Paul Young Farrier, BSc Hons - Farriery Science, Dip HE, RSS

16/06/2025

The comments following the article should be read as they to bring up valid points

🌱 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 - 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 & 𝐍𝐒𝐂 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 🐴

I have seen some images and posts circulating lately regarding the ideal grass height to reduce ‘sugar’ intake in horses. The common recommendation is that short grass will have the highest sugars compared to taller grasses. But is this really the case?

📖 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭:

In plants such as grasses, simple sugars (often grouped with starch and fructans and termed nonstructural carbohydrates or NSCs) are produced via photosynthesis. This class of carbohydrate is an important source of energy for the horse and they are digested and absorbed in the foregut, leading to an increase in blood glucose and insulin. As a result, high levels of NSCs in the diet can be an issue for horses with metabolic concerns, specifically related to insulin dysregulation which may be observed in horses diagnosed with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), Cushing’s (PPID), and laminitis/founder.

The belief that short grass has higher NSCs is due to the fact that grasses tend to store these sugars in the lower base of the stem. As a result, shorter grass is more concentrated in NSC. But is this actually the case – what has the research shown us?

🔬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡.

A study performed in New Jersey evaluated cool-season grass pastures and compared short, continuously grazed pasture (2.9 to 4.1 inches/7.3 to 10.5 cm) to a taller, rotationally grazed pasture (5 to 9.5 inches/12.4 to 24.1 cm). This study found that the ‘sugars’ in the grass, as well as the glucose and insulin responses in grazing horses, were the same regardless of grass height. Rather, season and time of day were two important variables capable of altering these carbohydrate concentrations.
📚 Williams et al., 2019

A separate study in North Carolina evaluated horses grazing tall fescue pasture mowed down to 5.9 inches (15 cm) 11 days prior to grazing horses compared to taller grass (11.8 to 15.8 inches/30 to 40 cm). This study found that the shorter, mowed pasture resulted in less simple sugars and a subsequent decrease in the insulin response of grazing horses compared to taller grass.
📚 Siciliano et al., 2017

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞?

🍃 Short or overgrazed grass may lack sufficient leafy surface to produce and store sugars effectively.

🌱 Under stress, plants may move sugars into the roots—where grazing horses can't reach them.

🌾 Shorter grass that is actively growing is more likely to utilize the NSC to contribute to growth whereas a taller, more mature grass will accumulate and store more NSCs.

🐴 Horses can consume more grass per bite when eating tall grass (Eduoard et al., 2009) which could result in greater sugar intake as well as an increased glucose and insulin response.

𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧?

These findings suggest that short grass may not be as concerning as we originally thought. With that said, there are a few things to keep in mind:

⚠️ There will always be a risk when allowing sugar-sensitive horses to graze fresh forage due to regular fluctuations in the NSCs in pasture.

✂️ Managing pastures is important, and while shorter grasses may be beneficial, it is important not to overgraze pastures (less than 4 inches).

🧪 The only way to truly know the NSCs in the forage is by sending a sample to a lab for analysis. While this is trickier to do with fresh forage (since it constantly changes), it can create a baseline to guide decisions.

🗺️ There are many factors that may influence these findings so it should not be applied broadly and should be considered within the context of your horses, location, species, and management style.

📌 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲

Grass height alone is not a reliable measure of pasture safety. For metabolically sensitive horses, effective management, not grass length, is what truly matters.

Cheers,
Dr. DeBoer

Siciliano PD, Gill JC, Bowman MA. Effect of sward height on pasture nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations and blood glucose/insulin profiles in grazing horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2017 Oct 1;57:29-34.

Williams CA, Kenny LB, Burk AO. Effects of grazing system, season, and forage carbohydrates on glucose and insulin dynamics of the grazing horse. Journal of animal science. 2019 May 30;97(6):2541-54.

Edouard N, Fleurance G, Dumont B, Baumont R, Duncan P. Does sward height affect feeding patch choice and voluntary intake in horses?. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2009 Jul 1;119(3-4):219-28.

03/06/2025

The suspensory apparatus at the back of the horses foot.

We talk a lot about the suspensiry apparatus of the distal phalanx- the SADP that literally suspends the coffin bone in the capsule by a very clever piece of bioengineering. Like superman trampoline springs and velcro.

What about the back of the foot?

There is a suspensory apparatus in the back of the foot too!

In the photo which is a cross section taken at the back of the foot medial to lateral, can you see the yellow structure that fills in a lot of the area? And can you see those white strands?

They are the “ trampoline springs” for the back of the foot. They are strong facia sheets of tissue.

These are the guys we need to be healthy and strong, flexible and elastic, robust and functional.

Many digital cushions I study don’t have such strong structures. They appear weak, smaller and the back of the foot is usually underrun with a weak thin digital cushion.

The brown structure at the bottom is the frog. Above the digital cushion is the deep digital flexor tendon.

Notice the abundance of the fascia sheet fibres in the frog at the bottom.

We are seeing them cut medial to lateral but they are present within the whole cushion and are attached to the collateral cartilages at the side and the frog stay.

