How dangerous is ryegrass?

[SFoers]

I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible!
I’m having terrible problems with my Shetland pony which seem to tie in with moving to ryegrass grazing.
We’re on dairy pasture - an acre of which is very old and has been very overgrazed, 2 acres of which is fresh and lush.
In the 3 years he’s been here he’s only been on the old area, in by day and out muzzled overnight. Due to our current drought I moved him to the other area which was lush ryegrass but I only moved him once it had been grazed down to dust by my other horses and again only out overnight muzzled.
He’s currently very footy so has been in permanently since Friday. Is ryegrass so dangerous as to cause this considering how restricted he is?

The other factor I’m considering is shoeing - he does a lot of roadwork so is shod on the fronts and has been for 3 years with no problems.
After the last 3 shoeings he’s been very sore, normally recovering after 2 or 3 days. This time is the worst - still sore after 10 days. I’m not suggesting it’s the actual shoes but maybe the trauma of banging nails in on sensitive feet - although he’s never footy before the shoeing but potentially is borderline sore due to the grass and the shoeing tips him over into lameness?
After the 2nd time of being sore I had the hooves x-rayed and there were no problems at all - pedal bone ok, hoof balance great.
I’m currently looking into glue on shoes or hoof boots but having done a trial of a few hoof boots we do have a problem getting a decent fit.

 

[SEL]

I think dairy farms use a specific ryegrass that's higher in sugar so they get a good milk yield. I tested hay off an old livery yard - also ex dairy - and it came in at 18%. So those pickings he's getting might just be very sweet.

I'm on meadow grasses at the moment and horses are gaining weight just sniffing grass so I think this spring is especially bad.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible!
I’m having terrible problems with my Shetland pony which seem to tie in with moving to ryegrass grazing.
We’re on dairy pasture - an acre of which is very old and has been very overgrazed, 2 acres of which is fresh and lush.
In the 3 years he’s been here he’s only been on the old area, in by day and out muzzled overnight. Due to our current drought I moved him to the other area which was lush ryegrass but I only moved him once it had been grazed down to dust by my other horses and again only out overnight muzzled.
He’s currently very footy so has been in permanently since Friday. Is ryegrass so dangerous as to cause this considering how restricted he is?

The other factor I’m considering is shoeing - he does a lot of roadwork so is shod on the fronts and has been for 3 years with no problems.
After the last 3 shoeings he’s been very sore, normally recovering after 2 or 3 days. This time is the worst - still sore after 10 days. I’m not suggesting it’s the actual shoes but maybe the trauma of banging nails in on sensitive feet - although he’s never footy before the shoeing but potentially is borderline sore due to the grass and the shoeing tips him over into lameness?
After the 2nd time of being sore I had the hooves x-rayed and there were no problems at all - pedal bone ok, hoof balance great.
I’m currently looking into glue on shoes or hoof boots but having done a trial of a few hoof boots we do have a problem getting a decent fit.

I would not use Rye grass full time on a pony that small, I would be making his paddock small via electric fencing as Laminitis is a risk. The other option is to limit his grazing time on the rye grass which you are.


Footyness could be not in any percific order:

1. his sole are soft (my pony gets like this and have to use keratex hoof hardner)
2. laminitis is brewing check his pulse and his feet
3. check with the vet

They can still get laminitis even with muzzles if the grass is long. Having lost one to Lminitis I watch all these laminitics like a hawk.

one of my livereis had their vet up for boosters this morning, and he told my livery that colic and laminitis is at the top of their call outs its really bad and he nearly pts a pony with colic and laminitis last night.

Be vidual and watch the rye grass.

If he is that sore I would not be putting on shoes unless vet said really important, I would be putting on something like Scootboots or something if you have to put something on. Or put a nappy and duct tape and make a boot out of it.

 

[millikins]

I think it's ghastly stuff and native ponies are not designed to eat it. I put my PB shetland, who'd had 1 episode of severe laminitis, out on loan to a RS when I was moving house. They did nothing wrong, she was in work both in the school and hacking, not fat, and turned out in a bare paddock with hay for which she had to compete with bigger ponies. Then it rained after a dry spell, their grazing proved to be reseeded rye grass and she was crippled within days.

 

[SFoers]

I would not use Rye grass full time on a pony that

I would not use Rye grass full time on a pony that small, I would be making his paddock small via electric fencing as Laminitis is a risk. The other option is to limit his grazing time on the rye grass which you are.


Footyness could be not in any percific order:

1. his sole are soft (my pony gets like this and have to use keratex hoof hardner)
2. laminitis is brewing check his pulse and his feet
3. check with the vet

They can still get laminitis even with muzzles if the grass is long. Having lost one to Lminitis I watch all these laminitics like a hawk.

one of my livereis had their vet up for boosters this morning, and he told my livery that colic and laminitis is at the top of their call outs its really bad and he nearly pts a pony with colic and laminitis last night.

Be vidual and watch the rye grass.

