Feeding Horses in Spring: The Complete Guide to Pasture, Nutrition, Weight and Gut Health

Spring brings warmer weather, longer days and rapidly changing pasture conditions. For many horses, it also brings one of the biggest nutritional changes of the year.

After months of relying heavily on hay, conserved forage and supplementary feed, horses may suddenly have access to rapidly growing pasture. At the same time, workloads often increase, temperatures rise and owners begin adjusting feeding routines.

While fresh spring pasture can provide valuable nutrition, changing a horse's diet too quickly can contribute to digestive upset, unwanted weight gain and metabolic problems. Horses that are prone to laminitis, insulin dysregulation, obesity or digestive sensitivity may require particularly careful management.

The key to successful spring feeding is not simply feeding more or less. It is understanding how your horse's total diet is changing and adjusting each part of the feeding program accordingly.

In this guide, we look at how spring affects pasture and horse nutrition, how to transition horses safely, how to manage weight and metabolic risk, when supplementary feeding may still be required, and how to support hydration and digestive health throughout the season.

Why Does Horse Feeding Need to Change in Spring?

A horse's nutritional requirements do not suddenly change because the calendar says spring. What changes is the environment around them.

Pasture growth can increase rapidly following rain, warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours. A paddock that provided relatively little nutrition during winter may suddenly contribute a significant proportion of a horse's daily energy intake.

At the same time:

• horses may spend more time grazing

• pasture moisture content increases

• pasture composition changes

• supplementary hay intake may fall

• workloads may increase

• horses may begin sweating more

• body weight can change surprisingly quickly

This means a feeding program that worked perfectly during winter may no longer be appropriate several weeks into spring.

Rather than making large changes all at once, spring feeding should be treated as a transition period.

1. Introduce Spring Pasture Gradually

One of the most important principles of spring horse management is avoiding sudden dietary change.

The horse's hindgut contains a complex population of microorganisms responsible for fermenting fibre. These microbial populations adapt to the type of feed the horse regularly consumes.

When a horse moves rapidly from a predominantly hay-based diet to consuming large quantities of fresh pasture, the composition of the diet changes considerably.

Spring pasture may contain more moisture, more rapidly fermentable carbohydrates and different fibre characteristics than the forage the horse has been eating throughout winter.

For some horses, sudden unrestricted grazing can contribute to loose manure, digestive disturbance and excessive calorie intake. For horses susceptible to laminitis or insulin dysregulation, uncontrolled access to pasture may present an even greater concern.

How to transition horses onto spring pasture

Where practical, introduce increased pasture access gradually.

Depending on the horse and paddock conditions, management strategies may include:

• gradually increasing grazing time

• continuing to provide hay during the transition

• using strip grazing

• restricting access to particularly lush areas

• using a correctly fitted grazing muzzle where appropriate

• rotating paddocks carefully

• monitoring body condition frequently

There is no single turnout schedule that is appropriate for every horse.

A healthy horse in ideal body condition may tolerate pasture changes differently from an overweight pony with a history of laminitis. Pasture type, rainfall, temperature and grazing pressure also influence the nutritional value of the paddock.

The safest approach is to assess the horse and the pasture together rather than relying on a fixed number of grazing hours.

2. Understand That Green Grass Is Still Feed

One of the easiest mistakes to make in spring is treating pasture as something separate from the horse's feeding program.

It isn't.

Pasture is feed, and depending on its quality and availability, it can contribute substantial amounts of energy and nutrients to the diet.

As pasture improves, a horse that continues receiving exactly the same quantities of hay and hard feed may begin consuming considerably more calories overall.

This is why some horses gain weight rapidly during spring despite no apparent change to their bucket feed.

Look at the entire diet

When assessing a spring feeding program, consider:

• pasture availability

• pasture quality

• hay intake

• concentrate or complete feed

• balancers

• supplements

• treats

• workload

• body condition

If pasture is providing more calories, supplementary feed may need to be reduced.

However, reducing calories does not necessarily mean removing all supplementary nutrition.

A horse may obtain adequate energy from pasture while still requiring additional minerals, salt or other nutrients.

This distinction between calories and nutrients is one of the most important concepts in horse feeding.

3. Keep Forage at the Centre of the Diet

Horses are grazing animals designed to consume fibre throughout much of the day.

Regardless of season, forage should remain the foundation of the diet.

In spring, that forage may come from a combination of:

• pasture

• grass hay

• meadow hay

• lucerne

• other suitable conserved forage

Owners sometimes remove hay as soon as paddocks become green. Whether this is appropriate depends on how much usable forage the paddock is actually providing.

A paddock can look green without necessarily providing enough dry matter to meet a horse's forage requirements.

Fresh grass contains considerably more water than hay, so horses need to consume a larger weight of fresh pasture to obtain the same amount of dry matter.

