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Spring brings with it beautiful, green pastures that dazzle the eyes. But to horse owners, these lush expanses contain hidden dangers. It can be tempting to turn the horses out at the first sign of growing grass, however, introducing horses to early spring pasture too quickly can have disastrous effects on their health. Properly transitioning horses onto spring pasture can help prevent side effects and ensure they can safely reap the benefits of fresh, green grass.
Benefits of Keeping Horses on Pasture
For most horses, having access to fresh grass pastures provide numerous benefits. Horses were designed to eat for upwards of 16 hours a day with their head in a lowered position. While many owners try to slow their horse's consumption down with a hay net, it is not the same as a grass diet. Fresh grass contains a number of essential vitamins and minerals, lowering some horses' grain requirements when they have ample. Large pasture space allows horses to move as they wish, strengthening their muscles and tendons as well as providing them with a natural environment. Even just an hour on grass a day can greatly benefit a horse's mental and physical health.
Dangers of Spring Grass
Despite the numerous benefits, turning horses out to gorge on fresh, spring grass can lead to disastrous health consequences including laminitis and colic. Any sudden dietary changes can cause a disruption to the horse's digestive system. Early in the season, the first flush of spring grass is very rich and is high in moisture, protein, and nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC). Large increases in NSC can lead to malfunctioning of the small intestine causing products that should be absorbed in the small intestine to make their way into the hindgut, raising PH levels and producing gas. This can lead to life-threatening colic.
For many horses, the high levels of NSC can wreak havoc on their metabolic system. For horses with metabolic syndrome, like diabetes, Equine Metabolic System, and Cushing's, fresh spring grass can be especially dangerous. A sudden increase in NSC can make these conditions worse, leading to laminitis and founder. Ponies and easy keepers may experience rapid weight gains after being put on spring pasture and potentially develop metabolic issues.
Not all horses will be able to safely manage grass as a large part of their diet. Always consult a veterinarian before making a sudden change to your horse's diet and ask them about the suitability of a grass diet for your horse.
How to Transition onto Spring Pasture
Many horses can enjoy the benefits of eating fresh grass, however, in order to make the transition smooth, it is important to have a plan. Transitioning horses onto grass is a lengthy process, but it will help ensure your horse can stay healthy and enjoy some fresh, green grass in their diet safely.
Who Needs Transitioning
When winter rolls around and the grass stops growing, horse owners have to start supplementing their horse's roughage needs by feeding hay. Some owners might keep their horses at pasture once the snow settles in. Others will bring their horses onto a dry lot and keep them there until the pastures are dried out later in spring. Your horse's transitioning needs will depend on how they spent the spring thaw.
Some horses remain on pasture throughout the winter and spring thaw. As the first sprigs of spring grass begin to come in, these horses are able to begin nibbling. This process allows horses to naturally acclimate to grass as it slowly begins to grow up over the early spring months. However, many owners choose to keep their horses off the grass until it is established later in spring. In this case, horses will need to be slowly transitioned onto the lush grass.
When to Start
Overgrazing grass and letting horses begin grazing too early can slowly ruin pastures over time. The best time to start transitioning horses onto grass is when there are at least 6 inches of growth, however, 8 to 10 inches is better. Never let horses graze grass lower than 4 inches. If your grass gets too short, remove horses from the field and feed hay.
Transitioning Schedule
When transitioning horses onto grass, slow is better. Follow this schedule to help your horses slowly acclimate to a grass diet and avoid health complications.
