​Spring is finally here. For horse owners, this means endless grooming as their horse sheds and finally being able to turn their horses out to graze on pasture. While horses love getting their first taste of fresh grass, it can turn into a serious medical problem for some. This new spring grass may look beautiful but for many horses it can be dangerous for them to eat too much of it. Grass in the springtime produces more sugar than the grass that grows in the summer. When horses graze on this grass and ingest too much sugar it can cause them to founder, also known as laminitis. Horses  that are overweight, easy keepers, over the age of 10, or ponies are most likely to develop laminitis. Laminitis is a disease that causes inflammation and decreased blood flow to the inner tissues of the hoof. When a horse eats too much of the sugary grass, it causes the body to release toxins into the blood stream, which then triggers the inflammation in the hoof wall. This disease is very painful to the horse and can be life threatening.
 It is important to limit the amount of grass your horse ingests during the spring to prevent laminitis from developing. If you have horse that is prone to developing this disease you can place a grazing muzzle on them when turned out. That way they can still get the exercise, but not ingest the grass. For other horses, transition them slowly to the pasture by allowing them to graze for only short periods of time at first and slowly increasing the duration over a period of time. Owners should watch their horses closely for signs of laminitis. Laying down, shifting their weight from foot to foot, lethargy, and if their hooves feel excessively hot could all be symptoms that your horse is foundering. Call a veterinarian immediately if any of these symptoms present. For further information about grass foundering please visit -http://www.aaep.org/info/horse-health?publication=2452