Ten Top Tips for Pasture Management
Friday 13 April 2012

1 Examine your pasture for grass types that are likely to contain high amounts of sugar and fructans.

Sugar, Starch and fructans are collectively known as Non Structural Carbohydrates and a high content in a sward of grass (35%) will cause laminitis. Some grasses contain a significantly higher level than others and it is important to recognise the different varieties to avoid grazing a prone animal on pasture land containing unsuitable types of grass.

Modern grass species have been developed to contain a high quantity of sugar by the farming industry in order to obtain a maximum milk or meat yield. Unfortunately this type of grazing is unsuitable for the good doer, the sedentary and companion pony, and most native types. Modern grass types are also more resilient to over grazing and as such are more appealing to grow as pasture as horses are notorious bad grazers.

Many small holdings and farms once designed for grazing cattle with around 20-100 acres are now livery centres and lifestyle properties for training and keeping horses. Many horse owners have insufficient knowledge of the intense pasture management required to maintain the beneficial (low NSC) native grass species.

Common examples of grasses with high sugar content include fescue, brome and perennial rye grass  Plant trees around paddocks of laminitic ponies as shade lowers the sugar content through lack of light to photosynthesis.

2 Choose pasture with a high number of native species but don’t over graze.

Native grasses are less resilient and require close monitoring, grow a separate patch for seed heads and re seed every autumn and early winter to ensure continuation. It is very important to allow grass to rest after close grazing to avoid more aggressive and resilient species taking over.

Native grass species are also less palatable than the grasses grown for cattle as they contain less sugar but as many ponies are sedentary, being less palatable is probably a good thing.  Two examples of common native grasses, sweet vernal and meadow foxtail.

3 For chronic laminitic ponies with weakened foot structures build a dry grass free area or paradise paddock (send for info sheet) to encourage exercise without allowing the pony grass.

4 Don’t turn a laminitic pony out on an overgrazed area rather choose a patch with no grass at all as having no grass is better than having access to short overgrazed stalks of grass as this is where the maximum of sugar is stored.

5 Don’t turn a laminitic pony or horse out on frosty mornings or evenings as the sugar content during low temperatures increases by 30-40%, cold weather with dry sunny days also increases the NSC content.

The modern grasses contain the highest amount of sugar during cold frosty weather another reason for planting native varieties. Standing water and ice cause oxygen stress and increase the amount of NSC by 20%

6 In drought conditions the sugar content increases, in simulated drought conditions of five days the sucrose increase at the stem base was 258%, and after a simulated 3 month drought, luckily not very common in the UK there was an increase in NSC of 40%

7 Fertilise appropriately. A low nitrogen and phosphorous content of soil will increase sugar content as will a high salt content. A soil analysis should be taken and the Ph. levels kept within 6 to 7.

8 Cut your hay in the morning and later on in the season to ensure a low NSC content. Hay should be allowed to dry slowly to allow continued respiration of the sugar, avoid cutting hay in a heat wave (again not very common in the UK)

9 If you have taken a crop of hay from the modern resilient high yield type of grass then soak the hay for a minimum of 16 hours before feeding as many of the NSC’s found in these grasses are water soluble and up to 27% of sugar content may be lost through soaking.

Although care should be taken when feeding hay from high yield grasses as even after soaking the hay may still contain above 30% of Water Soluble Compounds.

10 Thistles and dandelions and quack grass contain high amounts of fructans, and spraying for weeds will also increase fructan content so it is advisable to keep animals off the grazing for some days following treatment.

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