[Grey Wolf]

You guys probably know this already, but "horse pasture" grass seed sold today is genetically engineered - for cows! Same seed, different bag.

Too much sugar and simple carbs, especially for laminitic horses.

Our mare and mustang gelding are both laminitis prone, and we're looking at all the options for them, so they can stay out on our too rich grass. Does anyone know of a grass seed maker that produces seed that turns into grasses like the wild grasses the wild mustangs feed on? If I can find some, I'll plow what we have under, and start over. I'd rather they not have to live on a dry lot, or in grazing muzzles...

[Sue B]

Check out www.safergrass.org and if there isn't a list of "safe" grasses, email Katy Watts at that site for some answers.

PS...let us know if she has any suggestions....

[Xiphias]

I know that the Mill of Belair, here in Maryland, has a pasture mix made expecially for horses....I don't know anything about genectically altered seed...I think that Henry is into more natural mixes, and he does a great job mixing his own brand of sweetfeed. Cathy

[AFab]

Some of the grasses used in pastures are genetically alterterd becacause they are prone to certain types of mold and develope toxens that are bad or even fatal for horses. Be carefull with organic seed as they may not be suitable for pastures with certain soil conditions. The seed supply place I deal with has been really helpfull in selecting the right mixture of seed for me. They will even coustom blend it for our climate and soil conditions.
Here is their web site, it gives a description of each type of grass and where and how to use it.
http://www.bishopseeds.ca/techinfoforage.php

[wafflehouse]

Some of the grasses used in pastures are genetically alterterd becacause they are prone to certain types of mold and develope toxens that are bad or even fatal for horses. Be carefull with organic seed as they may not be suitable for pastures with certain soil conditions.

Yes, yes, yes!!!


Pasture Mix ~ Horsemax ~ Ferry Morse

Endophyte Free High Forage Yield & Quality Excellent Grazing Tolerance Good Seasonal Yield Distribution

Does anyone know of a grass seed maker that produces seed that turns into grasses like the wild grasses the wild mustangs feed on?

Why would you do that?????

http://www.eduscapes.com/nature/mustang/index1.htm

Food: Wild horses eat grass or roughage and drink water from seeps, springs, streams, or lakes. Adults eat about 20 pounds of plant food each day. Wild horses are able to process dry and course grasses and other vegetation. When grass is scant, they well eat anything that grows; leaves, goose bushes, young twigs, even tree bark. They drink twice a day and also seek out needed mineral salt deposits Size: Wild horses do not achieve their full adult size until they are four to seven years old. The delayed growth is due to their natural environment. During the spring and summer they grow rapidly, but in fall and winter seasons they show little or no growth as forage becomes scarce. Their body utilizes body fat and all available food to produce body heat, not additional growth.


Habitat:Wild horses lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle in the vast semiarid reaches of the West. They may roam over a few to several hundred, even a thousand or more, square miles, depending on the lushness of vegetation and the availability of water and shelter. They do not camp at their watering sites as do cattle and sheep, probably due to a survival instinct. Historically, wild horses have been removed, displaced from more productive rangelands with good water. Moreover, western lands continued to deteriorate because of overgrazing by cattle. Today, the habitat of most wild horses are public lands. In the west, these are desert scrublands with low rainfall and few water sources.

[Grey Wolf]

I would do that because most -if not all - of the currently available grass seed has been engineered to increase sugars / starches, to increase palatability, to increase consumption, to increase milk production - in cows. We aren't raising cows, you know?

Horses with IR or prone to laminitis need forage that is low in sugars - just like the un-engineered prairie grasses. "Un-engineered" doesn't necessarily mean "organic", you know.

Originally Posted by wafflehouse

Why would you do that?????

[Sue B]

I agree...not only are they altered to make them more desirable as a food and to produce more milk in cows, but they are also altered to deal with drought and high traffic/grazing. Desiging grasses that can reproduce rapidly and withstand harsh environments....the plant must be altered to produce high amounts of sugars in order to do this. These grasses also tend to be somewhat "shorter" grasses...thus when grazed the horse is more likely to consume more sugars...the sugars are stored in the bottom of the plant...with most of the sugar only reaching the bottom 1/3 of the plant stalk. When taller plants are grazed, less sugar is ingested because more of the top of the plant is ingested. When shorter plants are eatten, the bottom of the plant is more likely to be consumed and with it the sugars stored there.

This is not only an issue for IR or laminitic prone horses...it is an issue for nearly all horses that are grazing. Any horse can become colicy or laminitic as the result of a carb overload. The amount that a horse grazes of lush spring grass in one day is the equivilant to the amount of fructans that is used in the lab to induce laminitis for research purposes. The only difference is that the grazing horse gets its dose over the day, the research horse gets his in one feeding.

[Grey Wolf]

Sue,

Excellent point. Thank you!