place to free it. Ultimately, the safety lock is not there to prevent the grazing muzzle from breaking. It is there to be able to free your horse if it is stuck and thus prevents worse, which you would rather not think about. Which could also mean that other damage to the muzzle occurs during such an event. Or whether the grazing muzzle gives way sooner in another place.
Cozy playful herd
Some horses have playful herd mates. A group of playful geldings for example. They prefer to pull on each other's halter all day long or bite each other in the legs so that the other goes down on his knees. In addition to the fact that biting and pulling on a halter or grazing muzzle causes damage, it can also cause the grazing muzzle to slip off or no longer fit properly. Sometimes it hangs loosely around the neck or dangles next to the head. You can imagine that a horse or a playful neighbor horse can get a leg caught in this. And this also releases a lot of force and can cause damage (and injuries).
Adjusting the grazing muzzle.
In addition to external factors, the adjustment also plays a role. If the adjustment is too loose or incorrect, a mask can (partially) slide off or sit incorrectly. A horse can then put the wrong load on the mask because it eats along the bottom and not through the hole. The sides are often not resistant to this type of load and the mask will wear out faster or break there. A throat strap that is too loose can also get caught on something more easily and slide off more easily. In addition, it can sometimes happen that your horse gets caught on something but that it comes loose in time. There is no damage in that case, but it is possible that the passers-by that determine the adjustment of the halter may have shifted, causing the adjustment to change. Or in another case that a leather headpiece of a safety halter does not give way but stretches slightly. That is also why it is good to check your adjustment regularly.
My grazing muzzle was very expensive so this will last the longest?
Unfortunately, that is not the case. The price unfortunately says nothing about the lifespan. For every type of grazing muzzle, regardless of price, a compromise must be made between safety and reliability. No manufacturer benefits from receiving one claim after another due to panic situations with an unpleasant outcome. To protect the horse, safe materials or safer connections and/or an extra escape option are chosen. The fact that this sometimes leads to damage to the grazing muzzle too quickly for some horses, is something that can hardly be done about. Sometimes it is just a truly unfortunate coincidence of circumstances. It is just as unfortunate if an incident occurs in the first few weeks after purchase. But also remember that no grazing muzzle just falls apart spontaneously. If damage has occurred, it means that something has happened. It is often difficult to determine what actually happened. In any case, we can be relieved that your horse is not ill in that case. And take a good look at what this could have been due to so that you can perhaps take action and prevent it in the future.
Make a conscious choice
In any case, it is useful to consider in advance that your horse will wear this necessary piece of tack a lot and for a long time and also take your budget into account. We also expect a saddle or bridle to fit well and that is often used much less long-term or intensively. So just as you may also reserve for the veterinary costs, also reserve a budget for this health aid and take into account that it can break at an unexpected moment. The horse's head is sensitive and has little 'recovery reserve'. Also take comfort and safety into account in your choice. Do you know your horse and do you know that you have a horse that is not very careful or is in a playful herd? Then choose a less expensive model in advance. Calculate in advance that you may not be able to do the entire season with a mask.
Reserve grazing muzzle
In the context of 'not suddenly running out when it actually can't be done' it is always useful to have thought about this in advance. Make sure you have a back-up. A spare mask that you can quickly pull out of the closet when necessary so that you don't unnecessarily let your horse go outside unprotected or even have to leave it in the stable. Some people consciously choose two identical grazing muzzles and alternate regularly. This way you can clean and maintain one when the other is used and you always have a spare in case of emergency. And by alternating you spread the load and hopefully both masks will last longer. Others choose to have a somewhat cheaper version (with the same grazing restriction) in the closet as a temporary emergency solution. It is then good to test whether your horse can also eat with this model of grazing muzzle before actually using it.
Repair
Damage is of course annoying but in many cases a shoe or saddle maker can still repair quite a bit. So if something is broken have it repaired and possibly keep your repaired grazing muzzle as a spare. Also immediately a lot more sustainable than if you throw it straight in the bin.
So to summarize: How long does a grazing muzzle last?
In general, assume that a grazing muzzle will last for one season. If you have a careful horse, it may even last two seasons or longer. In some cases, you may be unlucky and unfortunately you do not make it or your muzzle will break quickly. Unfortunately, in the event of damage, no claim can be made under 'guarantee' because there are safety aspects and too many external factors that neither the manufacturer nor we as the seller have any influence on.
