http://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/

Calm Healthy Horses, Rangiora (2026)

17/06/2026

Wrapping your head around the ‘Grass’ message!!

Because of course horses are supposed to eat grass, understandably it can be a stretch for people to come to the realisation that their grass isn’t ALWAYS good for their horses.
We do see/hear our message misinterpreted - ‘taking the horse off grass’ actually means ‘taking them off UNSUITABLE grass’. This usually means off short or lush green grass.

We recognise there are many horse owners out there who genuinely don’t experience their horses becoming ‘grass-affected’ on their grass in their neck of the woods. We are happy for them but it pays to note that there are also vast numbers of horses who cannot cope with the grass that they are living on.
Our messages are principally directed at the thousands of horse owners with horses who DO get ‘grass-affected’.

We’re not just talking about horses getting a bit over-weight or a bit spooky here and there, we are helping horses globally who get footy, EMS, Laminitis, HS, PSSM, SIJ, Digestive Disorders, ‘Neurological & Neuro-muscular Disorders’, become hyper-sensitive or over-reactive, Behavioural, Allergies, Reproductive Issues and so on. These sadly, add up to an astronomical number of horses!

The conditions listed are welfare issues for thousands of horses. They can cost the owner not only financially but in WASTED YEARS, not to mention the stress of it all.

Failure to understand the grass aspect may even be the end of the horse especially if seen, evaluated, diagnosed by people who do not understand this.

There are horse owners who ‘get by’ because their horse doesn’t get ‘bad’ enough or do anything ‘scary’ enough that they are motivated to do something about their grass and they are inclined to put things down to the horses ‘temperament’ or breeding.

This is so not true - all horses should be nothing other than ‘normal’. You can’t judge their ‘temperament’ until you get the diet right! Many people don’t realise how good their horse COULD be!

What we ARE saying is that your grass may well be UNSUITABLE for your particular horse, especially at some times of the year and/or under certain conditions.

When it comes down to it, any grass growing on organic soils in regions of relatively high rainfall is fundamentally UNSUITABLE for the equine species who are adapted to semi-arid (much, much drier environments) and it is this grass that is proving to be the underlying cause of the majority of the problems plaguing our domestic horses.

For those on RENTED grazing or at Livery – we sincerely hope that more land owners will take all this on board, (as have the growing number of Track Liveries like PB, Three Ravens), and provide grass free options for times of the year when the grass isn’t suitable or when the entire field has become flooded as in many regions of Australia, the UK & NZ.

They could also implement much longer grazing rotations so the grass is more mature, and the horses are moved on before it gets down so short it takes forever to recover. .
In our experience ‘restricting’ grass intake by strip grazing, keeping it very short by over-grazing or bringing the sheep in, or wearing grazing muzzles are inadequate measures when it comes to addressing the serious issues listed above.

They are just ways of feeding less of the same UNSUITABLE forage. Grazing muzzles can be a ‘tool’ when options are non-existent but are no substitute for the horse trickle feeding on hay all day long.

We’ve experienced both scenarios over our riding lives – BEFORE when we were naive and plagued with one ‘bucking thing after another’, sadly even pts horses that we now know we could have ‘fixed’, plus we had more than our share of very scary rides and accidents!

Compared to AFTER when for the last 20 years we have kept our horses on Tracks, giving them their grass in the form of hay along with controlled access to more mature grass with no clover, and now THOROUGHLY ENJOY riding our calm healthy horses plus we have acquired a collection of horses like Holly and BB in the video**

Going to the effort of changing your management means the quality/enjoyment of your ride on any given day cannot be influenced by changes in the grass caused by changes in the weather. Yayy!!

Video – Holly (was a head-flicker) and little BB came to us when she was going to be PTS because she was so terrified of people. Look at those little legs go!

For help with checking your horse’s diet please fill out the Enquiry Form.
Here is the Link: https://www.wixforms.com/f/7424581212632515616

13/06/2026

Charleston – the journey back from head-shaking

A big thanks to Vicki (NSW, Australia) for sharing her journey back from head-shaking with her beautiful 14.2hh, 5 year old German Riding Pony Charleston.

It gives you an idea of what it takes - which is in a nutshell:
-Changing their forage from green to brown (grass to hay)
-Sourcing SUITABLE preferably late-cut plain grass hay, no clover or lucerne.
-Providing a nourishing daily feed that includes what they need and nothing they don’t need.
-ALLOWING the time it takes for their metabolism to have a much needed rest – in other words TIME to reset back to normal functioning.

