Spring care

After a long winter, spring feels like the easy season: the grass is back and horses can spend longer outside. But the change from winter forage to fresh grass is one of the biggest of the year for a horse's gut, and several serious problems are most common now.

Spring grass

Bransby Horses warns that grass is higher in sugar in the spring and summer months. World Horse Welfare says lush spring grass can be very high in sugar, and that after a winter of limited grazing, long hours on it can upset the digestive system and lead to colic. Overweight horses, and those with metabolic disorders such as insulin dysregulation, are at higher risk of laminitis.

Build up turnout gradually. World Horse Welfare suggests planning a timeline and increasing time at grass by as little as 10 extra minutes a day in the first couple of weeks, then adjusting to your horse and the yard's routine. On a shared yard, plan with the other owners so friends start the change together and no horse is left in or out alone.

Watch for gorging. World Horse Welfare notes that horses whose grazing is restricted may make up for it when they do get out: it cites ponies eating 2–3% of their bodyweight in grass in as little as three hours.

Ways to cut grass intake, such as grazing muzzles, smaller paddocks and track systems, are covered in weight and fat scoring and caring for native ponies and cobs.

Laminitis

The BHS says there's no "safe season" for laminitis: it can happen at any time of year, not just in spring. It affects around 1 in 10 horses and ponies every year, and excess weight can more than double the risk. World Horse Welfare explains that virtually all cases are caused by high insulin, which rises with weight gain, too much sugar in the diet and sometimes Cushing's disease (PPID). A horse that has had laminitis is more likely to get it again, so prevention matters.

Signs the BHS lists include:

• reluctance to turn, a shorter stride, and shifting weight from foot to foot
• preferring soft ground to hard or stony ground
• reluctance to pick up the feet, or a change in behaviour
• heat in the hoof wall or coronet, and a strong digital pulse

The classic stance, rocking back onto the hind legs, is seen in fewer than half of diagnosed cases.

Sycamore seedlings and atypical myopathy

Atypical myopathy is a muscle disease caused by eating sycamore seeds, leaves and seedlings, which contain a toxin called hypoglycin A. The BHS says most cases happen in autumn, when seeds and leaves fall, or in spring, when the seedlings grow. Horses can get worse within 6–12 hours, and the BHS puts the death rate at around 56–61%.

In spring, the BHS's advice is to:

• pull the seedlings up. Mowing may reduce the risk, but the cuttings must be collected and the roots can regrow. Spraying kills seedlings, but the toxin was still found in them 6–8 months later. Neither removes the risk, so seedlings need to be physically removed.
• limit grazing to less than six hours a day where sycamores are near the field
• give extra forage on poor grazing, so horses don't go looking for seedlings
• not make hay or haylage from a field with sycamore in it

Signs include stiff or trembling muscles, sweating, a high heart rate, dullness with the head held low, dark red or brown urine, weakness or difficulty standing, and difficulty breathing. Call your vet urgently if you're worried.

Grass sickness

Equine grass sickness can happen at any time of year, but the BHS says it's most common between April and June. It's most often seen in young adult horses aged 2–7, and cool, dry weather with irregular frosts is one contributing factor. Signs can appear very quickly, and include colic with no gut sounds, drooling, difficulty swallowing, patchy sweating, muscle tremors and drooping eyelids.

The BHS's prevention advice includes avoiding grazing where cases have happened before, disturbing the soil as little as possible, not letting fields be grazed down to bare soil, avoiding sudden changes in diet, giving extra forage such as hay, co-grazing with sheep, and picking up droppings by hand.

Ragwort

Ragwort damages the liver, and the damage builds up over time, so small amounts eaten over months are as harmful as one large amount. World Horse Welfare says the rosettes can be found from early spring, and the plants flower from May to October. Younger plants taste less bitter, so horses may eat them.

The best time to pull ragwort is at the seedling or rosette stage, before it flowers, ideally after rain when the ground is soft. Wear gloves and cover your arms and legs, pull up the whole plant with as much root as possible, and don't leave any in the field: dead ragwort is still poisonous. Seeds can lie in the soil for years, so expect to keep pulling it year after year.

Worms

The BHS explains that small redworm larvae can lie encysted in the gut wall over winter and, as spring warms up, emerge in large numbers, which can do serious damage. Spring is also the start of the testing year: the BHS suggests faecal worm egg counts three or four times a year between spring and autumn, as your prescriber advises, and a tapeworm test twice a year, ideally in spring and autumn. Pick up droppings at least twice a week.

Fields, feet and coats

• Fields. Reseed and roll the areas that got poached and boggy over the winter, says the BHS.
• Feet. The BHS notes that hoof abscesses are more common in spring and autumn, when the ground swings between wet and dry. See hoof problems.
• Coats. A long, thick coat that's slow to shed in spring can be a sign of Cushing's disease (PPID), says the RVC, especially with laminitis, weight loss, sweating, or drinking and urinating more. Speak to your vet if you notice it. There's more in skin and coat problems.