What grass causes laminitis in horses?

Often, laminitis relates to nutrition and diet. Rapid intake of nonstructural carbohydrates (or sugar) stored in pasture plants can cause laminitis. Cool season grasses like orchardgrass, bromegrass, and timothy tend to store more carbohydrates.

What is the best grass for laminitic horses?

It's therefore advisable to reseed any existing grazing areas with a paddock grass mixture that has been specially designed for a laminitis-friendly diet. We would recommend our Choice Horse & Pony Paddock mixture as it is free of grasses such as ryegrass, which are known for their high sugar content.

Why does spring grass cause laminitis?

In spring, when horses consume the lush grass, the extra starches and sugars ferment in the horses' gastrointestinal tracts. This fermentation affects the balance of bacteria in the GI tract, which in turn can trigger laminitis.

What makes a horse prone to laminitis?

Mechanical causes of laminitis can include, too much length of toe, improper shoeing or foot trimming, fast or prolonged work on hard ground, fracture, joint infection, or soft tissue damage in the opposite limb⁴.

Can horses founder on green grass?

You can founder a horse by putting them on an insulin drip for 48 hours, or simply by turning them out onto the equine version of a Snicker's bar — a green spring pasture. The high sugar content of the grass signals the body to produce even more insulin.

What causes laminitis?

Does alfalfa cause laminitis?

Alfalfa hay can cause horses to founder and develop laminitis due to the excess nutrients provided by the high quality hay if too much is fed.

How do you keep horses from foundering in grass?

Is long grass better for laminitis?

Most horses do not need the high nutritional value and benefit from the many fibers and the low nutritional value of long grass. Because older grass also contains less sugar, this is also safer for horses that shed in the summer or are sensitive to laminitis.

Can laminitic horses eat grass?

Quick facts. High amounts of sugars in grasses can bring about laminitis in horses susceptible to the disease. Susceptible horses should have limited grazing or no grazing.

What triggers laminitis?

Laminitis can be caused by many factors, including overeating (obesity), working on a hard surface (commonly referred to as road founder), running high fevers, exposure to black walnut shavings, and stress. Ponies are extremely susceptible to laminitis, especially when fed rich, lush forage.

Is Coastal hay good for Laminitic horses?

First, it is low in fructans, natural plant sugars known to incite or exacerbate laminitis in certain horses. Horses prone to laminitis will generally improve when fed a low-fructan diet. Second, coastal Bermudagrass tends to cause fecal desiccation through contractions of the intestines.

What time of day is the sugar content highest in grass?

Sugar content of grasses is higher in the afternoon than in the morning and sugar content is lowest at night, so grazing should be restricted to the safest times of the day to graze, early morning and night times.

What is the difference between laminitis and founder?

The terms "laminitis" and "founder" are used interchangeably. However, founder usually refers to a chronic (long-term) condition associated with rotation of the coffin bone, whereas acute laminitis refers to symptoms associated with a sudden initial attack, including pain and inflammation of the laminae.

Does frosty grass cause laminitis?

Frosty mornings are beautiful, but they can increase the risk of laminitis. Frosty mornings are beautiful, but they can increase the risk of laminitis. Frost can cause levels of fructan in grass, which is a risk to horses and ponies who are prone to laminitis.

How can you reduce the risk of laminitis?

What can you not feed a horse with laminitis?

Avoid grain or sweet feed that is high in starch and/or sugar. If additional calories are needed, either add a fat supplement or a fiber-based feed with <20-25% NSC. (Horses with a history of laminitis should have feeds 14% NSC or less.)

What kind of grass is good for horses?

Of the grass mixtures evaluated, horses preferred a stand of endophyte-free tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, and timothy. However, over time, these pastures evolved to mostly tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. Horses had less preference for any pasture mix with 30 percent or more orchardgrass.

Why does rich grass cause laminitis?

We tend to think of spring grass as the trigger for many laminitis cases. But, typically, the problem is caused not by grass alone but by grass intake combined with the high blood insulin levels (hyperinsulinaemia) that occur in ponies and horses with: Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)

Does winter grass have sugar?

There are many other factors that go into how much sugar and starch is in the grass. Take for instance the season: After winter the grasses are young and trying to grow as quickly as possible in the spring, therefore the amount of NSC is even higher because of the increase in photosynthesis producing the sugars.

What grass can horses not eat?

What kind of grass is bad for horses? Don't let your horses eat any of the following: sorghum, sudangrass, johnsongrass, or any varieties of these types. Horses can get sick from eating this grass. That's why horse owners must know what the grass is in their pastures.

Is orchard grass low in sugar?

Unfortunately, there is no grass that is consistently low in sugar. Most cool-season grasses, like orchardgrass and fescue, can have high sugar content. Timothy and crested wheatgrass tend to be medium in sugar content, as are most warm season (native) grasses.

What length of grass is best for horses?

The recommended rule of thumb is to let horses graze for one week, or until the short grass species (Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass) are 2 to 3 inches high and the tall grass species are 3 to 4 inches high.

Does Clover cause laminitis?

Clover under stress such as frost or drought will also accumulate NPN naturally. At excess levels, NPN can overload the digestive and metabolic system of the horse causing liver imbalance and toxins in the blood. Toxins in the blood may trigger laminitis.

Can horses founder on Bermuda grass?

For horses in training and back yard horses, Bermuda hay, in combination with alfalfa, will promote their optimal health. Apart from that, you can also feed Bermuda hay to overweight, foundered horses, and horses that do not need a diet rich in protein and calcium.

What causes grass founder in horses?

Grass founder is commonly seen during the spring months when the days are sunny and warm, the nights are cool and the grass is growing rapidly. Simply put, founder occurs when there is a disruption of blood flow to the hoof and/or toxic endotoxins flow to the laminae of the hoof.