From Vicki: “Back in February this year Charleston had started headshaking - flicking his head, snorting constantly in the paddock, rubbing his nose frequently & occasionally slipping behind.

He was quite afflicted by it and was no longer rideable. He had always been quite highly-strung/energetic, and displayed daily behaviours like pawing at the ground, frequently wanting to rub his nose on me vigorously, biting & chewing the bit (which I partly put down to him being a young horse) but in the last couple of months he started to become girthy, bucking under-saddle and struggling with canter transitions and with the onset of headshaking I suspected it was all related.

Charleston had been given a course of Omeprazole over Christmas as ulcers were suspected and at the time he couldn’t be scoped as vet was closed. Last dental was 6 months ago - no issues.
The Vet came twice - checked in ears, mouth, performed endoscopy, we put him on a bute trial, tried fly mask and nose net - none of which improved Charleston's situation.

Suspected trigeminal nerve issue/headshaking so a CT scan was performed which failed to show anything.

Vicki decided to contact CHH as we were frequently recommended across several Headshaking pages on Facebook.

Charleston needed some changes to his management which included diet because we believe Headshaking is just one manifestation of the ‘disturbances to biochemistry’ which affect the entire nervous system INCLUDING the trigeminal nerve. This explains the numerous and varied associated issues.
Plus Charleston needed TIME for his metabolism to have a rest UNTIL it returned to normal functioning. Just like the ‘PSSM2’ horses in the previous post.

Back then Charleston was turned out 10 hours/day on short, green kikuyu grass.
He would spend nights in a sand yard with access to grass & Rhodes grass hay.

Grazing was rented, fortunately with access to a grass free yard which had a shelter.

We recommended some changes to Charleston’s diet:
– no day-time turnout on the kikuyu grass. He stayed in the yard on grass hay 24/7. (Fortunately the yard was a good one with a shade/shelter option)

For his daily feeds we eliminated the lucerne chaff and replaced it with wheaten chaff and added 1 tablespoon of salt am & pm rather than the salt lick he had before.
We altered his feed to ensure adequate protein, omega fatty acids, Minerals, Vitamins, Amino Acids) and supplements to address the loud gut noises, difficulty with canter, the agitation which is a sign of ‘nerves firing too easily resulting in the head-shaking and nose-rubbing.

By 23 March Vicki reported: “Just touching base to let you know Charleston is a much happier horse off the grass and on a mainly hay diet.
His head flicking symptoms in his yard/stable have improved greatly over the last few weeks.
He is still not rideable yet as his symptoms reappear as soon as he gets his heart rate up but I am hopeful that we will get there in time.”

By 2nd June (4 months since first contact: “Hi Jenny, a few months ago you kindly helped me with my pony Charleston who had started headshaking. I am pleased to report that after taking him off grass and following your instructions he has returned to a happy pony who is once again rideable! I really am so grateful as it was a very distressing experience to see such a lovely young pony so unwell”.

Time frames vary. For Charleston it took 3-4 months, a relatively rapid recovery because Vicki acted quickly and because Charleston is not a large horse.

Many horses take longer – headshaking tends to come and go before disappearing completely. Best not to be riding the horse initially and then it should be low key, keeping him within his comfort zone. Many get worse with exercise.

It depends how long they have been afflicted, how meticulous you can be about eliminating all green forage and how big they are.

For advice and support through the HS recovery journey please fill out our Enquiry Form so we have all the info needed.
Here is the link: https://www.wixforms.com/f/7424581212632515616

09/06/2026

Thinking your horse might have PSSM2?

The list of ‘symptoms’ for PSSM2 is remarkably similar to the list commonly seen in what we refer to as ‘Grass-Affected’ - the latter being where one or more aspects of the horse’s forage and/or feed are adversely affecting their health, movement & behaviour.

The approach of interpreting these issues as 'management' problems rather than as 'horse' problems has been very successful for many years, as others who have resolved metabolic issues by utilising Track systems have also found.

Here in NZ we had been doing so long before ever hearing of 'PSSM', and well before genetic testing and muscle biopsies were being performed.

As a result, none of the horses we took on over the years were genetically tested or biopsied. We will never know whether they had any of the genes present or not but they returned to normal functioning anyway.

