A pasture full of sugar cubes, what now? The advice and information platform for all horse and dog enthusiasts.

The sugar content in hay is determined by a number of factors. These include a combination of weather conditions, the moment of mowing, fertilization, and the types of grass used. What can you do about those fields full of sugar cubes? How can you make the pasture healthier for your horse?

Types of Grass

Many horses in the Netherlands are still on former cattle pastures. And Dutch hay often comes from these grasslands as well. Cows need a lot of energy because they need to produce as much milk as possible. Cows also have a totally different digestive system than horses. While a cow, with its four stomachs, does a lot of pre-digestion of the grass or hay it eats, a horse carries out most of the digestion process with the help of bacteria in its intestines. Cow grass is mainly English ryegrass. For most Dutch horses, this grass is (much) too rich in sugar and also lacks fiber. Suitable horse grass has a much more varied composition, with herbs and fibrous plants. The grass species in special grass seed mixtures for horse pastures generally produce much less sugar than English ryegrass. A healthy horse pasture begins with seeding suitable grass species.

Artificial Fertilizer

During the industrialization of agriculture in the 1950s, various strategies were developed to maximize production. One of them was the use of artificial fertilizer. This product, manufactured in factories that use a lot of fossil energy, leads to a spectacular growth of grass. Artificial fertilizer was the reason why Dutch agriculture could produce much more grass, animal feed, milk (and also manure). However, artificial fertilizer also leads to grass containing much more sugar. Therefore, do not use artificial fertilizer on your horse pasture.

Fertilization

Artificial fertilizer is not advisable, but all plants need nutrients. The key is to fertilize in such a way that the plants continue to grow without being excessively fertilized. For a horse pasture, a limited fertilization with cattle or calf manure is often more than sufficient. Discuss this with the farmer who will fertilize your land. Dairy farmers are often used to fertilizing their own land more intensively than is healthy for your horse pasture. Many farmers also have full manure pits. They are more likely to over-fertilize, which may not be the right strategy for your land and your horses. Therefore, carefully determine the appropriate amount of manure for the soil type and grass species in your pasture. If your pasture becomes too acidic due to excessive manure, more weeds such as nettles and sorrel will grow.

Minerals and Trace Elements

Not only organic fertilization is important, your grass and soil also need minerals. If you do not want to use artificial fertilizer, a mineral product made from seawater from the Bering Sea is a good alternative. Minerals and trace elements contribute to a higher quality and nutritional value of the grass. The dry matter content of the grass also increases when the mineral status of the soil is good. This is beneficial for horses, as they need a lot of fiber to keep their gut bacteria going. Concentrated Bering Sea water contains all the macro- and trace elements available on earth. The valuable microorganisms and fulvic acids in Bering sea water also give your grassland a boost. Especially on sandy soils, grass quality visibly improves, but on other soils, you get better chlorophyll production, more antioxidants in the grass, higher production, and better soil life.

Weather Conditions and Mowing Time

Not only the types of grass and fertilization play a role in the sugar content of grass and hay, but also the weather and mowing time are important. If grass is stressed, for example due to prolonged drought or frost, it produces more sugars. You cannot do much about the weather, but you can carefully consider when to mow your pasture and let your horses graze. Grass produces sugars during the day with the help of oxygen, water, and sunlight (photosynthesis). The sugars are then converted into fibers for cell walls and energy for other processes. The sugar content varies per day. When it is cloudy, photosynthesis slows down and there are fewer sugars. On sunny days, there is more photosynthesis and more sugar accumulation. At night, grass contains little to no sugar, as it is used up for plant growth. In the early morning, the sugar content is usually the lowest. Unless it has frozen or is very dry, as these are stress factors for grass. The sugar content in grass also varies per season. Grass grows fastest in spring and has the highest sugar content, but substantial growth can still occur in autumn. The safest time of day to graze is usually early in the morning. Horses sensitive to sugars may be at risk in the afternoon. Mowing should also preferably take place in the morning, unless it has frozen or is very dry. In that case, the sugar in the plants is not used up during the night.

Test Your Hay!

It is always wise to test your hay for sugar and protein content. Then you know exactly what you are feeding your horse. Dutch hay has become very sugar-rich in recent years, but there is also often a shortage of proteins in roughage. Especially in growing horses, sport horses, and pregnant mares, this can cause deficiencies that need to be supplemented with a balancer or supplement. Measure to know!