Switching to grass...could this be a problem?

Question

im currently keeping one of my arabians at an alternative barn so i can get into more shows. At this barn she eats hay and sometimes grain, but hardly ever gets grass because there is none in the pasture. Now i would like to bring her home for the first time and her diet will be mainly grass because we have a pasture full of it, she will also get grain and have hay as her main food source during the winter....but im just wondering if it is a problem to switch from hay to grass and if she could get sick being able to eat it 24/7...any suggestions would be very helpful!!!

Answer 1

I would be very careful about how much grass she eats. Since she is used to getting hay, the grass might be too rich for her and cause her to founder. Just keep an eye on her.

Answer 2

When we switch our horses to grass from hay in the spring, We only let them out 1/2 day the first few days. It can be pretty rich for them and some get runny p**p at first. If you can, I would let your horse get gradually used to eating just grass. They say horses can founder or get colic from switching straight to grass. I haven't seen this happen, but no sense taking chances. Just make sure you have plenty of water available.

Answer 3

Just watch her and make sure she doesn't get diarrhea from the fresh grass.  You might want to to put her out in the morning and put her back in the barn at night for a few days.  Watch her weight, too, as she could get a "grass belly" really quickly and might need to be muzzled.  We have 2 that tend to blow up really quickly when put out on fresh grass.  We have to put them on the dry lot and monitor their feed and hay to keep them at the correct weight.

Answer 4

Yes, there is a problem. She could founder or colic if you let her out on it full time right away. You need to giver her a week at minimum and two at best to acclimatize. You need to keep her in a grass free place and turn her on it for a couple hours a day. Steadily increase the amount until she's out full time in two weeks. Then continue to feed her grain, though you can cut out hay, for a two to three week period and wean her off.

Answer 5

Switching to grass should not present a problem.  As long as she has plenty of grass to eat twenty four seven, you are totally fine.  I do, though, recommend putting her on hay and grain in the winter, like you said.  If you are worried about her not liking eating grass 24/7...worry no more.  Most people aren't aware of this but grass is a horses favorite food.  They actually prefer it to hay and grain!  However, this doesn't mean they don't like hay and grain.  In general, horses aren't very picky when it comes to food and will eat just about any grain you put in their bucket.  Also, there may be that odd horse who loves his yummy grain more than anything in the world. LOL.  

   Your horse will be just fine eating grass as long as she isn't worked very much.  Grain was designed to give an extra energy boost for those horses that are worked heavily.  Basically, don't worry about taking your mare off the grain and hay.  However, if she is used to eating hay, just remember to gradually wean them off her, so her system doesn't go wacko.   She could have digestive problems if you don't wean her off of it slowly.  I hope I helped!  If you have any more questions just ask away!

Answer 6

The risk of grass founder is not as high this time of year as in spring but it is still a risk.  If your horse is the cresty neck easy keeper type, the risk is highest.  Keeping her in at night when the sugars are highest in the grass is best.  Sugar is stored up during the day to supply it all night, so the content goes up at night.  Going from hay to grass, the high sugar content in grass causes the bacteria in the gut to suddenly multipy in numbers, and these new bacteria produce excessive endotoxins  that get into the blood stream which carries the toxins to the hooves and may cause laminitis.  If you can graze her for only a few hours during the early part of the day it is best....during hot, sunny weather the sugar content in the grass is at a minimum, and is lowest in the morning.  After gradually adjusting to grazing, the rapid fluctuations in bacterial count will level off, removing the risks. Gradually switch from hay to grass, feeding hay only at night at first, and gradually letting her out at night.

Answer 7

Grass is wonderful to keep your horse on, but a sudden switch or addition to the diet is harmful to a horse's health.  Colic and laminitis are some problems you could have.  You should allow your horse about an hour's worth of grazing to begin with, and over the course of one or two weeks gradually increase grazing time until the horse's gut has become acclimated to the new diet.  However, the benefits of having your horse on grass are endless.  Now that my mare is on pasture, her weight/condition have never been better, her feet grow better, she's even calmer.  Horses are designed for a grass diet, after all!

Answer 8

Grass is natural and should not present a problem.

Answer 9

Any sudden diet changes can cause digestive distress as the horse's system gets accustomed to a certain diet - the bacteria in the digestive tract needs to gradually become accustomed to changes.  By gradually I don't mean a month - but perhaps just a week.

Turn her out only maybe an hour on grass when she gets home for a couple days, then two hours, then four until she's back on the grass as you see fit.  Until she's on the grass as you would like, supplement with hay of the type she's currently used to.

This will be OK - just like if you're switching grain - over a week the grains need to be mixed and the old weaned into the new to allow her system to get used to the change in diet.  

It can be a pain to do this, but may be worth it. I have had horses that as such easy keepers they can handle sudden changes back and forth, but there is still always risk.  Gradual changes are really best for them.

This is true of any animal really including dogs - they get a certain diet and changes go it should be gradual to avoid digestive problems.

Good luck

Answer 10

no, she won't get sick from eating it. BUt, you do need to switch her over gradually. Grass is very sweet compared  to hay. So, just give her her regular grain and hay the first day adn then maybe let her out on the lead rope and let her graze. Gradually add more time to each day.  

Answer 11

Since she isn't used to eating fresh grass I would ease her onto pasture.  When you first bring her home let her out to pasture for maybe and hour or two and then give her hay for the rest of the day.  Leave her out that long for about a week and then gradually increase the hourse left out until you leave her out all the time.

If you bring her home and just leave her out to pasture all day there's a possibility she could colic because she's not used to all the rich nutrients.  I usually follow that same procedure when spring first comes around.

Answer 12

As with any change in a horses diet this needs to be done slowly.  If you just put your horse out into the green pasture and allow her to eat all she wants you risk her getting laminitis.  If you can, feed her hay before you allow her out and then only allow her to stay out for an hour or so the first time.  Bring her in and feed her more hay and allow her back out again later, for an hour or so.  Continue to do this until you are feeding less hay and allowing her out on the pasture for increasingly longer periods of time.  Good luck.