Tough 1 Easy Breathe Poly/Nylon Grazing Muzzle, Pony, Black

I measured around the bridge of my horses' nose. Two were 16 1/2 inches and one was 17 inches. Then I searched for a size chart on the net and boy did I get a surprise. According to a chart on Chick's web page the muzzle for a mini is 22 inch circumference! This can't be right! Well, since my horses are small I decided to go with the pony size even thought the same chart said the muzzles would have a 24 inch circumference, which would be way too big, right?Well, when I got the pony size muzzles they were 18 inches circumference! What's the deal? Well, I think the size chart refers to the length of the strap that goes from one side of nose, around the ears to the other side of the nose or the headstall and not the circumference of the actual muzzle itself. Lucky for me the headstalls just fit and so did the muzzles.My horses adapted very well to them. I introduced them to their muzzles while grooming and then let them go in the yard for a couple of hours. They didn't even try to eat. They acted like they were tied up. Then I took them off for a while and put them on again at night while in the pasture. Neither came off during the two nights I used them. I also didn't see any rubbing or chafing marks. The quality of the materials is good. Actually, it's better then I expected.I bought two types: the Grazing Cribbing Muzzle and the Easy Breathe. The Cribbing one engulfs the horses hose more and may not come off as easily. The Easy Breathe seems to be a bit looser fit and a troublesome horse may get it off easier. However, they both worked well. I have one horse that snorts a lot so I use the Easy Breath on him.The picture shows a mettle ring that you can use to tie them with but neither of mine came with one. Its ok though. Its one less thing to snag on something.26/04/15:- the headstall length is adjusted with Velcro and can pull apart. My horses learned to pull them off by rubbing on each other. I put a stitch in and they haven't pulled them off since; but keep trying!

This is the second Easy Breathe grazing muzzle that I've bought for my mare. The nostril holes are big enough to not impede her breathing in any way, which helps her stay cool in hot weather. She also accepts it more willingly than a standard, closed-bucket muzzle. The muzzle is sized well and made of good quality materials. There are a couple of downsides, however. The hole in the bottom of the muzzle is too large, so the muzzle wears out more quickly than other models. (It may be too large for some horses to wear at all.) I also wish that there was a snap or buckle on the back strap, since my mare dislikes having the strap pulled over her ears.All in all, the big nostril holes are such a boon that I'm willing to put up with the relatively short weartime and annoying strap design.The pictures show a standard, closed bucket muzzle vs an Easy Breathe. Both are made by Tough 1 and both say "Large", but the closed bucket is significantly smaller. The grazing hole on the closed bucket is small and round, in contrast to the large, rectangular hole in the Easy Breathe. The Easy Breathe wears out quickly, mainly because a relatively small amount of wear makes the rectangular hole too large to be effective. The 2nd photo shows my horse's old Easy Breathe, worn out after about 12 weeks of use.

Tough 1 makes good products. I also own one of their heavy duty winter horse blankets, and I am very pleased with it. I also own a couple of their winter dog coats and am also pleased. I ordered this grazing muzzle for my horse. It seems very sturdy, a little on the heavy size, but that's because of the quality of the materials in it. However, when the package arrived and I examined it, I noticed that the one I received was slightly different from the one pictured. I am assuming that an improvement was made. What you don't see in the photo is that on the top of the nose "basket", there is a small loop, with a nylon strap that runs through it, connecting to the rings on the sides of the cheeks. I'm guessing this was done to help keep the basket in place so that it doesn't drop off the nose and fall underneath to the neck. The problem with my muzzle is that the added strap has a TWIST in it, so that it will not lay flat across my horse's nose. There's a buckle for adjustment, but the ends are sewn so that this strap cannot be removed to be corrected. I sent an email to the manufacturer on March 10, 2014 with photos of the problem. As of today (4/2/14), there has been no reply. I could have returned it to the retailer, but would have incurred shipping charges. At this point, I will repair it myself buy cutting the stitches, flattening the strap, and re-stitching, but that's not my first choice. However grass season is approaching, and I cannot risk my horse's health by waiting for an answer any longer. I am not even sure whether this brand will be effective, because it hasn't yet been used on my horse. So, how well it works is yet to be determined, but I'm not too happy with the manufacturer's customer service.

It's not perfect, but it is the best of the three I tried this year. The best thing about this muzzle is that my horses can actually BREATHE, thanks the large gaps over their nostrils. This seems so much more comfortable for the horse than the Roma and (some other brand), where the basket weave went over the nostrils, as well.I wish this had a smaller opening on the bottom. And I wish it had more length in the under-chin strap that goes from the basket to the throatlatch. And I wish the shape was more cylindrical.. so the end of the basket was as big around as the opening of the basket. But these are minor quibbles, compared to the advantage of uncovered nostrils.Sizing: My Haflinger cross pony has a coarse face, and wears the Large Horse. My Arab has a dainty face. I originally had her in a Horse size, but it was a bit large around the opening and she ended up getting a hoof caught in the muzzle. I had to cut it free. The Arab is now wearing a Pony size, which fits nicely around the opening, but I wish it was roomier at the bottom. It rubs her chin a bit.

Not very durable--the muzzle was quick to come apart. I switched out the crown for a leather break away to make it safer and I had to cut into the rubber so that the hole was sitting at the correct place.