Don't judge pasture by colour alone

Consider grazing density, pasture height and how much time the horse actually spends eating.

If pasture is limited, closely grazed or inconsistent, continuing to provide hay may be necessary.

Providing appropriate forage can also help avoid long periods without feed, particularly overnight or when horses are confined for part of the day.

4. Adjust Hard Feed to Match the Horse's Actual Workload

Spring often marks the beginning of a busier riding season.

Competition schedules increase, daylight hours become longer and horses may return to more regular work.

It can therefore seem logical to automatically increase hard feed.

But increased activity does not always mean the horse needs substantially more energy.

For many horses, the additional calories supplied by spring pasture may already compensate for an increased workload.

Feed the horse in front of you

Before increasing concentrates, consider:

• Has the horse's workload actually increased?

• Is the horse maintaining body condition?

• Has pasture quality improved?

• Is the horse losing weight?

• Does the horse lack energy during work?

• Is additional protein required for development or recovery?

• Is the current diet already supplying adequate energy?

A recreational horse in light work with access to good pasture may require little additional energy.

A competition horse in demanding work may require considerably more.

A poor doer may need additional calories regardless of pasture availability.

The feeding program should therefore be based on the individual horse rather than the season alone.

5. Avoid Unnecessary Calories in Good Doers

For easy keepers, ponies and horses prone to gaining weight, spring pasture can provide far more energy than they require.

Continuing to feed substantial quantities of concentrates because the horse has "always had them" can quickly compound the problem.

Where additional calories are not required, owners may instead consider an appropriately formulated low-intake balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement.

This allows nutritional gaps to be addressed without unnecessarily adding large amounts of energy.

Weight gain should not be dismissed as simply a cosmetic issue.

Excess body fat can increase the risk of metabolic problems and place additional strain on joints and other body systems.

Spring is therefore an important time to monitor body condition closely.

6. Monitor Horses at Risk of Laminitis and Metabolic Problems

Not every horse needs restricted spring grazing.

Horses that are overweight or prone to laminitis may require particularly careful pasture management during periods of rapid spring growth. Agriculture Victoria identifies obesity and excessive green pasture as common contributors to laminitis, with ponies among those particularly susceptible.

Higher-risk horses can include:

• horses or ponies with a previous history of laminitis

• horses with insulin dysregulation

• horses with equine metabolic syndrome

• overweight horses

• particularly easy keepers

• some breeds and types that maintain weight very efficiently

For these horses, simply reducing bucket feed may not be enough if unrestricted pasture remains the largest source of calories and non-structural carbohydrate in the diet.

Management may involve controlled grazing, grazing muzzles, dry lots, track systems, tested low-sugar forage or other strategies developed with your veterinarian or equine nutrition professional.

What about the best time of day to graze?

Advice about grazing at a particular time of day is often oversimplified.

Plant sugar concentrations can change throughout the day, but they are also affected by sunlight, temperature, plant species, rainfall, growth conditions and environmental stress.

For example, cool conditions can affect how plants use sugars accumulated through photosynthesis.

Because conditions vary considerably, particularly during rapidly changing spring weather, owners of high-risk horses should not rely solely on a rule such as "morning grazing is always safe".

For horses at significant metabolic risk, pasture analysis and professional feeding advice may be appropriate.

7. Don't Forget Vitamins and Minerals

Spring pasture can look incredibly nutritious, but appearance alone does not tell you whether it provides an appropriately balanced mineral intake.

Pasture mineral concentrations vary according to:

• soil type

• fertilisation

• plant species

• rainfall

• stage of growth

• geographical location

• pasture management

A horse may therefore receive plenty of calories while still having nutritional gaps.

Depending on the overall diet, nutrients that may require attention include sodium, copper, zinc and other minerals.

The correct supplementation strategy will depend on the forage and other feeds being consumed.

More supplement isn't always better

Avoid adding multiple supplements simply because each contains ingredients that sound beneficial.

Minerals interact with one another, and unnecessary supplementation can create imbalances as easily as deficiencies can cause problems.

A well-formulated ration balancer or mineral supplement selected to complement the forage base is often more appropriate than layering several overlapping products.

If you are unsure whether your horse's current diet is balanced, reviewing the whole ration is more useful than assessing supplements individually.

8. Continue Providing Salt

Salt is one of the simplest components of a horse's diet, but it is easily overlooked.

Horses require sodium and chloride, and requirements increase when sweat losses increase.

As temperatures rise and workloads increase during spring, horses may begin losing more electrolytes through sweat.

Providing access to salt throughout the year is therefore important.

Depending on the individual horse and workload, this may involve:

• adding salt to the daily ration

• providing access to a salt block

• supplying additional electrolytes when sweat losses justify them

Horses in harder work, endurance disciplines or hot conditions may require a more structured electrolyte strategy.