If he is that sore I would not be putting on shoes unless vet said really important, I would be putting on something like Scootboots or something if you have to put something on. Or put a nappy and duct tape and make a boot out of it.

I would not use Rye grass full time on a pony that small, I would be making his paddock small via electric fencing as Laminitis is a risk. The other option is to limit his grazing time on the rye grass which you are.


Footyness could be not in any percific order:

1. his sole are soft (my pony gets like this and have to use keratex hoof hardner)
2. laminitis is brewing check his pulse and his feet
3. check with the vet

They can still get laminitis even with muzzles if the grass is long. Having lost one to Lminitis I watch all these laminitics like a hawk.

one of my livereis had their vet up for boosters this morning, and he told my livery that colic and laminitis is at the top of their call outs its really bad and he nearly pts a pony with colic and laminitis last night.

Be vidual and watch the rye grass.

If he is that sore I would not be putting on shoes unless vet said really important, I would be putting on something like Scootboots or something if you have to put something on. Or put a nappy and duct tape and make a boot out of it.

Thank you for your detailed reply, everything you say makes sense and I think it’s things I’m already doing but am still struggling.
When out he’s on a fenced in patch, I’d say it’s possibly an acre at most of old rye grass. He’s on it with a cob overnight and he’s in by day, the grass is literally down to the ground and lots of bare patches. He’s also muzzled when out.
His feet are great, soles aren’t soft. However he is definitely footy now so is in. He’s recently had the vet to look at his feet and x ray them.

I would not use Rye grass full time on a pony that small, I would be making his paddock small via electric fencing as Laminitis is a risk. The other option is to limit his grazing time on the rye grass which you are.


Footyness could be not in any percific order:

1. his sole are soft (my pony gets like this and have to use keratex hoof hardner)
2. laminitis is brewing check his pulse and his feet
3. check with the vet

They can still get laminitis even with muzzles if the grass is long. Having lost one to Lminitis I watch all these laminitics like a hawk.

one of my livereis had their vet up for boosters this morning, and he told my livery that colic and laminitis is at the top of their call outs its really bad and he nearly pts a pony with colic and laminitis last night.

Be vidual and watch the rye grass.

If he is that sore I would not be putting on shoes unless vet said really important, I would be putting on something like Scootboots or something if you have to put something on. Or put a nappy and duct tape and make a boot out of it.

Thank you very much for this, I think I’m doing most of what you say but still struggling unfortunately.
He’s on the very old grass when out, fenced in, muzzled, and only out overnight with a hoover of a cob who will eat everything in sight. The grass is completely eaten down and very bare in patches.
He’s recently had the vet to check him over including hoof x rays but since then has been shod again and now very sore. He’s shod because of the amount of exercise he does, I held off shoeing for a very long time and investigated hoof boots with trials of various ones with advise - however none fit him properly which is why I ended up having to shoe. I need something hard wearing for the work he does but I’m now looking into glue ons.
Like you say I have to be vigilant and I really am with him, I worry constantly but things have got worse for him this year. I’m dreading when it eventually rains.
I’ve arranged for my paddock to be over seeded in September so I can try and dilute the ryegrass but I rent it so there isn’t much more I can do to it.

 

[SFoers]

I think it's ghastly stuff and native ponies are not designed to eat it. I put my PB shetland, who'd had 1 episode of severe laminitis, out on loan to a RS when I was moving house. They did nothing wrong, she was in work both in the school and hacking, not fat, and turned out in a bare paddock with hay for which she had to compete with bigger ponies. Then it rained after a dry spell, their grazing proved to be reseeded rye grass and she was crippled within days.

I’m in very much the same position, my vet and farrier say I’m doing everything right but it’s clearly not enough. Mine is also exercised and not fat but even restricted is footy. I’m dreading the rain after 4 weeks of drought, he’s currently in permanently and will need to stay in. It’s very stressful!

 

[SFoers]

I think dairy farms use a specific ryegrass that's higher in sugar so they get a good milk yield. I tested hay off an old livery yard - also ex dairy - and it came in at 18%. So those pickings he's getting might just be very sweet.

I'm on meadow grasses at the moment and horses are gaining weight just sniffing grass so I think this spring is especially bad.

This does seem very potent so I think you’re probably right. The newer area is so green even now in drought, it’s a huge worry.

 

[Burnttoast]

Most modern dairy leys will be tetraploid ryegrass (the original native ryegrass and many older bred varieties are diploid) so it has twice the number of chromosomes and is highly productive in terms of DE as well as being vigorous. It's usually bad news for most horses unfortunately. All the more so if it's sprayed or horses eating it are fed sprayed forage, which makes them a bit vulnerable metabolically speaking.

 

[scats]

We are on rye and frankly it’s a nightmare. I have my name down at a few places to move, despite loving the yard itself, because it’s beyond hell at this time of year. I read an article a couple of years about the dangers of it for horses and it was quite an eye opener.