# Winter grass and laminitics



## Jericho (10 November 2017)

I have a 13.2hh 17 yr old gelding and he is prone to lami (last time he showed signs was spring 2016 when he went slightly footy and we caught it early)  but we manage him carefully and throughout spring summer and autumn he is on a bare/ very well grazed paddock about 1/4 - 1/3 of an acre whilst the Tb is out in 5 acres. Now winter is here I am considering turning the little pony out with the TB on the 5 acres as the grass there is long and very scraggy and rough and really shouldnt have much goodness in it  and thought  this might be better for him than the short grass in his paddock particularly when frosty (as per current advice on laminitis) Does anyone turn out lami prone ponies  on much longer grass over winter?


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## JillA (10 November 2017)

Has he got Cushings? There is normally an underlying cause other than overeating/excessive sugars and if you deal with that you shouldn't have to worry too much? Mine have foggage so very little green stuff but this is worth a read http://www.safergrass.org/


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## Jericho (10 November 2017)

Thanks for your reply, no he doesn&#8217;t have Cushings. Have had him tested and he was fine


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## Tiddlypom (10 November 2017)

Can you hay up when it's frosty? 

I strip graze into foggage with my 2 x Cushing's horses, but I hay them instead of moving the fence line if it's frosty.


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## millikins (10 November 2017)

My small pony has had her second severe laminitic attack this year which happened 2 weeks into a loan. Loaners had seemed to do all the right things but I am 99% certain that her trigger is rye grass which is what was in their nearly bare paddock. She's grazed happily with my others for 4 years since her first episode on my very poor, weedy, unimproved grass. She became footy again when she had access to this year's hay, again rye grass.


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## ILuvCowparsely (10 November 2017)

Jericho said:



			I have a 13.2hh 17 yr old gelding and he is prone to lami (last time he showed signs was spring 2016 when he went slightly footy and we caught it early)  but we manage him carefully and throughout spring summer and autumn he is on a bare/ very well grazed paddock about 1/4 - 1/3 of an acre whilst the Tb is out in 5 acres. Now winter is here I am considering turning the little pony out with the TB on the 5 acres as the grass there is long and very scraggy and rough and really shouldn&#8217;t have much goodness in it  and thought  this might be better for him than the short grass in his paddock particularly when frosty (as per current advice on laminitis) Does anyone turn out lami prone ponies  on much longer grass over winter?
		
Click to expand...

I keep them in till frost goes  otherwise turnout all day as at the moment he goes out 8 - 10.30am then 1.30 - 4pm


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