I see so many people disregard many of the tips on horses when it comes to grass because they have it stuck in their head that grass is the most natural food we can feed our horses. And I can totally understand that because that’s the way it used to be, but now we need to have an open mind when it comes to grass tips on horses. Just think of how large our dairy and beef industry has become compared to the horse industry! Our grass tips on horses has taken a very different turn to be able to benefit the cattle industry. In this day and age plant breeders make their money if they design grasses that fatten the cattle and increase their milk production. Did things just make a little more sense on how tips on horses in regards to grass may have changed over the years? So our plant breeders make a nutrient dense, high sugar, low fibre, easily digestible grass with “fructan” being the special ingredient. YIKES tips on horses just became all about the cows!

Fructans can be quite dangerous for our horses because they just don’t have a lot of the digestive enzymes required to digest them, which leads to fermenting them in the cecum. When these specific tips on horses happens you could be looking at colic, colon damage, leaky gut and laminitis. Our Researchers know this very well and don’t disregard these tips on horses instead they use it to their advantage to induce laminitis in horses. There are many factors that increase fructan levels in grass like cold weather, drought, poor soil and nutrient deficiencies. Levels are at their highest in bright sunlight and cool weather so it’s best to keep your horses off the grass on those frosty mornings and hot dry days. Nighttime grazing will be one of your best tips on horses if it is not freezing and the grass isn’t dried out.

Now these tips on horses leads to fructan levels in hay. Many people know that these levels drop through the drying process but unfortunately we still see levels that many horses just can’t handle. If you are one of those people that have a sensitive horse you know very well that these tips on horses are very accurate. Maybe even some of you have tried the tips on horses and even gone as far as soaking your hay which can reduce these levels by 30%.

Every horse is different when it comes to these tips on horses and what levels of fructans it can handle. It’s hard to believe that a horse could founder on a few handfuls of grass but believe me it can and does happen. Some other tips on horses is a grazing muzzle for some might help and then for others they seem to tolerate almost any grass or hay. These tips on horses need to be looked at for each horse individually. Unfortunately we are seeing horses on a grass diet having more problems than a horse on a hay diet and these horses require lifelong dietary changes. Again these are hard tips on horses to stomach when we have been conditioned to believe grass is the most natural food for our horses. If your horse is having health problems or never seems to be sound you just can’t disregard these tips on horses.