Frosty grass again???

[Biggerside Benwell]

I know that we have disscused this in the past but who does what with their ponies in terms of turnout when its frosty. We had our first day of frost here the other day and I left Danny in with a haynet until the sun had melted it but what do you all do and what would I have done if I had to be at work earlier?

[harveydales]

Yes, I know what a worry it is when they are prone to lami. I used to always leave Quest in til the frost had gone but now he is living out 24/7 and so eating the frosty grass but has been fine.

[khristyne]

I've given up worrying as well!! Fructans or no fructans, if I waited until all the frost is gone she would never go out in the winter!! I do make sure she has something lining her tummy in the mornings though.

[bevbob]

I waited until about 10am when most of the frost had gone before I put Bobs out but he has been on frosty grass with no ill effects. This winter I will see how he goes I think.

[greydales]

I don't worry about frosty grass as mine are out all the time! My trimmer also sheds doubt on the fructans theory, see my thread in Feeding (fructans and laminitis).

[harleydales]

Mine are out 24/7 so I don't worry about frosty grass either. I always assumed that the hard ground and change in temp probably had as much to do with the lami as the stressed grass! It's so hard to know what to do for the best though, esp if they are lami prone

[merlinalison]

The only time I have had trouble with Merlin and frosty grass was 2 days after he came out of hospital at Christmas (so immediately after Dales hell - 3 weeks of total starvation...) and was being reintroduced to food gradually. (30 minutes out at grass to 2 hours in initially building up bit by bit) when I very stupidly put him out on VERy frosty grass and he got quite colicky. Vet came out and reckoned it was just too much of a shock -and too chilly- for his tum. She said that given the situation I was not to put him straight out on frosty grass without giving him something else to eat first. She also said not to worry at all once he was back to being out 24/7 because horses seemed to cope quite well with the gradual changes in the grass through the night as it freezes - it was just the sudden change from nothing or (hopefully) unfrosted hay to frosted grass that seemed to upset some animals. Even then she reckoned that colic was a bigger risk than lami.

[shiatsudales]

I have never noticed a problem. Mine are in overnight with ad lib hay and then go out on frosty grass. if I didn't put them out then they'd never get out.

Bonnie has advanced cushings yet the seasonal light and temperature changes causing general growth flushes seem to affect his laminitis more than whether we've had frost or not.

[carolinec]

Mine all live out 24/7 with ad-lib hay.
I've never (so far!) had a problem with them eating frost grass.