Winter is coming… Jon Snow and laminitic horses be warned

Being from the UK, I always feel much more at home when the paddocks are green rather than being dry and bare. But, with that green grass comes a Pandora’s box of potential issues. In another blog post we have covered the risk posed by sand ingestion, but what about those little, juicy green shoots themselves? The combination of sunshine, rainfall, and lowering temperatures leads to an increased concentration of sugars, starch and fructans (also known as non-structural carbohydrates) in those yummy shoots, which can be kryptonite for horses at risk of laminitis or struggling with insulin resistance.

So… What can you do to protect your horse?

• If in doubt, keep your horse off the grass, at least until it is more established with an associated reduction in the concentration of the sugars and starch, which play havoc with laminitic prone and insulin resistant horses.
• If grazing is restricted or not permitted, ensure that your horse has free access to suitable low sugar, soaked hay. A double hay net can help to reduce the rate of consumption, whilst also ensuring the horse is not left without access to feed for extended periods of time, which can lead to digestive issues such as ulcers.
• Seek professional advice on dietary management to ensure that it is optimized for your laminitic or insulin resistance prone horse. The Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance Group (ECIR) is an excellent source of information for managing horses at risk or in crisis (check out the emergency diet) or contact a nutritionist such as Jill Davies from Feed your steed for a specific dietary plan for your horse.
• Look at providing your horse with a supplement to support the unique challenges faced by laminitic prone and insulin resistant horses. It is important to note that supplementation is complimetary to the above management strategies, not a replacement, and does not give a free pass to grazing or other potentially detrimental practices for your horse.
  • Our Equine Met-Aid bars can be a helpful nutritional support for vulnerable horses as the natural ingredients have been shown to reduce inflammation, boost metabolism and increase blood flow; all characteristics likely to be beneficial to the laminitic horse.
    • One of the key ingredients is an amino acid called citruline, which researchers have found to be deficient in horses both at risk of developing laminitis and those suffering from the condition. They also reported that horses that went on to develop laminitis had up to four times less citruline in their circulation than horses that did not develop the condition.

As with so many issues in our horses, prevention is far better than dealing with the aftermath, so get on the front hoof today with your grazing and dietary management to avoid those juicy green shoots costing you more than you gain.

Find out more about our Equine Met-Aid Bars today