H O R S E A N D H E A LT H
GRAZING DANGERS MAKING HEALTH A PRIORITY
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razing is an important part of a horse’s daily routine, but it isn’t entirely without risk. For some horses, grazing on too much rich grass can lead to laminitis, a painful, life-changing hoof disease that can be fatal in more severe cases. It occurs when the laminae – the tissues that suspend the coffin bone within the hoof capsule – become damaged and inflamed.
WHY IS GREEN GRASS A PROBLEM? So, what is it about green grass that proves such an issue for certain horses and ponies? It all comes down to the density of the nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs), which are the sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), starches and fructans that grasses produce during
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photosynthesis. When a horse digests NSCs, his body breaks them down into glucose and fructose, which the small intestine absorbs. This results in an increase in blood glucose concentration that causes the insulin levels to rise. In horses that are predisposed to metabolic disorders, the baseline level of insulin circulating is already high. If, on top of this, these horses ingest a high amount of NSCs they will secrete very large amounts of insulin. Abnormally high baseline insulin levels can also be a feature of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), formerly known as equine Cushing’s disease.
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