Two Crucial Things You Can do to Prevent Colic & Laminitis This Spring
Are you nervous when you start your horse on grass this time of the year? Me too, but there are two significant steps you can take to put your mind at ease when it comes to spring grazing.
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1. Introduce grass slowly
Pasture conditions and grass potencies vary considerably by geographic location, altitude, and time of year. Here are a few tips to help ease your mind when you plan to introduce your horse to grass. Delay grazing until grasses reach 6 to 8 inches and begin grazing for 15 minutes. Then increase the daily grazing time by 15 minutes until you reach five hours of consecutive grazing.
Graze your horses early in the morning, before sunrise, or at night and avoid grazing in full sun during the day. For IR/EMS-prone horses, we highly recommend using a grazing muzzle. Avoid cutting your pasture because the fructain (sugar) in the grass remains in the lower part of the stem. It retreats into the root at night, which makes it safer to graze. Additionally, adjust your horses' hay intake when they eat on full pasture. One hour of full grazing reduces the amount of good quality hay intake by one pound.
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2. Feed Enzymes
Feed enzymes to promote optimal digestion when you introduce horses to spring grass. Enzymes are the workers that build the house. While you can have all the wood, stone, steel, and glass at the building site, the house remains unbuilt without the workers putting it all together. Enzymes are the workers who ensure that a supplement is absorbed by the body. They also guarantee that all nutrients are delivered to the tissue, so cells can be nourished and restored. Without enzymes, a supplement or food can't work. Enzymes prevent toxic overload syndrome which can cause laminitis or colic. When the enzyme profile is more complex, the enzymes are more effective and work better. I might be a little biased, but I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't believe it. Our Daily Scoop ESSENTIALS contain complete complex enzymes and give you everything you need to support your horse during spring grazing.
I hope this help you on your journey to figuring out spring grazing and optimizing your horses' gut health. If you have any questions don't hesitate to send me a message!
