Question re: tying-up and spring grass

[Festive_Felicitations]

Also in Vet.

This year, for the first time since we've owned him, Beau is getting about 1 - 2 hr of really rich (improved clover mix) grass a day, plus whats coming up in his field (native sp not know for richness). Mainly as hay very rare & expensive at the moment.

Anyway, the other day I thought he was going to tie-up but managed to walk it off (1/2 hour in hand up and down the laneway ). He is in fairly consistent decent work at the moment and not getting much grain so was very surprised.

I was wondering if anyone else has known spring grass to trigger it? As it is the only different thing in his diet/regime at the moment.

 

[Birker2020]

Also in Vet.

This year, for the first time since we've owned him, Beau is getting about 1 - 2 hr of really rich (improved clover mix) grass a day, plus whats coming up in his field (native sp not know for richness). Mainly as hay very rare & expensive at the moment.

Anyway, the other day I thought he was going to tie-up but managed to walk it off (1/2 hour in hand up and down the laneway ). He is in fairly consistent decent work at the moment and not getting much grain so was very surprised.

I was wondering if anyone else has known spring grass to trigger it? As it is the only different thing in his diet/regime at the moment.

I'm not a vet so i might be completely of the track with this theory but I know I am sure I have read this somewhere. Clover (I think its red clover) contains quite a level of cyanide. Cyanide when eaten in large quantities but not enough to kill you can cause ataxia. I know this because when my horse developed ataxia and at the time the vets said it was EHV he was suffering from. But I was convinced it was something else so I investigated on the internet and from books at the library all the other possibilities which could cause ataxia, ever thing from a bug in the blood stream to a chemical imbalance in the brain, toxins digested, crop spraying of fields, etc, etc. It could be that the 'tying up' that you believe your horse may have had could have been slight ataxia due to the clover. Will try to find some more info for you.

 

[Birker2020]

Found this on the internet

Horses with clover-associated liver damage often show neurologic signs such as depression, listlessness, head pressing, circling, ataxia (incoordination), poor appetite, and other unusual behaviors. Other signs include weight loss, poor body condition, and poor hair coat. Blood tests show abnormalities indicative of liver failure. Treatment consists of supportive care and ceasing exposure to clover. Horses that show only photosensitization have a good prognosis, while others that develop liver damage or liver damage combined with photosensitivity have a poor prognosis.

I am unable to find the information I wanted about the clover. I know in America there is a form of clover called askline clover and i believe it does grow in this country, and the main symtom of askline posioning is ataxia. The clover grows everywhere except Northern Scotland for some reason!

But the above side effects of red clover doesn't sound like what your horse had at all.