Kentucky Performance Products: Safe Spring & Fall Grazing

For at-risk horses, spring and fall pasture can hide several dangers that might compromise their health. Kentucky Performance Products has the information you need.

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It is that time of the year again, when grass pastures can be unsafe for at-risk horses!

Grazing management is the key to avoiding problems.

Temperature and sunlight affect the amount of fructans (a type of sugar) stored in fresh grass. In plants, a process known as photosynthesis produces fructan. Photosynthesis occurs only during daylight hours. The sunnier the day, the more fructan is produced in a plant. At night, fructan is available to the plant as an energy source.

Temperature dictates how plants utilize fructan during the nighttime hours. If the temperatures stay warm (40° F or higher), plants use fructan to fuel growth in leaves and stems. Unused fructan is then stored in the lower two inches of the stem just above the soil line. However, if the nighttime temperature drops below 40° F, the plant will not grow and fructan remains in the leaves in high concentrations. For sensitive horses, consuming this grass might lead to colic or laminitis.

Proper grazing management can help avoid a sugar overload. It is best to limit grazing time or stop it completely when daytime temperatures are warm and nights are below 40° F.

To learn more about how sugar and starch affect your horse, enter the word “sugar” in the search box.

Article written by KPP staff.

Copyright (C) 2017 Kentucky Performance Products, LLC.   All rights reserved.

Article sponsored by Micro-Phase, which provides essential vitamins and trace minerals missing from forages and unfortified diets in an easy-to-digest form.

When health issues arise, always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian who can help you choose the correct course of action for your horse. Supplements are intended to maintain healthy systems and support recovery and healing. They are not intended to treat or cure illness or injury.

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Fight back against colic and digestive upset

Neigh-Lox Advanced provides a scientifically advanced blend of ingredients that work synergistically to maintain your horse’s digestive tract in peak condition by supporting both the gastrointestinal tissues and the beneficial bacteria that populate the gut.  Maintaining a healthy digestive tract reduces the risk of colonic and gastric ulcers, colic, laminitis related to hind-gut acidosis, and oxidative stress that damages digestive tract tissues themselves.  Horses with a well-balanced GI tract have good appetites, absorb more nutrients from their diets, maintain a strong immune system, and stay healthier.

It is why the horse that matters to you matters to us. Not sure which horse supplement best meets your horse’s needs? We are here to help. Contact Kentucky Performance Products, LLC at 859-873-2974 or visit our website at KPPusa.com.