It's that time of year again!........

Yes, the grass is growing!
You only have to scan any of the horse related forums in March/April to see posts such as 'My horse is footy' 'He's suddenly sore walking over stones'

If your horse isn't quite right at this time of year 90% of the time it is due to new, high sugar, grass coming through, giving your horse a bout of low grade laminitis (LGL).

If your horse is barefoot you are in an enviable position as the symptoms show up as LGL long before the full blown laminitic episodes seen in shod horses.

So what are the symptoms?

Generally a loss of 'rock crunching' performance. The horse becomes careful or 'footy' on surfaces such as gravelly roads or stones. He may also be unwilling to go out, where previously he was enthusiastic. He may seek the grass verge rather than the road. He just won't feel quite right.

What to do?  It is important to reduce the amount of grass that the horse receives. This can be done by bringing the horse into a yard or dry lot or bare paddock for a period and feeding hay or haylage. Some people have success using grazing muzzles and others bring their horse in during the day and turn out at night when the grass sugars built up during the day are synthesised. Obviously any sweet/high sugar feeds are removed from the diet as are molassed licks and treats.

The key here is that you do something.  The alternative may be a bout of laminitis, which is very painful and distressing to both horse and owner.