Is Spring really here?
The days still seem kind of short and the horses’ hair is still long but I see evidence that warmer weather is on its way! It was nearly 60 degrees here in Western Washington today. Unbelievable for this time of year. Are you ready for Spring? Here in the Pacific Northwest we’re seeing a great deal of moisture and warmer temperatures. A perfect recipe for lush grass.
Just a reminder to be careful turning your horse out on soggy pastures and lush grass. Our local veterinarian has already seen cases of laminitis. Here are some key things to remember about starting your horse out on this lush pasture:
- Start by turning out just a few minutes each day. No more than 20 minutes.
- Turn-out should be early morning or evening. The sugar levels are higher in grass midday.
- Feed good quality hay if you don’t have time to monitor the feeding.
These are just a few suggestions. I highly recommend consulting with your veterinarian regarding spring feeding.
Another good resource for understanding pasture feeding and management is www.safergrass.org.
I’d love to hear your comments and concerns about spring feeding. What are some of the things that you’ve been doing to manage the spring grass? Please comment on the blog or send an email to me ~ Karen@nwhorsesource.com. Put “Spring Feeding” in the subject line.
posted by NWHS at
1:26 PM
1 Comments:
Good suggestions and one more thing to remember, very short grass is NOT safer and lower in sugar content then tall lusher looking grasses.
In fact, the more stressed the pastures the higher the sugar content can potentially be due to the fact that the grasses are busy trying to grow and sugars often build up in the distressed pastures.
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