Focus on Fructans

Fresh spring grass is very appealing, and horses can chomp through an incredible amount of forage in a relatively short time. So how can this readily available, appealing, natural forage be dangerous for some horses and ponies? A closer look provides an answer: it’s not the grass itself, but the amount of a specific type of sugar within the plants, that’s the problem.
Fructans are specially adapted sugars that can be found abundant in cool-season forages during the springtime. These fermentable sugars cannot be broken down, allowing them to escape digestion in the small intestine and pass to the hindgut. This process changes the pH of the hindgut and can cause a condition known as subclinical acidosis, which can put affected horses at a higher than normal risk for colic and laminitis.
Read the following articles to learn more about managing your horses this spring to reduce the risk of springtime laminitis:

• Managing Horses on High-Fructan Pastures
• Understanding Fructan’s Role in Horse Laminitis
• Horses, Grass, and Fructans
• Understanding Fructans in Equine Diets
• Lush Grass: Good or Bad?
• Springtime Laminitis: Management Tips to Reduce the Risk
• Q&A: Do Fructans Affect Glycemic Response?

A time-released buffer, such as EquiShure®, helps moderate gut conditions by preventing the drastic drop in pH associated with high-fructan intake. Learn more.

Seasonal Spotlight reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Read more and subscribe at equinews.com.