Many horses deemed to have PSSM2 exhibit difficulty with canter - "The most telling sign is at canter, where the horse may "bunny hop" by pulling both rear legs forward at once. In other gaits, the hind limbs may appear stiff with a short gait. Cross-firing (disunited canter) is also seen.: https://www.equiseq.com/polysaccharide-storage-myopathy-pssm2/

The bay horse in the photo is one of ours when she was 'grass-affected'.

Cloud, featured in our last post, tested positive for PSSM2 via muscle biopsy back in 2019.
The same approach which involved making changes to his environment and diet, along with plenty of exercise, over time returned his muscles and metabolism back to 100% normal functioning.

This raises some important points.

We know that genes are passed on to offspring. A gene is a section of DNA that contains instructions for making a specific protein. We also know that diet, nutrition, environment, and lifestyle can influence whether genes are actually expressed or remain silent.

Since the discovery of these genes, further studies have identified what are known a ‘Variants’. A ‘Variant’ is a difference in the DNA sequence within a gene, identified as P2,P3, P4, P8 etc

Crucially, the presence of a PSSM gene or Variant is not necessarily a life sentence. Studies have found that some of these variants occur commonly in healthy horses with no muscle disease. Therefore, the ‘Variants’ cannot currently be considered actual proof that a horse has a ‘myopathy’ (muscle disease).

In which case for the sake of horses and their owners, should we be questioning:

Does diet and lifestyle influence the expression of PSSM genes? In other words, in the case of PSSM2, can nutritional factors contribute to the development of abnormal glycogen storage within muscle cells?

If so, can changes to diet, particularly forage, mineral balances, micro-nutrient deficiencies, exercise, and overall management restore glycogen storage and muscle function back to normal?

Are some horses genetically predisposed, but only develop symptoms when nutritional or environmental factors influence gene expression?

We would like to encourage refraining of ‘labelling’ horses because doing so implies the horse is faulty. Better to help people understand how they can potentially help the horse back to normal functioning as Sue in the UK has done with Cloud.

To get an indication of what might be affecting your horse tick the boxes on our Health Checklist here: https://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/health-check-list . For help and support feel free to fill out our Enquiry Form.
Here is the link: https://www.wixforms.com/f/7424581212632515616

Photo: Difficulty with canter, back legs together, travelling ‘hollow’, altered gait, irritability

02/06/2026

A Significant Achievement!

Sue Dawson, our UK representative, took on Cloud as a 6 year old back in 2019 when all else had failed and he was going to be PTS.

He had been diagnosed as ‘PSSM2’ (by muscle biopsy), had multiple, seemingly insurmountable issues, and was considered unsafe to ride.

But when you see what he is doing now it is hard to believe!

Sue has done an outstanding job with Cloud, transforming him from being severely metabolically compromised to being a super-fit performance horse.

It took a change of management, an understanding of which nutrients to limit and which will help and being prepared to wait ‘UNTIL’. (More in the next post).

From Sue: “Today I found myself reflecting on just how much Cloudy has changed over the years.

As we picked our way confidently across steep slopes, loose stones, deep ruts and rough ground, I realised how easy it is to take these things for granted when they become normal.

He wasn't rushing. He wasn't hesitant. He wasn't looking for the easiest route. He was simply carrying me with confidence, balance and agility across terrain that many horses would find difficult, especially barefoot.

Watching him place his feet with such certainty reminded me that healthy feet don't happen by accident, but are the result of hundreds of small inputs made consistently over time.

Track life that encourages movement every day. A hay-based diet that respects how the horse is designed to eat. A balanced bucket feed that complements the forage.

Additional mineral support when its is needed. Appropriate training that develops strength, balance and confidence.

Together these things can create something quite remarkable - a horse that is physically capable, mentally relaxed and genuinely comfortable in his own body.

Years ago I would have admired a horse crossing this sort of ground and assumed he was simply lucky to have "good feet".

Now I know that what we are often seeing is the outcome of good management quietly adding up over time.

Today I was simply grateful for the horse underneath me and proud of what we have achieved together.

Moments like these are a real measure of success and make up for the less glamorous and many hours spent hours poo picking and hay-net filling while wading through the mud and rain.

Today the sun was shining, we had fun and all was well! 😊”

More on Cloud’s return to health and ‘PSSM’ in the next post.

Meanwhile for help with ‘PSSM’ or other issues please contact us via our quick and easy Enquiry Form.
Here is the link: https://www.wixforms.com/f/7424581212632515616

31/05/2026

Grass & Nitrates

A friendly heads-up for horse owners in areas that have been very dry and are about to receive drought-breaking rain.

