When Spring Grass Turns Dangerous
- Dennis Cappel
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
Clear Mental Horsemanship with Dennis Cappel
Spring is a beautiful time of year. Everything feels like it is shifting.
The bite of cold winter air is gone. The days are getting warmer. The sunshine seems brighter, the skies are bluer, and the grass well, the grass is finally green again.
But that is where the problem begins.
All winter long, our horses have been living on hay. Even good-quality hay, while nutritious, is a dry and consistent, “same thing every day” kind of diet. It is like eating shredded wheat every meal. It does the job, but it is not exactly exciting.
Then spring hits.
The ground warms up, the sun gets stronger, and the grass responds with a surge of growth. It becomes lush, tender, and full of sugar. To a horse, it is like being turned loose at an all-you-can-eat buffet of their favorite food.
And just like we would, they do not hold back.
They eat…and eat…and eat because it tastes good.
That is where things can go wrong.
What Happens Inside the Horse
For some horses, this sudden overload of rich grass triggers a serious internal reaction. You can think of it a little like how a diabetic person struggles to manage too much sugar.
The horse’s system becomes overwhelmed, and one of the biggest areas affected is the foot.
There is a surge of blood flow to the hooves, and inside the foot are tiny structures called laminae. These structures act like Velcro, holding the hoof wall tightly attached to the internal structures of the foot.
When those laminae become inflamed and weakened, they can no longer do their job.
Now you have a mechanical problem.
The hoof wall is being pushed upward from the ground, while the internal structures are being pulled downward. The connection between the two starts to fail.
A straightforward way to understand the pain is this:
Imagine your fingernail being pulled away from your finger.
That is remarkably similar to what a horse experiences during founder.
Why Some Horses Are More at Risk
Founder can happen for several reasons, but in a sizable percentage of cases, many people would say the majority come back to diet, especially in the spring.
Some horses are simply more prone to it:
Easy keepers
Overweight horses
Ponies and smaller breeds
Donkeys
Horses with slower metabolisms
In general, lighter-built horses like Thoroughbreds tend to have fewer issues, while stockier or smaller animals often struggle more, but there are always exceptions. Any horse can founder under the right conditions.
The Practical Approach to Prevention
The best thing you can do is stay ahead of it.
If you have a horse that is prone to founder, giving them full access to lush spring pasture is a risk not worth taking.
A dry lot is one of the most effective tools you have. It allows you to control what your horse eats while still giving them room to move.
Instead of turning them out on rich grass right away, continue feeding a steady, controlled hay diet just like they have been on through the winter.
As the season progresses and the grass matures, it naturally loses some of that intense richness. That is a much safer time to begin introducing pasture, and even then, it should be done gradually.
Final Thought
Spring grass is not the enemy, but unmanaged access to it can be.
A little restraint early in the season can prevent a great deal of pain later. Good to make decisions ahead of time.
Mindful Riding,
Dennis Cappel
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