Pasture is the most natural feed a horse can consume.

 

It is also one of the most misunderstood risk factors in laminitis development.

 

The issue is not grass itself. The issue is carbohydrate concentration, seasonal fluctuation, and unrestricted access in metabolically vulnerable horses.

 

Effective pasture management is not about removing horses from grass permanently. It is about understanding variability and controlling exposure.

 

 

Grass Is Not Nutritionally Static

 

Pasture carbohydrate levels fluctuate based on:

 

• Season

• Temperature variation

• Sunlight intensity

• Soil fertility

• Time of day

• Plant stress

 

Cool nights followed by bright sunny days often produce elevated non structural carbohydrate accumulation. Frost stressed grass can also concentrate sugars.

 

Assuming pasture is consistent year round is a structural mistake.

 

 

Identify High Risk Windows

 

Higher risk periods typically include:

 

• Early spring flush

• Autumn regrowth

• Periods following drought breaking rain

• Cold sunny days

• Rapid pasture growth following fertilisation

 

During these periods, metabolically vulnerable horses require structured control.

 

 

Tools for Exposure Control

 

Pasture management options include:

 

• Time restricted grazing

• Use of well fitted grazing muzzles

• Strip grazing systems

• Dry lot or sacrifice paddock rotation

• Mixed sward management rather than monoculture high sugar grasses

 

None of these strategies are punitive. They are protective.

 

The objective is controlled exposure, not deprivation.

 

 

Monitor Body Condition Weekly

 

Pasture management is only effective if outcomes are measured.

 

Track:

 

• Neck crest development

• Fat deposition behind the shoulder

• Tail head thickness

• Subtle abdominal fill changes

 

Visual assessment must be consistent and unemotional.

 

Small changes matter.

 

 

The Pasture Discipline Principle

 

Grass is not inherently dangerous.

 

Uncontrolled carbohydrate exposure is.

 

Pasture management is not about fear.

 

It is about precision.