Welcome to Equine Simplified – Getting Started
April 15, 2020
A life lesson from my horse
May 10, 2020
Spring Grasses and Horses
I often worry about how much time my horses spend grazing during the spring. To address this concern, I found a great article by Kentucky Equine Research on this topic. It talks about fructans (special sugars found in spring grasses) and their impact on horses.
Why Does this Matter?
As a horse person, I have always loved the look and feel of rich grasses. However, the risk is simply too high. Perhaps our education level has increased, but it seems more and more horses are at risk for metabolic disorders today. Diet still remains one of the leading causes.
Last year, I noticed all three of my horses growing quickly around their mid-sections. I still wanted to maintain extended turnout for the horses, but couldn’t afford them to eat non-stop during the day. As a result, I took four actions.
- Changed their diet to a Low Starch/Low Sugar feed.
- Reduced their feed intake substantially
- Found a supplement to support the vitamin E, Zinc, Copper and other vital nutrients. I now use K.I.S. Trace supplement.
- Religiously used grazing muzzles.
Preventive Measures - Grazing Muzzles
Based on this research, I began to use grazing muzzles on all my horses. Please see the following video on muzzle selecting and fitting.
In conclusion, act fast. Preventing metabolic conditions early will save you from major health conditions and unwanted vet costs.