When the rain arrives, paddocks often green up rapidly. While at first you think the sight of fresh green grass is welcome, this sudden flush of growth can create significant health challenges for horses.

This is where additional supplements are appropriate as the normal balanced diet is suddenly inadequate.

How any individual horse will be affected depends on his metabolic status at the time.

-Preferably avoid your horse eating the emerging green grass by either removing him to a grass free dry lot or sectioning him off on an area that he will soon trash and consume hay instead.
-Make sure you add salt to feeds as the +ve sodium ion is first choice to latch onto the -ve nitrate ion so it can be excreted as sodium nitrate. Otherwise in the absence of adequate sodium, precious calcium & magnesium ions are used instead.

Many owners notice changes in behaviour first. Horses may become over-reactive, anxious, spooky or difficult to handle. If they are not their normal selves then ‘DON’T GET ON’!
Digestive disturbances, including loud gut noises, loose manure or colic. Some horses become "footy", while others may develop laminitis or head-shaking.

The nutrient composition of the grass alters as it responds to changing environmental conditions.

During drought, nitrogen can build up in the soil. When RAIN finally arrives, the grass which has been dormant, shoots out of the ground and the young immature plants can accumulate large amounts of nitrate nitrogen, mainly in the lower regions of the stems.

High nitrate levels are also likely when conditions are cool, cloudy, frosty, shaded, or where nitrogen fertilisers have been applied.

Under these conditions grass crude protein levels can climb to extraordinary levels, sometimes exceeding 30%.

However, not all Crude Protein is desirable. Some is actual "true protein" containing valuable amino acids that horses can utilise.

The rest is known as Non-Protein Nitrogen, largely in the form of NITRATES. Unlike cattle and sheep, horses cannot utilise this nitrate form of nitrogen because they do not possess a ruminant digestive system.

The result is that horses grazing grass after a drought-breaking may be consuming relatively large amounts of unwanted ‘spare’ nitrogen every day.

It can make them urinate more frequently and/or you may see burn patches amongst the grass.

In contrast, mature, stalkier, yellow-green pasture typically contains crude protein levels up to10-12%, which is much more aligned with what the equine metabolism evolved to handle. This is why mature pasture often behaves more like hay and is safer for mono-gastric animals like horses.

Other sources of protein such as flaxseed, sunflower seed, soybean meal and copra are different because their protein consists largely of useful amino acids without any nitrate nitrogen. The exception is lucerne/alfalfa which stores nitrates in its leaves rather than lower regions of stems like grasses.

As drought-breaking rain approaches, monitor horses carefully for subtle changes. Walking more slowly, stiffness, foot soreness, unusual behaviour, digestive disturbances, head-shaking or increased sensitivity can all be early warning signs that the new grass may not be as harmless as it appears.

Brand new green grass does not always mean safe. Contact us via the link below for how to nutritionally help your horse at these times.

Understanding how these aspects of pasture affect horse health gives owners the knowledge they need to make informed decisions and help prevent problems before they become serious.

Please contact us via the Enquiry Form so we have all the info needed.
Here is the link: https://www.wixforms.com/f/7424581212632515616

Photos - high risk grass
- After a drought-breaking rain
- Frosted new shoots

26/05/2026

Not Your Typical Candidate for Laminitis

One of the most common assumptions in the horse world is that if horses develop laminitis on short grass, then the short grass itself must be high in sugars.

Forage analyses of short grass (being < 4cm or 1 ½”) do not support this. In fact, the shorter the grass, the LOWER the sugar levels.

Yet horses — even those not considered “typical” laminitis candidates, like the lovely TB in the photo — can still develop laminitis while grazing very short pasture.

This TB was in great condition, was in work, was not EMS, not obese and had great hooves.

He was fed some hay every day yet he had sudden onset laminitis one Autumn. Quick action meant he recovered within a few days.
While there we managed to get enough of the very short green rye-grass & clover grass he was on to send away for analysis.

This grass was not high in sugars but was way too high in other nutrients (see below)

The upper two-thirds of grass leaves are like 'solar panels' – they convert sunlight to energy.

Leaf AREA, where the plant captures the sunlight and absorbs CO₂ is needed for photosynthesis/manufacturing of sugars to take place in order for the grass to grow.

Grazing removes the grass’s solar panels!

Then there is very little leaf area left. This is why overgrazed paddocks take so LONG to recover — the plant has lost much of its ability to generate energy for regrowth.

