does shorter grass hav more sugars than longer

kmacp

New Member
Mar 3, 2009
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Got my ponies on restricted grazing but one of them still keeps going sore off and on. The other part of the field has got quite long, does this grass have more sugars in it?
 
I personally think that, given that your horse is sore just now, puting him/her out on a field with long grass is a recipe for disaster. Forget what anyone says about longer grass having less fructans, I would not take the risk.
 
im not going to let them in to the rest of the field, im stumped as to why she is going sore because my other pony can be prone to laminitis and he is fine, the paddock they are in is bare, really bare. They are hungry ponies
 
i, too, would say NO grass for sore feet! off the grass and soaked hay only.

the short/long grass debate is quite confusing. i went to a lami talk at the royal vets college last year, they explained that short, stressed grass is not ideal because it tends to produce more sugars when stressed. but then on the other hand, there is the strip grazing theories they also recommended. the mind boggles! my own doing was alwys 'the less grass the better'! long grass can be ok if its literally 'living hay' and not just after it rained etc.

julia
x
 
it is so confusing, they are in a difference field this year, normally they are penned off in a big field that the rest of has been fed but this year the farmer very kindlly let us go over to a field that wasnt getting any feeding this year and that has been quite well grazed last year, its full of buttercups which the ponies dont touch and is quite rough grass. My old bot who had bad lami 6 years ago if fine but my mums wee one gets sore very easily (think a lot of it is anticiapation tho, she cantered across the field bucking yesterday evening !!!! but was tender the morning before :confused:)

The grass is too short for a grazing muzzle so that really shows how bare it is.
 
I personally think that, given that your horse is sore just now, puting him/her out on a field with long grass is a recipe for disaster. Forget what anyone says about longer grass having less fructans, I would not take the risk.

Agree with this, if the horse is put out on long grass its gonna consume more!
 
Short grass is most definitely sweeter... my horses would rather eat the short stubble grass than the long 'standing hay' type grass.

But if horse has sore tooties then get them off the grass completely... when sore feet are concerned ANY grass has to much sugar, be it short, long or bright pink!
 
got her off the grass now, will see how she is looking in a couple of days, hav spoken to the vet and he has suggested xrays to see if there is something else going on with her feet
 
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