9. Pay Attention to Hydration as Temperatures Rise

Water requirements vary considerably according to temperature, diet, workload, lactation and individual horse factors.

Fresh spring grass contains a high percentage of water, which can contribute significantly to daily fluid intake. However, horses must still have unrestricted access to clean, palatable drinking water.

As the weather becomes warmer and training intensity increases, hydration becomes increasingly important for:

• temperature regulation

• digestive function

• circulation

• recovery

• normal muscle function

Some horses naturally reduce water intake during cooler weather and may take time to adjust as conditions change.

Soaked feeds can be a useful way of increasing the amount of water consumed with meals where appropriate.

Products such as beet pulp-based feeds and suitable mash feeds can contribute additional moisture while also providing digestible fibre.

10. Support the Hindgut During Feed Changes

The horse's digestive system performs best when dietary changes are gradual.

This applies not only to pasture.

Spring may involve several simultaneous changes:

• less hay

• more grass

• different supplementary feeds

• increased concentrates

• new supplements

• increased exercise

• travel and competition

• altered turnout routines

Making several changes at once can make it difficult for the digestive system to adapt. It also makes it much harder to determine which change caused a problem if the horse develops loose manure, reduced appetite or another digestive disturbance.

Where possible, introduce new feeds gradually and change one major component of the diet at a time.

Prebiotics, probiotics and yeast products

Some feeding programs may also include products designed to support digestive function and hindgut microbial populations.

These can include:

• prebiotic products such as Digestive EQ

• probiotic products such as Pron8ure Protexin

• yeast products such as Yea-Sacc

These products should complement, rather than replace, good feeding fundamentals.

Adequate forage, gradual dietary changes, appropriate feeding intervals and a balanced overall ration remain the foundation of digestive health.

11. Monitor Body Condition, Not Just Body Weight

Spring weight gain can creep up surprisingly quickly.

This is particularly true for horses wearing rugs, horses with naturally heavy builds and those that deposit fat around the crest, shoulders and tail head before owners notice a large change in overall appearance.

Regular body condition scoring provides a more useful picture than relying on weight alone.

During spring, consider:

• body condition scoring every two weeks

• using a weigh tape regularly

• taking photographs from the same angles

• feeling through the coat rather than relying only on appearance

• monitoring the neck crest

• recording feed and turnout changes

Tracking trends is more useful than focusing on a single measurement.

If a horse is steadily gaining condition, act early rather than waiting until substantial weight has accumulated.

Similarly, if a horse is losing condition as its workload increases, the feeding program may need additional energy.

12. Don't Remove Feed Solely Because the Horse Is Overweight

An overweight horse needs fewer calories, but it still requires adequate nutrition and fibre.

Simply removing large amounts of feed without considering the entire ration can result in nutritional deficiencies or prolonged periods without forage.

Weight management should instead focus on reducing unnecessary energy while still supplying:

• adequate forage

• essential amino acids where required

• vitamins

• minerals

• salt

• water

For some horses, this means replacing calorie-dense hard feed with a lower-calorie balancer while managing pasture intake.

For others, it may involve controlled grazing and carefully selected forage.

Exercise can also play an important role where the horse is physically able to work safely.

13. Consider the Individual Horse

There is no universal spring diet.

Different horses may require completely different approaches even when they share the same paddock.

Good doers

The primary challenge is often controlling energy intake while maintaining adequate fibre and micronutrients.

Focus on:

• pasture management

• body condition

• controlled calorie intake

• adequate vitamins and minerals

• regular exercise

Poor doers

Do not assume that green pasture automatically provides enough nutrition.

A poor doer may still require supplementary fibre and energy, particularly if pasture availability is limited or workload increases.

Performance horses

Increased workload may justify additional energy, protein, electrolytes and recovery support.

However, the ration should still be adjusted in the context of improving pasture.

Senior horses

Older horses may have dental limitations, reduced digestive efficiency or difficulty maintaining condition.

Spring pasture can be beneficial, but senior horses should still be monitored carefully for weight loss and their ability to chew forage effectively.

Horses prone to ulcers or digestive sensitivity

Avoid large fluctuations in forage availability and long periods without access to feed.

Changes in turnout, travel and workload can also increase management challenges during the competition season.

Laminitis-prone horses

Pasture access may need to be tightly controlled.

Work with your veterinarian and, where appropriate, an equine nutritionist to develop a plan suited to your horse's individual risk factors.

14. Make Feed Changes Gradually

One of the most useful feeding principles in any season is also one of the simplest:

Change the diet gradually.

Whether introducing a new concentrate, switching hay, increasing pasture access or reducing an existing feed, give the digestive system time to adapt.

