25/10/2024
โ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป ๐๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐!
As the lawn mowing season kicks into gear, itโs a great time to highlight the ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ธ๐ of feeding ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ to horses! ๐ฑ๐ฑ
โ ๏ธ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐: Fresh grass clippings ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฑ๐น๐ and release gas (this is what makes them warm to touch). When horses consume these clippings, the fermentation process continues in their stomach, causing ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐๐น ๐ด๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ-๐๐ฝ. This can lead to ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ and - in severe cases - a ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐น stomach rupture, as horses are unable to vomit to relieve the pressure.
โ ๏ธ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐: Lawn clippings contain ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐น๐ high levels of fermentable carbohydrates and excessive intake can severely ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ด๐๐ microbiome. This can cause colitis (inflammation of the gut) and release of endotoxins into the bloodstream that can cause ๐น๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐.
โ ๏ธ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ธ: Horses may gorge large amounts of clippings too quickly without sufficient chewing, which can lead to increased risk of ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ when compared to the natural chewing process of grass or hay.
โ ๏ธ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: Garden lawn clippings in particular could contain ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ณ๐๐น weeds or remnants of fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides used on the grass. These ๐๐ผ๐
๐ถ๐ฐ chemicals can be highly dangerous to horses.
Your horse deserves the best nutrition๐Skip the clippings and stick to hay or pasture! Have any questions about your horseโs diet? Weโre here to help! ๐
