Equine Nutrition
Is it safe to keep horses on grass after rain during a drought?
I've heard so much about how the grass in this current drought is stressed and the sugar level rises when rain comes, which it's due to this weekend. My horses are good-doer cold-bloods that haven't had laminitis, but of course I don't want them to get it. At the moment they're out in a paddock with long grass in the morning, then I bring them in because of the heat and the insects. Around 5pm I turn them out for an hour or so in an earlier paddock that's been grazed down hard. Where is it best to keep them when the rain comes?
Answers from HayHay's experts
Keeping the horses in a paddock with long grass sounds sensible, since the fibre content is higher there and the proportion of sugar is therefore a little lower. To keep the sugar intake down, you can also reduce the time they have access to the grazing for a few days after the rain.
Malin Connysson
Equine Nutritionist
