Spring time 'dangerous' grazing time...

News from the KiefferMAG

Every year ... it starts again: with the start of the
 grazing season, many horses - especially those who spend 
several up to 24 hours on the pasture - develop into 
insatiable problem children and the belly circumference 
increases steadily. Not only does this make our horse 
misshapen, but the extra weight also negatively affects 
performance and strain on the joints. Further health 
consequences of excessive grazing can be serious, 
sometimes life-threatening diseases such. Be laminitis. 
Of course, not every horse is a problem child, but there 
are still enough "risk horses" to deal with complaints.

Since grazing in itself more than meets the natural needs of the horse in principle, we can look at the phenomenon of meadow vines and other og. Difficulty explaining complaints. Juicy, fresh grass can not be a calorie bomb or cause of illnesses? Yes, the crowd does it! Why this is so and how we can counter it, we will explain in this post.
When spring sprouts fresh grass ...

something happens, which takes place every year: after the 
cold, dimly lit winter season, our meadows and pastures 
awaken to new life with the rising temperatures and the 
soothing "more" of sunlight. The metabolic process of the 
plants is stimulated again and they begin to grow and 
generate energy.

Through light, heat and water, the unrestricted 
photosynthesis can take place again and the fresh grass 
begins to form glucose (dextrose) again. In addition to 
glucose, other sugar molecules are produced in grasses 
with different functions that make use of the plants for 
their maintenance (energy storage, protection against 
drought and frost) - such as. Fructan, which is present in 
the grasses primarily at the beginning of growth in the 
spring or at the end of the growing season in autumn.

The fructan content of the grasses is particularly high in
 sunny and cold weather, as much fructan is formed, but 
this is hardly consumed for the growth of the plant and is 
stored in the plant. In the summer months, this imbalance 
then relativizes again.
Why the grass tastes particularly good at the beginning of 
the grazing season?

The fresh spring grass contains the energy supply of fructan
(multi-chain sugar molecule, polysaccharide) as well as 
the freshly produced glucose (short-chain sugar molecule, 
simple sugar) - that is, the grass contains an extra portion
of carbohydrates and also tastes particularly good due to 
its sweetness through the fructan. The sweet taste and the 
rapid up and down of the blood sugar level also stimulate 
the appetite - the real problem, however, arises only from 
the total amount of grass and thus sugar added. These 
amounts can amount to many kilos per day, depending on how 
much time the horse is allowed to spend on pasture.

Which in a nutshell happens in the body. As noted in the 
paragraph above, the amount is the poison or problem and 
possibly the combination of glucose and fructan. 

Glucose

Short-chain sugar molecules such as glucose are a perfect 
source of energy during exercise and, compared to multiple 
sugars (such as fructan), they do not have to be broken 
down by the body for the time being to provide energy. If 
they are supplied to the body permanently and not in 
conjunction with physical stress, the energy source is not 
utilized, but stored as glycogen in the body. The glycogen,
the storage form of carbohydrates, is stored in conjunction 
with water. One gram of glycogen can additionally bind up 
to four grams of water. This means with regard to the 
phenomenon blown up belly:

A horse of 600 kg eats about 3-5 kg ​​of grass per hour. If 
this horse is one that grazes permanently and a candidate 
who does little work and still receives a diet of fodder, 
this explains the emergence of a grazing belly:
Energy surplus + water retention = grazing vines.

Another aspect is the insulin level, which increases 
rapidly due to sugar intake and drops just as quickly, 
which can have a negative effect on the hunger and satiety.
That is why the horse alone can not control and regulate 
his feeding behavior and we need to help him with it.

