How often do you hear that horses and ponies who are (quickly/easy) laminated and are kept on a short meadow so that they do not get too much grass? Is getting as little grass as possible the solution to prevent laminitis?
Fructan
We now know that the sugars in grass, mainly fructans are the culprit when it comes to causing laminitis. Unfortunately, it appears that less grass intake (in kilos per day) does not necessarily mean less fructan intake. The condition of the grass when it is eaten is much more important than the amount of grass itself.
STRESSSS
If the grass is stressed in any way, for example due to drought, cold weather, not enough nutrients or it is too short, the produced fructan cannot be used for growth (conversion to fiber). Grass produces fructan as long as there is enough sunlight during the day. At night, this fructan is converted into fiber, which means that the fructan is almost gone early in the morning.
However, this is only the normal pattern in favourable conditions. If there is frost at night, the conversion cannot take place and the fructan remains high. If there is sun, but no water to grow with, the fructan remains high (warm, dry summers). Young and / or short grass is constantly growing and therefore produces a lot of fructan, which cannot always be converted during cold nights. That is why fructan levels are usually highest in the spring.
However, the same applies to grass that is kept short-cut or short-grazed by horses, this continues to do its best to grow and can therefore still be as high in fructan in the middle of summer as the young grass was in the spring. The stem, close to the ground, is the storage place for fructans, so that the leaves can grow. Especially when there is a lot of sun and little water, which also hinders growth, the fructan level in the stems can rise very high.
Fertilization also has an effect on the growth of the grass, un-fertilized land with few nutrients in the soil could mean less growth and more fructan than well-fertilized land.
Briefly summarized:
Grass is stressed when it cannot grow, but does want to grow
Without the sun, no sugars are produced, the grass is then 'at rest'
In the spring there is always some stress, because the sun is shining fully but the nights are still too cold to grow properly
Without water and nutrients, there can be no growth or even dead grass or a land taken over by weeds. That's just stress!
Horses eat everything they can, so any fresh blade of grass immediately disappears
Combine these factors, and the grass won't stand a chance! Stress means fructan, exactly what we want to prevent with our laminitis ponies ...
Many horses are not happy about a bare or short pasture ...
It is therefore not surprising that many horses with insulin resistance, laminitis or other metabolic problems are not so happy at all in a short-grazed pasture. In the experience of The Horse Therapist, stressed grass actually always tests negative on the horse!
What to do?
So there is more to good nutrition for a laminitis-sensitive horse than just limiting the grass intake. Grass that grows well and is kept healthy is also healthier for the horse. Do you want to put your horse on the pasture, but limit the fructan intake? Then, in addition to keeping the pasture healthy, you should pay close attention to the weather conditions and the time of day that the horse goes out on the pasture. Limiting the amount of grass can be done by grazing, or strip grazing, which do not affect the grass itself. Is the grass only 8-10 cm long? Then you are better of putting your horse on another piece of land. With a length of 15-20 cm, the grass is 'safe' enough again.
Written by Anouk Wiertz & Jente Driessen and translated by Sharon Bronsveld
Read more:
https://thehorse.com/111768/spring-grass-safety/
https://thehorse.com/150600/pasture-sugars/
http://extension.udel.edu/equine/2014/04/12/pasture-associated-laminitis-be-aware-of-the-risks-in-spring-2/