Forage first.
Management always.
Supplement where it makes sense.
There is a lot to love about spring.
More daylight. Warmer afternoons. Rugs finally coming off. Winter coats disappearing. And after months of staring at winter paddocks, that first flush of green grass can be a very welcome sight.
Well … for some of us.
Because while some horse owners are practically cheering at the sight of new spring grass, others are bracing themselves.
If you own a horse with insulin dysregulation, equine metabolic syndrome or a history of laminitis, spring can bring a whole new level of pasture planning. And then there are the owners whose normally sensible horse takes one look at a green paddock and seemingly transforms overnight into a fire-breathing, snorting, sideways-moving spicy dragon.
Suddenly spring doesn't feel quite so romantic.
The reality is that spring changes a lot at once. Pasture changes. Insects return. Winter coats start shifting. Daylight hours increase. Workloads and turnout may change. And the nutritional contribution from the paddock can look quite different from what it did through winter.
So rather than blaming everything on spring grass — or automatically reaching for another scoop — spring is a good time to look at the whole horse and ask: what has actually changed?
First up: the grass
New spring pasture isn't simply winter pasture that has turned green.
The amount of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) in pasture — broadly, sugars, starch and fructans — isn't fixed. It varies with the grass species, stage of growth, season, sunlight, temperature, water availability and plant stress. That means a paddock can't be judged reliably by colour or length alone.
For horses with insulin dysregulation or a history of laminitis, this matters. Research supports a link between insulin dysregulation and pasture-associated laminitis risk, but an individual horse's risk can't be calculated just by looking over the fence. A veterinarian can help assess metabolic status and build an appropriate pasture-management plan.
For everyone else, the answer isn't to become frightened of grass. It's to remember that a significant change in pasture is still a significant change in the diet.
As paddocks begin supplying more energy and nutrients, it's worth reassessing the rest of the feed bucket rather than assuming last month's ration still fits. A horse gaining condition, going quieter under saddle, or looking rounder through the belly is telling you something changed - even if nothing in the feed room did.
Sometimes the smartest spring feeding decision isn't adding something. It's working out what can come out.
THE SCIENCE BIT: Not all green grass is created equal
Pasture NSC changes with the plant and its growing conditions. Research reviews describe substantial variation across species, growth stage, time of day, temperature, moisture and plant stress.
What this means: "lush and long is dangerous; short and stressed is safe" isn't a dependable rule. For a horse at metabolic or laminitis risk, base management on the individual horse, professional advice and — where useful — pasture or forage analysis, not appearance alone. [1,2]
Your horse is not the only one adjusting
The equine hindgut contains a complex community of microorganisms that helps ferment fibre. When forage changes, that microbial community may change too.
Studies in ponies have found measurable changes in faecal bacterial communities when diets shifted between hay and pasture. In one study of 16 ponies, adding pasture to a hay diet explained a small but measurable portion of microbiome variation. Metabolically healthy ponies also showed greater microbial stability than moderately insulin-dysregulated ponies.
That doesn't prove that every seasonal pasture change causes a digestive problem. It also doesn't prove that any particular probiotic will prevent microbiome changes. What it does show is that the advice to make feed changes gradually has a biological rationale.
This is where GUTonic fits into the spring conversation. It's not a replacement for forage, gradual transitions or veterinary investigation - it's daily nutritional support for digestive balance during dietary and environmental change.
GUTonic combines prebiotic and probiotic ingredients with Slippery Elm, Turmeric Root, Aloe Vera, marine algae calcium, amino acids, magnesium and organic selenium. We developed it to sit alongside a forage-based diet and support gut flora, digestive comfort and nutrient utilisation.
THE SCIENCE BIT: The digestive ecosystem needs time to respond
Researchers have shown that changing ponies between hay and grass can alter the relative abundance and diversity of bacteria measured in faeces. Faecal samples are an imperfect proxy for the entire hindgut, but they provide evidence that the microbial community responds to a change in forage. [3,4]
What this means: the paddock may change quickly; the digestive ecosystem still has to catch up. Make meaningful feed and forage changes gradually wherever practical, and keep an eye on manure, appetite, body condition and comfort.
Spring skin starts from the inside - but it doesn't end there
For some horses, spring means less "shiny new coat" and more rubbing, broken mane and tail hair, irritated-looking skin and the return of biting insects.
Healthy skin and hair need a sound nutritional foundation. Adequate protein and amino acids matter, along with trace minerals and nutrients including zinc, copper, biotin, fatty acids and vitamin E. But nutrition is only one part of the picture.
Insect-bite hypersensitivity - also called Queensland itch or sweet itch - is an allergic skin disease. It's most often associated with sensitivity to proteins in the saliva of Culicoides biting midges, although other insects may also be involved. The itch can lead to intense rubbing and secondary skin damage.
We designed DERMAblend to give targeted nutritional support for normal skin, coat and hair, particularly during seasonal change and periods of environmental or insect pressure. It combines Nettle, Australian Kelp, Australian Zeolite, a broad-spectrum mycotoxin binder, organic Zinc, Magnesium and Copper, Biotin, Vitamin E, Omega-3 fatty acids and Methionine.
That nutritional support belongs beside practical management: reducing insect exposure where possible, checking rugs, managing sweat and mud, choosing gentle grooming products and seeking veterinary advice when irritation is persistent, severe or unexplained. A supplement can't remove an allergen from the paddock or diagnose a skin condition.
