grazing dead grass - laminitis

Question
hello ma'am, i read an article in internet about dead grass. its said that dead grass is rich in sugar and horses shouldn't be exposed onto dead grass for grazing, else they would be a victim of laminitis. is it correct?

Answer
Hi Rohit,

Thank you for our question.  Once a grass or legume matures into and past its bloom stage it becomes less nutrient dense...because it has less sugar, protein and minerals on a percentage basis.  So if a grass has died off in the end of a growing season, it will in fact have lower sugar content.  However, a plant that is stressed and dying because of heat or drought stress can have elevated levels of a type of non-structural carbohydrate (kind of like a sugar) that can trigger laminitis in horses that are prone to (or have a history of) laminitis.  A horse that is not prone to laminitis can eat that same stressed plant and never show any signs of laminitic activity.  Horses with a history of laminitis should not be allowed to eat stressed forages.

What makes horses prone to laminitis?  That's what the scientific community is stilling trying to figure out.  The mechanism of the disease is well known...in other words it is well understood how the foundering foot falls apart.  What we are still trying to figure out is exactly what causes the disease.  We know the triggers, we just need to pinpoint the exact etiology of laminitis.

Thanks, Corlena