Thanks my sponsors for supporting my studies. Please see the comments for a list of my sponsors.

24/05/2025

21/05/2025

08/05/2025

💥Taking Equine Hoof Radiographs 🩻

At BVVPC, we aim to take great podiatry radiographs every time. To do so, we have a little checklist of things to get the best images we can and ensure they’re repeatable.

Here are BVVPC’s 6 must dos:

1️⃣ Correct Stance & Posture
- Square stance, both front (or back) feet on blocks at the same time, head straight and level at withers.
- If both feet aren’t on the blocks, the horse isn’t standing square/looking away, or your surface isn’t level, it can affect angles and measurements, making for inaccurate interpretation.

2️⃣ Clean Hoof and Legs
- No dirt or debris! A clean, dry hoof is a MUST, and any dirt will show up as artefacts and affect image quality.

3️⃣ Positioning
- Common views include lateral–medial (LM) , dorsopalmar/dorsoplantar (DP), and 60° DP (pedal bone view) or navicular skyline projections. The horse must be weight-bearing for most standard views.
- The generator beam also needs to go through the sole of the hoof, which is often ~2cm above the height of the blocks. The correct block height is imperative for these images, and the height of each will be different depending the X-ray generator used.

4️⃣ Radiopaque Markers
- The use of wire in the hoof blocks which can be used to assess measurements such as sole depth, balance around COR and P3 alignment.
- Other markers such as the use of a dorsal wall wire/omnipaque, or frog apex marker can be useful too assess rotation and other hoof pathologies.

5️⃣ Exposure Settings
- Selecting the right kVp & mAs for the best image. Every machine is different.

6️⃣ Safety First
- PPE (i.e. lead gowns and thyroid collars), and remote exposure tools (i.e. plate holder) = protection for you and the horse without compromising image quality.
- Collimation of the generator beam to only the area needed to reduce unwanted exposure.
- Whilst the newer machines don’t produce scatter like the old machines, X-ray safety should always be taken seriously.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a vet, farrier, or horse owner, if hoof balance matters to you, start with our simple checklist and you’ll get it right every time!

02/05/2025

Ask me for a fitting if you are interested

Flex Boots are extremely comfortable for the horse to wear. They are lightweight, do not rub, and can be used when the horse needs hoof protection.

01/05/2025

"1cm of toe length can add 50 kilos of force on the tendons of the lower leg during the gallop. Tendons can fail as soon as 10,000 cycles and horses undergo 228 cycles per mile." Dr. Renate Weller at the opening of the second day of the International Hoof Care Summit. Something to think about the next time a show or ride is scheduled just before the farrier visit.

30/04/2025

17/04/2025

17/04/2025

Star the TB that developed catastrophic laminitis.

Her laminar connection failed, and this is the tissue that suspends the distal phalanx (coffin bone) inside the hoof capsule.

The hoof capsule is the armour that protects the delicate inner foot- the bones, ligaments, tendons and soft tissues.

The laminar connection is super strong and works perfectly well to suspend the galloping 500 kg horse. They are designed to move as well, micro movements, and they dissipate the concussive forces that smash into the capsule as the foot hits the ground, at every foot fall.

When it fails, it can fail a little bit or a lot.
If it’s a little bit then it can be a case of stretching the lamellae, or it can be a few lamellae are torn apart.

Up to say a scale of 100 where 100 means a large number of lamellae are destroyed and there are not enough “good” lamellae to hold the horse in its capsule.

In Stars case she was fine around 3-4 days before euthanasia. She had been worked and came off the truck a bit “iffy”. The vet was called and bloods were drawn and a diagnosis of an infection was given. Antibiotics were administered- I don’t know the type or the does. Star became acutely lame and X-rays were taken which showed her distal phalanx had dropped down and was crushing her sole blood supply, the sole corium. The sole started to bulge.

She was in extreme pain.

She was euthanised on compassionate grounds.

Note the drop in the bone, the bulging sole.
The apex of the frog went with it, the frog bulged too.
Note the difference in the distance between the face of the bone and the hoof wall. It’s wider at the bottom.

We have bone rotation here as confirmed by Prof Pollitt and capsule rotation.

This happened within 3-4 days.

Look at the top of the capsule, can you see the wall is dragged down too?

I am studying Stars feet with Prof Pollitt.
More info will be posted to my private patreon page.

15/04/2025

The three phalanges at the end of the horses leg

Known as P1, P2 and P3 - top to bottom.

Also known as the long pastern bone, the short pastern bone and the coffin bone.

Or proximal phalanx, middle phalanx and distal phalanx.

And the distal phalanx is also known as the pedal bone.

Any more terms? Edit “Os Pedis “ shared by farrier and glue shoe manufacturer Jeff Newman!

No wonder there is confusion when we talk about anatomy!

The coffin bone is named as it’s like being inside a coffin, the coffin bone inside the hoof capsule.

Pedal bone-
AI says In anatomical terms, "pedal" refers to anything related to the foot or feet. It's often used to describe structures, muscles, or processes pertaining to the lower extremity. For example, the pedal artery is a blood vessel located in the foot.

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