Brigita's Blog: Beware of Lush Green Pastures

It's springtime and the pastures are turning lush and green.  It has lots of tasty new growth.  Time to cut back on feeding the hay and turn the horses out into the grass.

STOP right there!  All that lush spring grass can be fatal to the horses.

Just think.  The horses haven't seen grass for a number of months and are craving for it by now.  Yummy!  (At least to the horse it is.)  Compare it to a child in a candy store.  If they (the horse) eat the grass all day, they will end up with a tummy ache, better known as colic.  And as all of us horse people know, colic can be fatal. 

When the spring grasses start coming in, begin putting the horses out for short periods of time and gradually increase the time until their digestive systems are used to the grass.  The best way to do that is to put them out for about 1/2 an hour for a few days.  Then increase the time to maybe 1 hour for another few days and 2 hours the next few days and so on until they are out for most of the day.  The horses may be unhappy being out for such a short time, and yes it is a bit of an inconvenience, but in the long run you will be grateful for it because you will not have to call the veterinarian out for an emergency call.  Believe me, that can run into mega bucks, not to mention possibly losing your horse.

So, go ahead and put the horses out into the pasture, but remember to start out slow.  In the long run, it will save your horse's life.