Frosty grass

[Troggy]

Hi

Just a quick question while I can actually get on the forum

Is frosty grass as harmful over night? Or is it like spring grass and worse when the sun is on it? Just planning ahead for winter as ponies are out at night at the moment and seem to like this routine.

Thankies!

 

[Nickijem]

My horse once got colic when I turned him out early one frosty morning when there was still quite a lot of grass about. It was an early frost at the end of September. I was then really careful until most of the grass had gone (end of November). incidentally, my friend's horse on the same paddock had no ill effects!

 

[Scarlett1980]

I think its worse first thing in teh morning when the sun comes up. If you get them in before then they should be ok.

 

[hannah87]

am i missing something?wat is wrong with frost on grass?ive never heard of this b4 or with the sun on it???!!

 

[kerilli]

can cause colic and also laminitis. if mine are out overnight anyway, i don't worry about it, but i won't put a stabled horse out into a frosty field.
i think i'd make sure the laminitics are in a field with hardly any grass through the winter. afaik freezing hay is alright!

 

[RachelB]

My YO doesn't turn out on frosty grass as she had one that colicked due to frost once. IMO though, mine will be out 24/7 this winter frost or no frost, so I don't see there's much you can do about it unless you have all day and can turn out later! I can't as I have to go to college/ work!

 

[kerilli]

i think that if they're living out, they're very unlikely to try to pig out on frosty grass. if they've only just been turned out on it, they're much more likely to.

 

[shuz7]

My pony was laminitic when I brought her. The owner advised me not to turn her out on frosty grass just in case she came down with laminitis. I've had my pony over 2 years now and she is out 24/7, she has never come down with laminitis. I think with lots of exercise and not a lot of hard feed horses don't seem to come down with it.

At my other yard a friend of mine never exercised her horse and she was feeding her 3 times a day. The poor horse suffered with lamintis on a regular basis.

 

[bensababy]

Shuz7 - sums it up well, if you monitor them and keep their weight stable and dont over feed them - its manageable. Why people dont learn from their mistakes baffles me.

my boy had it once and i knew what i had to do to prevent it,has a muzzle,on a balanced diet,hay soaked and he gets weighed every 2 weeks to monitor him.

 

[shuz7]

I'm glad someone agrees with me. Everytime I don't my friend not to feed her horse 3 times a day she seemed to buy and give her more carrotts, and whats in carrotts........ SUGAR

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

My horse got mild colic last autumn from being turned out when the grass was still quite lush and it had suddenly turned colder. Not sure why it happens!!

 

[merlinsquest]

When grass gets 'stressed' ie being frosty, bruised etc.... it suddenly becomes very high in fructins.... grass sugars,. Thats why it can cause laminitis.... i assume the colic can come from the intense cold???

My hubby always says that you cant eat things like gatteaux (sp) if its not completely defrosted as you will get stomach ache.... but will quite happily devour a bowl of ice cream!!! dont know how that one works!!