Barn Pros

Sunday, May 13, 2018

SPRING PASTURE, FRUCTANS, AND FOUNDER

By Larry Lawrence, PhD, Kentucky Equine Research, and Stephanie Valberg, DVM
The University of Minnesota Extension


All horses are subject to digestive upsets associated with spring pasture. The content of highly fermentable carbohydrates in pasture can be overwhelming to the un-adapted digestive system of horses. Ponies, because of a gene that allows them to survive on limited amounts of medium quality forages, and overweight horses, because of insulin resistance and associated high levels of circulating pro-inflammatory agents, are particularly susceptible to pastures with high fructan contents (commonly found in spring).

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