Summer Grass – Managing Abundance Carefully

Summer pasture can look idyllic, but lush grazing presents both opportunities and challenges for horse owners.

While fresh grass provides excellent nutrition, rapid growth can increase the risk of weight gain, metabolic complications and laminitis in susceptible horses. Equally, during periods of drought, grass quality may decline rapidly despite fields appearing green.

Managing grazing effectively requires balancing nutritional needs with each horse's individual health status. This may involve rotational grazing, track systems, supplementary forage or careful monitoring of body condition scores.

For older horses and those in retirement, maintaining appropriate weight without restricting natural movement remains particularly important.

At Caplor Farm, we believe that successful grazing management is not about limiting horses unnecessarily, but about understanding their individual needs and creating environments where they can thrive safely.