When grass has grown longer leaves AND growing conditions are favourable, it does manufacture sugars creating more risk for susceptible horses, especially those with Insulin Dysregulation.

Environmental conditions like cold nights, frosts, consecutive cloudy days and other environmental stresses can disrupt normal grass growth, causing accumulation of other nutrients like nitrates & potassium.

ALL are risk factors for horses prone to laminitis, head-shaking, spookiness, anxiety, irritability or uncharacteristic behaviours.

Focusing ONLY on sugar levels can cause us to miss other contributing factors.

For those interested in learning:

In this particular case, the late autumn grass analysed at:

Dry Matter (fibre) ........13.3% (green grass can be up to 25%, hay is 80-90%)
Sugars ....... ………….7% (< 10% is considered safe)
Starch………………< 0.5% (very low)
Crude Protein………..36% (should be close to 12)
Potassium .…………..3.4% (should be < 2%)
DCAD…………………..284 (Should be

22/05/2026

Would you like Hoof Abscesses to become a thing of the past?

Our horses used to be susceptible to hoof abscesses especially in spring, - I recall one time having 3 hooves in buckets – poor horse!

But none of our 19 CHH horses have had ANY abscesses for at least 15 years.

And this is despite their living environment being very stony ground. See video. No matter how often those stones are raked up they just keep appearing so we don’t worry about them any more. The horses do have soft areas too but they will happily gallop around on those stones!

Persistent or recurrent abscessing is a sign that there are underlying hoof, metabolic or dietary issues that need addressing.
They are a sign all is not as good as it should be with the horse’s internal health and/or hoof care.

Hoof abscesses occur when bacteria gain access into the sensitive structures inside the hoof capsule and the body mounts an inflammatory response. A ‘pocket’ of infection develops.

Because the hoof is a rigid structure, pressure builds up, which is why abscesses are often extremely painful and can cause sudden severe lameness.

The infection will follow the path of least resistance and burst out, often at the coronet or the heels but can end up anywhere.

Abscesses are a common sequel to a laminitis episode – a ‘double whammy’ for the poor horse. Damage inside the hoof can create areas of dead or compromised tissue that the body needs to expel.

The first sign is usually sudden lameness but they can also develop over several days. They are characterised by ‘pointing’ the toe and reluctance to bear weight.
Accompanied by a strong digital pulse and sometimes swelling from coronet up.

(In laminitis the horse will rock back on his heels and more often than not both front hooves are painful).

When an abscess “bursts,” the pressure is immediately released and the horse becomes instantly more comfortable

What predisposes a horse to abscess formation?

1. Lack of nutrients needed for growing down strong, healthy hooves — eg quality protein, zinc, copper, biotin which weaken hoof structure over time.

2. Knowing what we know now, the lack of sufficient daily fibre for microbial fermentation is the major contributor to abscess troubles.

ALL the Vitamins produced as a by-product are critically important for both PREVENTING & FIGHTING INFECTIONS.

3. Poor hoof integrity in general is another contributing factor. Abscesses are common in horses living on ground with poor drainage. When the hoof wall, white line or sole becomes soft, weak, stretched or cracked, it becomes much easier for debris/bacteria to gain entry.

This is why abscesses are common in horses with laminitis, white line disease, seedy toe and thin soles.

‘Stone bruises’, hard ground, long toes which cause stretched white line, poor trimming or a penetrating injury can damage sensitive tissues inside the hoof. Such damaged tissue then becomes susceptible to infection.

Hence nutritional factors which affect immune function also influence susceptibility.

Prevention is about feeding the horse so he maintains strong hoof structure AND is physiologically resilient:

• Feed a HIGH FIBRE, forage-based diet
• Support healthy hoof growth with quality minerals, vitamins & amino acids (Premium/Supreme MVA)
• Regular hoof trimming on a 4-5 week cycle, any longer damages white line integrity
• Have dry stand off areas so horses aren’t liviing on wet ground ALL the time.
• Be proactive when managing metabolic issues

For help feeding your horse to be healthy AND resilient feel free to contact us via our Enquiry Form: Here is the link:
https://www.wixforms.com/f/7424581212632515616

17/05/2026

Small-Scale Tracks Can Work Well!

When it comes to Tracks for horses, most people visualise extensive, large, multi-horse Tracks.

More and more horse owners, recognizing Tracks are a great lifestyle option for domestic horses, are creating them on a smaller scale on small properties.

