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The sunshine has made this spring especially beautiful, but for horse owners, it also means keeping a close eye on all that lush spring grass starting to come through. While this may be amazing for some owners for their foals and for the horses which need to put on weight after a tough winter. For others, it is important to be alert on how much your horse is consuming. Spring grass can give your horse more energy and also due to the high sugar content in spring grass this can lead to weight gain and also laminitis.
The best way to manage spring grass is through sectioning your fields and introducing your horse to it slowly. Electric fencing gives you control over how much grass your animals can access, allowing you to gradually expand the grazing area as needed. This approach helps your horse gradually adjust to the higher sugar content in the grass, supporting better overall health.
If your horse lives out when it's warmer and is prone to laminitis, you can always use a muzzle for certain periods of time to help slow down their grazing. If possible, consider stabling your horse for a few hours or use a no-grass turnout with hay, allowing them to stay active and graze throughout the day without accessing the lush grass.
If your horse has been on the same pasture all winter, the transition shouldn’t be too much of a shock to their system, as they will have gradually grazed on the new growth as it emerged. As temperatures rise and grass growth increases, it’s recommended to provide hay as an additional forage option. This gives your horse a break from constantly grazing on lush spring grass and helps support a more balanced diet.
Even though horse owners should always be monitoring their horse’s health for any changes. Make sure to be extra careful if your horse has access to a large amount of spring grass for changes in their health such as their droppings, water intake and their weight.
Some product recommendations from us to help with laminitis are:
Dodson & Horrell Safe and Sound
Check out our variety of fencing products available for you both online and in our stores.
