From Lush to Risky: Keeping Horses Healthy on Spring Grass

Spring is a wonderful time to be a horse—lush paddocks, longer days, and (usually) happier rides. It’s also the season when digestive upsets and laminitis risk quietly climb. Warmer winters and earlier growth spurts can make this year’s grass particularly tempting—and tricky. Here’s how to enjoy the season while keeping your horse safe.

Why spring grass is different

Early spring pasture:

• High water, low fibre: The first flush can be ~80% water and relatively low in structural fibre, so it’s easy to chew and easy to overeat.

• High non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs): Grasses can accumulate sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose), starches, and fructans—fuel for rapid fermentation and a laminitis trigger in at-risk horses.

• Daily and weather swings: NSCs typically build with sun and drop overnight. Cool, sunny days and cold nights/frosts can spike NSCs. Drought stress and very short swards can also increase them.

What this means: Looser, wetter manure is common. In sensitive horses (insulin-dysregulated, EMS, PPID/Cushing’s, or with a laminitis history), high NSCs can tip them into trouble fast.

Who’s most at risk?

• Easy keepers and ponies

• Horses with insulin dysregulation/EMS or PPID (Cushing’s)

• Horses with a history of laminitis

• Overweight horses (BCS ≥ 6), or those with cresty necks and fat pads (neck, shoulders, tailhead)

Preventing digestive upsets: practical steps

1) Introduce new grass slowly

Treat spring grass like a new feed.

• Turnout plan (example):

  • Days 1–3: 15–30 min/day

  • Days 4–6: 45–60 min/day

  • Days 7–10: 1.5–2 hours/day
    Adjust based on manure consistency and behaviour.

• Pre-fill with fibre: Offer a high-fibre breakfast (e.g. hay) before turnout.

• Use a grazing muzzle (well-fitted, smooth edges, daily checks) to reduce intake without removing turnout time.

• Provide hay in the paddock so grazing is interspersed with fibre.

Sudden diet changes can cause colic. If manure gets very loose, reduce time, increase hay, and monitor closely.

2) Increase total fibre

• Keep good-quality hay available.

• Add “super fibres” like beet pulp, soy hulls, or lupin hulls for extra fermentable fibre that’s gentle on the gut.

3) Support sand management (if relevant)

Short, sweet spring swards encourage “nibbling” close to the soil.

• Consider periodic psyllium husk courses (per product guidance) to help move sand through the gut.

• Use feeders off the ground and avoid over-grazed, sandy areas when possible.

4) Water, salt, and minerals

• Ensure fresh water is always available (horses can drink more with lush feed).

• Provide plain salt (loose or block) to support hydration.

• Many spring pastures are high in potassium and low in sodium/magnesium; a balanced ration balancer or targeted mineral mix can help fill gaps. (Discuss any magnesium supplementation with your vet/nutritionist.)

Reducing laminitis and weight-gain risk

1) Limit intake—smartly

• Grazing muzzles can reduce intake dramatically while preserving movement and turnout.

• Limiting hours alone can backfire—some horses “binge” and eat just as much in less time. If you reduce time out, pair it with a muzzle or very poor pasture.

2) Time your turnout

• NSCs are lowest in the very early morning after a night without sun. Turning out roughly between ~3 am and 10 am is generally safer than midday/afternoon.

• Avoid turnout after frosty nights followed by sunny mornings; NSCs can be high even early.

3) Manage the pasture

• Regular mowing can reduce stored sugars and keep swards from getting overly mature or stressed.

• Paddock rotation and a designated “sacrifice/bare” paddock (with hay) help control intake and protect pasture.

• Consider track systems to encourage movement with controlled grazing access.

4) Forage choices and testing

• For laminitis-prone horses, many practitioners target lower-NSC forage. Hay options and soaking hay (in cool water, then drain) can help reduce sugars.

• If possible, forage testing provides clarity; work with your vet/nutritionist to interpret results and set safe targets.

5) Monitor body condition—often

• Record a Body Condition Score (BCS) every 2–3 weeks (photos + girth measurements).

• Watch for cresty necks and firm fat pads—early warning signs to tighten management.

6) Keep them moving

• Regular, appropriate exercise improves insulin sensitivity and helps manage weight—provided your horse is sound and cleared for work.

Early warning signs & when to act

Digestive: persistent watery manure, reduced appetite, discomfort, colic signs
Laminitis: warm hooves, stronger digital pulse, short/“pottery” steps (especially on turns), reluctance to move, lying down more

If you notice red flags:

• Pull off pasture immediately.

• Provide low-NSC hay and deep bedding.

• Call your vet promptly—early intervention matters.

Quick spring checklist

• ☐ Turnout time increased gradually (or use a muzzle from day one)

• ☐ Hay available before and during turnout

• ☐ Salt available; water clean and plentiful

• ☐ Sand risk assessed; psyllium plan if needed

• ☐ Turnout timed for lower NSCs; avoid frosty-sunny spikes

• ☐ Pasture mowed/rotated; bare or track area ready

• ☐ BCS tracked; watch neck crest and fat pads

• ☐ Exercise plan aligned with condition and soundness

• ☐ Vet/nutritionist looped in for high-risk horses (EMS/PPID/history of laminitis)

Bottom line

Spring grass doesn’t have to spell trouble. With slow introductions, forage-first management, smart turnout timing, and close monitoring, most horses can enjoy the season safely. If your horse is in a higher-risk group, tighten controls and involve your vet or an equine nutritionist to personalise the plan.