Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I welcome all answers to my question, but especially hope to here from some of the vets on Ridecamp.

 

First the question: How much do you have to worry about Laminitic problems starting up with a thin/borderline skinny Arabian on spring pasture?

 

I recently moved our three horses from the rain soaked, mud filled "pastures" (read: no grass) of California to a 10 acre green grass pasture in Maryland. I have had grazing muzzles on our horses 20 to 22 hours a day for the last month for fear of Laminitis problems.  I was warned that the grass here is very lush.  Two of my horses are doing fine. I don't have a scale, but I'd say they are maintaining weight if not gained a few pounds.  The third horse appears to have lost weight and when I took him to do the drag for a local 25 mile CTR ride over the weekend I saw people giving him long looks.  I also received an email this morning warning me that the local endurance vets won't let a horse start a ride that doesn't meet weight standards. 

 

Now, I'm a mom and therefore like to "feed things" so I have to be careful not to over feed my horses when they are stabled.  But, we just moved in to this property, the pasture in newly fenced and the barn has not been built yet so the horses are on pasture 24/7.  The days are often warm and the nights are quite cool (40's to 50's) which I understand concentrates the sugars in the grass.  Should I still be muzzling the thin horse?  Is it safe after a month's time to start leaving the muzzles off?

 

Thanks,

Becky Bianchi