Spring conditions can change quickly, but your horse's feeding program does not need to change overnight.

Small adjustments followed by regular monitoring generally provide far more information than large changes made all at once.

A Simple Spring Feeding Checklist

As your pasture begins to change, ask yourself:

• Has my horse's body condition changed?

• How much pasture is actually available?

• Has pasture become richer or more abundant?

• Is my horse still eating the same amount of hay?

• Does the current hard feed still match the workload?

• Am I supplying unnecessary calories?

• Is the diet still providing adequate vitamins and minerals?

• Does my horse have access to salt?

• Is clean drinking water always available?

• Is my horse sweating enough to require additional electrolyte support?

• Have I changed several parts of the diet at once?

• Does my horse have any metabolic or laminitis risk factors?

• Am I monitoring changes regularly rather than waiting for a problem?

If several of these questions are difficult to answer, it may be time to reassess the entire feeding program.

Common Spring Horse Feeding Mistakes

Although every horse is different, many spring feeding problems can be traced back to a handful of common mistakes.

Giving unrestricted access to lush pasture too quickly

Allow time for horses to adapt to substantial increases in pasture intake.

Continuing the winter ration unchanged

Improving pasture can significantly increase the amount of energy the horse receives each day.

Assuming green pasture provides everything

Pasture can supply substantial energy without necessarily providing the ideal balance of every nutrient.

Feeding for anticipated work rather than actual work

Increase energy intake when the horse needs it, not simply because competition season has arrived.

Ignoring gradual weight gain

Monitor condition throughout spring so adjustments can be made before excessive weight accumulates.

Making multiple feed changes simultaneously

Gradual, controlled adjustments are easier on the digestive system and make it easier to identify what is working.

Frequently Asked Questions About Feeding Horses in Spring

Should I stop feeding hay when spring grass arrives?

Not automatically.

Whether hay is still required depends on how much forage the paddock provides and how much pasture the horse actually consumes.

Some horses may obtain sufficient forage from good pasture, while others still require hay because pasture availability is limited or grazing is restricted.

Does my horse need hard feed in spring?

Some do and some don't.

A horse in light work with access to good pasture may obtain sufficient energy from forage and only require an appropriate vitamin and mineral source.

Horses in heavier work, poor doers and horses with particular nutritional requirements may still need supplementary feed.

Can spring grass make horses gain weight?

Yes.

Good-quality pasture can provide substantial energy, particularly for horses that maintain weight easily.

Regular body condition monitoring is particularly important during periods of rapid pasture growth.

Is spring grass dangerous for laminitis-prone horses?

Pasture can present a significant risk for some horses with insulin dysregulation, equine metabolic syndrome or a history of pasture-associated laminitis.

These horses may require controlled grazing and a management plan developed with a veterinarian.

Does my horse need electrolytes in spring?

That depends largely on sweat losses.

All horses require appropriate sodium and chloride intake. Horses sweating heavily through exercise or hot weather may require additional electrolyte replacement.

Do horses need a vitamin and mineral supplement when they are on pasture?

Potentially.

Pasture can provide many nutrients, but mineral content varies significantly according to soil, plant species, management and geographical conditions.

Whether supplementation is required depends on the complete diet.

Building a Better Spring Feeding Program

Good spring feeding does not require constantly changing products or making the ration complicated.

In most cases, it comes back to a few fundamental principles:

Start with forage.

Understand how much pasture and hay your horse is actually consuming.

Match calories to requirements.

Do not automatically increase hard feed simply because spring has arrived.

Balance the diet.

A horse receiving enough energy may still require vitamins, minerals or salt.

Make changes gradually.

Give the digestive system time to adapt.

Monitor the horse.

Body condition, behaviour, manure consistency, appetite, hydration and performance can all provide useful feedback.

Manage high-risk horses individually.

Horses prone to obesity, metabolic problems or laminitis may need substantially different pasture management from other horses.

Final Thoughts

Spring can be one of the best times of year for horses, but it is also a season of rapid nutritional change.

The greatest mistake is often not one particular feed or ingredient. It is failing to recognise how quickly the horse's total diet has changed.

Fresh pasture may supply more energy. Hay consumption may fall. Workload may increase. Sweat losses may rise. A horse that maintained perfect condition through winter may suddenly begin gaining or losing weight.

Successful spring feeding therefore comes down to gradual transitions, forage-first nutrition, appropriate supplementation and regular monitoring.

Rather than feeding according to the season, feed according to the horse in front of you.

By regularly reassessing pasture, workload, body condition and the overall ration, you can help your horse move through spring comfortably and enter the warmer months healthy, well hydrated and appropriately conditioned.

Other blogs in our series:

Feeding Horses in Spring: How to Safely Transition Your Horse onto Spring Pasture