They function as a very effective management tool for horses who have developed issues from consuming grass that doesn’t suit the equine digestive system.

Ange needed such a ‘life-saving’ option for her horse Oscar back in 2023 when he suffered a serious bout of laminitis.

Oscar’s grazing was the green ‘middle’ area in the photos - a particularly lush paddock. The only way to prevent an inevitable relapse was to make somewhere grass free for he and his companion to live full time.

Somewhere to enable elimination of unsuitable short or lush grass and where intake of high dry matter forage such as hay can be increased.

Somewhere Oscar wouldn’t be cooped up at all and that offered him choices of shade and shelter.

So an inner fence was built around this small paddock, using safe ‘V mesh’ fencing, (impenetrable to hooves or heads).

Crushed limestone was used as a base with washed sand as a surface.

The track goes under some trees at one end for shade in the summer. The circumference is approx. 1500m

Two hay stations keep the horses moving around the track.

Bungee cords are used so they can be given their daily feeds separately.

The on-site hay-barn makes storing hay and feeding out easy.

An excellent ‘Small Track’ setup that is ideal for the purpose

Oscar has never looked back!! He has never had sore feet or laminitis again.

Please tell us if you have a small-scale track - we'd love to see it!

Photos illustrate Oscar's Track

11/05/2026

Fibre Intake & Grazing Muzzles

Grazing Muzzles are very useful when options for controlling grass intake are limited or non-existent.

When owners don’t have the luxury of a grass-free track on which to keep their horses, grazing muzzles can be useful tools.

They allow freedom of movement and grazing when ad lib access to the grass could lead to health problems.

On the plus side studies show they lower grass intake by somewhere between 30 – 80% thereby reducing sugar/calorie intake in horses prone to being over-weight, EMS or laminitis while allowing them to stretch their legs and socialize.

The downside is the accompanying reduction in fibre intake which is rarely, if ever, considered.

This does not pose a problem when grazing muzzles are used for only 2-3 hours daily.

But it needs to be taken into account when grazing muzzles remain on for 12-14 hours a day. Because for example, fibre intake over this time for a 500kg horse wearing a muzzle will only be about 0.8kg***

The simple solution is to make sure this lack of fibre is compensated for during the remaining hours of the day with hay. A 500kg horse would need to eat 10-11kgs of 85% fibre hay to meet his fibre requirements.

For comparison, when hay is soaked, the sugars (and potassium) are reduced but the fibre component stays in there.

For the horse wearing a grazing muzzle, EVERYTHING is reduced which means the horse’s daily basic nutrient requirements need to be met with supplementary hay and a small bucket feed to provide protein/amino acids, fats, minerals & vitamins.

Add Premium/Supreme MVA (Minerals, Vitamins, Amino Acids) to your base feed as it is ideally formulated for these horses. MVA already includes the high levels of Vitamin E and all the B-Vitamins required when fibre intake may be on the low side. It also delivers the vital amino acids lysine, methionine & threonine, generally lacking in protein sources and contains suitable chelated calcium to balance phosphorous of micronized/crushed linseed.

***Here are the maths for those who are interested:

To maintain his condition, a 500kg horse needs to consume at least 2% of his BW daily in forage on a Dry Matter basis. That is 10kg of fibre which he would get from consuming 12kgs of HAY (which is 85% fibre. 12kg x 85% = 10.2kg fibre)

WITHOUT A GRAZING MUZZLE Out on mid-mature pasture he would consume 0.45-0.9 kg of grass per hour**. Using the average of 0.67kg/hour multiplied by 12 hours = 8kg grass.

WITH A GRAZING MUZZLE on this would reduce by 30 – 80% so say 50% meaning over 12 hours he is only consuming 4kgs of pasture grass which will be max 20% fibre and calculates to intake of 0.8kgs fibre over the 12 hours.

This needs to be compensated for by consuming 10 - 11 kgs of 85% fibre HAY over the remaining 12 hours.

Photo Courtesy Danee Finckh, Australia

*Grass needs to be up-right and ‘medium’ length. Muzzles don’t work well when the grass is either too short or too long.
https://www.equiculture.net/blog/grazing-muzzles-pros-and-cons
**KER
https://ker.com/equinews/calculating-pasture-and-forage-consumption-of-horses/

For help with ensuring you are providing daily essential nutrition please fill out our Enquiry Form.
Here is the link:
https://www.wixforms.com/f/7424581212632515616

Calm Healthy Horses

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