To Graze or Not to Graze

For most horses, spending time grazing in the pasture is natural.  However, for some horses that is not what the doctor ordered.  Some metabolic disorders can be made worse by grazing.  Here are some articles that may help you determine what is best for your horse. 

http://www.midwestforage.org/pdf/387.pdf.pdf

https://extension.umn.edu/horse-nutrition/grazing-horses-prone-laminitis

A study was done a few years back in England to determine the efficacy of grazing muzzles.  The study used four ponies as opposed to full size horses.  Pasture intake was allowed on four, three-hour occasions.  Results indicated that grazing muzzles reduced the forage intake by 83% over the three hour grazing event.  This suggests that forage intake by ponies can be reduced through the use of grazing muzzles.