Snout width determines the size of the grid
Choosing the right grid is quite simple. A horse only uses its snout and lips to get hay into its mouth. A horse's snout is the thick, very mobile part of its upper lip. Your horse uses this to feel and grab things, just like an elephant does with its trunk. The width of its snout determines how far apart the bars of the grid should be. By measuring this for your horse you can choose the right grid.
Measure snout width
It is best to do this job with two people. Stand next to your horse as you would when putting on a halter. Use one hand to hold his head a bit, with your other hand grasp the thick part of his snout between your thumb and index finger. Try to grab the very thick part and gently squeeze it as flat as possible.
Once you have found the thick part of his snout, measure the distance between your thumb and index finger with, for example, a tape measure or tape measure. If you repeat this two or three times you will get a reasonable feeling of what the width of his snout is.
In practice we see snouts of less than 4cm in small breeds such as Shetland ponies, Icelanders and other pony breeds. A small grid is suitable for them.
Modern sport horses such as KWPN, Holsteiner and Oldenburger have a snout between 4 and 5.5 cm. A medium grid is suitable for these varieties. In horse breeds that were originally used on land, we see snout widths above 5.5 cm, these are breeds such as Friesian horses and Tinkers. A large grid is suitable for these breeds. But every horse is unique, so it is very possible that your horse differs from this. If in doubt, please contact us!
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Which grid for which snout
Is this less than 4cm? Then you choose a small grid. Is this between 4 and 5.5cm? Then the medium grid is most suitable. From 5.5cm choose a large grid. The different grids can all be used on the same FeedingMaster and can be ordered separately. This is useful if you get another horse in the stable or if you want to change the grid later.
Snout width | Minimal hoofwidth | Grid size |
upto 4 cm | 7 cm | Small |
4 upto 5,5 cm | 7 cm | Medium |
5,5 cm and wider | 10 cm | Large |
Minimum hoof width
To prevent your horse from shooting its hooves through the grid when it puts its foot on the FeedingMaster, it is important that its hoof is wide enough. For a small and medium grid this must be at least 7cm, for a large grid the hoof must be wider than 10cm.
Measure hoof width
Measure the width of your horse's hoof at the widest point from left to right and measure all 4 of his hooves. The narrowest hoof must meet the minimum hoof width.