THE SCIENCE BIT: Why does one horse itch when another doesn't?
Two horses can share a paddock and react very differently to the same insects. In insect-bite hypersensitivity, the issue isn't simply the physical bite: the affected horse's immune system reacts to allergens in insect saliva, most commonly from Culicoides midges. [5]
What this means: nutrition can support normal skin integrity and coat health, but insect avoidance and veterinary management remain important when a horse has suspected Queensland itch.
And what about the spring sillies?
You had a perfectly sensible horse in August. Then September arrived and apparently nobody told them they weren't entered for the Melbourne Cup.
Horse owners have blamed spring grass for exuberant behaviour for generations, and many genuinely report a change in their own horses. But we can't confirm that spring pasture itself is the cause in every horse - or even the main cause.
A lot can influence how a horse presents in spring: longer days, changing routines, increasing fitness, improved pasture, more dietary energy, herd dynamics, less rugging, cooler mornings, pain, gut discomfort, turnout and workload. Several of these often change together, which makes a neat cause-and-effect answer hard to pin down.
Before reaching for a calmer, go back to the basics.
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Has their energy intake increased as the paddock has improved?
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Are you feeding the horse you have now, or the horse who needed extra calories through winter?
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Has their workload, fitness, turnout or herd environment changed?
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Could pain, discomfort or a health issue be contributing?
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Are they receiving a balanced diet, adequate forage, water and salt?
Once those pieces have been considered, targeted nutritional support may have a place.
We formulated ZENblend for horses navigating periods of increased stimulation, training, travel and changes in routine or environment. It combines Magnesium, L-Tryptophan, Vitamin E and B-group vitamins with probiotic support and botanicals including Rosehip, Peppermint and Slippery Elm.
It isn't intended to sedate the horse. The aim is to support normal nerve and muscle function, digestive balance and the nutritional foundations a horse relies on during periods of increased demand.
We still want the horse underneath. Just preferably with all four feet somewhere near the ground.
THE SCIENCE BIT: Does spring grass really make horses crazy?
There isn't strong evidence that spring grass alone reliably causes excitable behaviour. Even familiar "calming" ingredients deserve perspective. L-tryptophan is a precursor involved in serotonin synthesis, but a published review found no scientific publications confirming its efficacy as a calmative in excitable horses at that time. [6]
What this means: tryptophan's biological role doesn't prove that supplementing it will reliably calm a horse. ZENblend should be viewed as a multi-ingredient nutritional support product, not a sedative or a substitute for investigating diet, pain, workload, turnout, training and environment.
Before you add another scoop …
Spring is a useful time to stand back and reassess the whole feeding and management program.
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How much pasture is your horse actually getting now?
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Do they still need the same hard feed they needed through winter?
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Has their weight or body condition changed?
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Are their manure, appetite and water intake normal for them?
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Are they receiving adequate salt and appropriate forage?
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How does their skin and new coat look?
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Has their workload, turnout or behaviour changed - and what changed at the same time?
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Are you adding a supplement because this horse has a clear need, or because spring arrived and it feels as though you should?
At Equidae Botanicals, we're big believers in forage first. Good pasture and/or quality hay should form the foundation of almost every horse's diet. Water, movement, appropriate management and a properly balanced ration come next.
Then we supplement with purpose.
GUTonic when additional digestive and microbial support makes sense. DERMAblend when skin, coat and hair need targeted nutritional support. ZENblend when the nutritional demands around stimulation, training or environmental change need extra consideration.
Not because every horse needs three more tubs in the feed room. Because the right supplement should have a reason for being in the bucket.
Spring is a change of season - not a diagnosis
A fresh paddock doesn't automatically mean a gut problem.
An enthusiastic horse doesn't automatically need a calmer.
An itchy horse doesn't automatically have a nutritional deficiency.
Look at the horse standing in front of you. Look at what has changed. Get the forage, feed, movement, environment and management right first. Then, if they need more support, make it targeted.
Forage first. Management always. Supplement where it makes sense.
That feels like a pretty good way to head into spring.
References
[1] Longland AC, Byrd BM. Pasture nonstructural carbohydrates and equine laminitis. Journal of Nutrition. 2006;136(7 Suppl):2099S-2102S. doi:10.1093/jn/136.7.2099S.
[2] Frank N, Geor RJ, Bailey SR, Durham AE, Johnson PJ. Equine metabolic syndrome. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2010;24(3):467-475. doi:10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0503.x.
[3] Garber A, et al. Abrupt dietary changes between grass and hay alter faecal microbiota of ponies. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(8):e0237869. PMID: 32810164.
[4] Fitzgerald DM, et al. The effect of diet change and insulin dysregulation on the faecal microbiome of ponies. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2020;223(Pt 7):jeb219154. doi:10.1242/jeb.219154.
[5] Cox A, et al. Insect Bite Hypersensitivity in Horses: Causes, Diagnosis, Prevalence and Management. Animals. 2023;13(15):2420. PMID: 37570323.
[6] Grimmett A, Sillence MN. Calmatives for the excitable horse: a review of L-tryptophan. Veterinary Journal. 2005;170(1):24-32. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2004.04.017.
Editorial note: This article provides general education, not veterinary or individual feeding advice. Horses with insulin dysregulation, previous laminitis, persistent skin disease, digestive signs or a marked behavioural change should be assessed by an appropriate veterinarian or equine nutrition professional.
