Pasture management to minimize the risk of equine laminitis.

This research article explores how pasture management strategies can help to lower the risk of a horse developing laminitis by limiting its exposure to high levels of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) in the grasses it grazes upon. NSC content, which includes sugars, starch, and fructan, can spike when pasture vegetation is environmentally stressed.

Pasture Management and NSC Levels

• The study highlights the relationship between the health of pastures and their NSC content – the collective term for sugars, starch, and fructan present in edible plants. NSC levels can vary greatly depending on the environmental conditions that pasture plants grow under.
• Harsh conditions such as cold temperatures, drought, and a lack of essential nutrients can increase a plant’s NSC content by two to three times compared to when it grows in ideal conditions. Ideal conditions are described as warm weather with adequate water and fertilizers.

Significance of High NSC Levels

• High levels of NSC in the diet of horses are associated with an increased risk of them developing a painful and dangerous condition called laminitis. Considered one of the worst diseases that can affect a horse, laminitis is an inflammation of the tissues inside the hoof, often leading to lameness and can limit a horse’s lifespan or productivity.
• Therefore, limiting a horse’s access to pastures during times when NSC levels are likely to be high is a preventative measure against laminitis.

Implications for Horse Care

• The findings have implications for equine welfare and management practices. If horses are at risk of developing laminitis, their access to pastureland should be limited or removed entirely during periods of harsh environmental conditions, when NSC levels in plants would be highest.
• This kind of attentive pasture management could result in a significant decrease in laminitis cases, contributing to better health and increased longevity for horses usually at risk of developing the condition.