Fructan

On the other hand, the long-chain sugar molecule fructan, 
whose concentration is highest in sunny and cold weather, 
can be far more problematic for the horse's body and cause 
excessively inflammatory and in the worst case 
life-threatening diseases. The digestive system of the 
horse can not handle the large fructan excess over the 
grass intake in the stomach and small intestine. Thus, a 
large amount of carbohydrates (multiple sugars) undigested enters the colon, which changes the bacterial intestinal flora of the horse and multiplies the number of carbohydrate-processing bacteria. The metabolic waste products of these bacteria are large amounts of lactic acid, which overrides the bacterial diversity in the intestine, provides for hyperacidity and causes endotoxins or toxins. This dangerous mixture passes through the intestinal wall in the bloodstream, the organism acidified and tormenting, inflammatory processes such as laminitis take their course as horse and rider make life to hell.
Now we can explain the complaints ... and now what?

Both the negative effects on the body volume and the 
promotion of inflammatory processes in the body can be 
attributed to the feeding behavior in the pasture. This 
does not mean that we should deny our horses their natural 
needs - but we can help them to live them and yet remain 
fit, healthy and free of complaints. And especially in 
the spring, when the grazing season begins.... something 
happens, which takes place every year: after the cold, 
dimly lit winter season, our meadows and pastures awaken 
to new life with the rising temperatures and the soothing 
"more" of sunlight. The metabolic process of the plants is
 stimulated again and they begin to grow and generate 
energy.

Through light, heat and water, the unrestricted 
photosynthesis can take place again and the fresh grass 
begins to form glucose (dextrose) again. In addition to 
glucose, other sugar molecules are produced in grasses 
with different functions that make use of the plants for 
their maintenance (energy storage, protection against 
drought and frost) - such as. Fructan, which is present 
in the grasses primarily at the beginning of growth in 
the spring or at the end of the growing season in autumn.

The fructan content of the grasses is particularly high 
in sunny and cold weather, as much fructan is formed, but
 this is hardly consumed for the growth of the plant and 
is stored in the plant. In the summer months, this 
imbalance then relativizes again.
Why the grass tastes particularly good at the beginning 
of the grazing season?

The fresh spring grass contains the energy supply of
fructan (multi-chain sugar molecule, polysaccharide) as 
well as the freshly produced glucose (short-chain sugar 
molecule, simple sugar) - that is, the grass contains an 
extra portion of carbohydrates and also tastes 
particularly good due to its sweetness through the 
fructan. The sweet taste and the rapid up and down of 
the blood sugar level also stimulate the appetite - the 
real problem, however, arises only from the total amount 
of grass and thus sugar added. These amounts can amount 
to many kilos per day, depending on how much time the 
horse is allowed to spend on pasture

Prevention

By following measures we can prevent complaints.
Right grazing

    If the nights are still frosty or the weather 
conditions unfavorable, rather wait a little more with the 
Anweiden. As explained above, the fructan content is 
particularly high and regulates only when the grasses
begin to grow visibly.
Grazing should not be granted to the horse directly from 
the beginning to several hours, but ideally at intervals 
which are gradually increased, e.g. start with 15 minutes 
and then and boost. Offer high quality hay before grazing.
Good grazing and feeding.

Use (preventive) aids

If it is unavoidable that the grazing is gradually 
extended at the beginning of the season or should the 
horse develop into permanent drowsiness in the summer, 
then slow-down brakes or muzzles are an effective way to 
limit grass intake in order to avoid the unpleasant 
grazing Minimize and / or prevent the formation of 
inflammation in the body. Hay consumption from round 
bales with hay nets can also be effectively reduced.

 We at Kieffer have developed in cooperation with Mrs. 
Sabine Georgi, the owner of two grazing horses, a 
horse-friendly grazing muzzle. The Easygrazer® is a 
horse-friendly yet sturdy construction consisting of our 
easy-care, water-repellent, durable as an anti-allergenic 
SECU® material with a bottom plate made of food-safe 
Biothane. Alternatively, the variant Easygrazer Neo® is 
available, which is completely made of Biothane and 
without the use of rivets.

For comfort, this muzzle is equipped with velcro neoprene 
cushions that can be washed easily. First and foremost, 
the restriction of feed intake and a high well-being 
factor, undisturbed mimicry of the horse, unrestricted 
water absorption are just a few of many advantages that 
make the Easygrazer® a "first-choice" grazing muzzle.