Is Dr Green Feeling Under the Weather?
For generations, horse owners have relied on one trusted expert: Dr Green.
Looking a little tucked up? Turn them out.
Feeling fresh? Turn them out.
Need to put on condition? Turn them out.
Grass has long been seen as nature's perfect prescription. We believed that if a field looked green, it must be packed full of everything our horses needed.
But is Dr Green still practising medicine... or is he in need of a check up himself?
Don't Judge a Field by Its Colour
We've all looked over the gate at a green paddock and thought, that'll do nicely.
The trouble is, grass doesn't always tell the truth.
A field can look healthy while providing surprisingly little nutrition. During hot, dry weather, grass goes into survival mode. Instead of producing lush new leaves full of protein, vitamins and minerals, it simply tries to stay alive.
It's a bit like us living on emergency rations rather than enjoying a balanced meal.
So while the field may still be green, it isn't necessarily feeding your horse the way you think.
Dr Green Has Been Working Overtime
This summer has been tough on pasture.
Across the UK we've watched fields turn brown almost overnight. Horses are left picking at short, stalky patches, spending hours grazing but eating surprisingly little.
A horse is designed to graze for around 14 to 18 hours every day, steadily consuming fibre as it moves. On drought hit paddocks they're often still grazing for those same hours, but much of that time is spent searching rather than eating.
Grass itself is normally around 70 to 85% water, so when plants become dry and stunted, total dry matter intake can fall dramatically. A typical 500 kg horse needs around 10 to 12 kg of forage dry matter every day, and sparse grazing can make that surprisingly difficult to achieve.
And here's the surprising part.
This isn't just because of this year's weather.
Scientists have been tracking the nutritional value of plants for decades, and the results tell a worrying story.
One study examining more than 43,000 plant samples collected between 1980 and 2017 found that while atmospheric carbon dioxide increased by almost 20%, plant nitrogen concentrations fell by around 9%, alongside measurable reductions in calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Another long term review comparing crops grown between the 1940s and 2019 reported mineral declines of approximately:
- 52% less sodium
- 50% less iron
- 49% less copper
- 10% less magnesium
In simple terms, we're producing more grass than ever before, but each mouthful may contain fewer nutrients than it did for previous generations of horses.
When Green Isn't Enough
Come late summer and autumn, things become even more challenging.
Grass doesn't stop growing because the calendar says so. It responds to temperature.
Once soil temperatures fall below around 5°C, growth slows dramatically. Photosynthesis reduces, protein production falls and the plant focuses on survival rather than producing fresh leafy growth.
That means a field can still look reassuringly green while offering very little nutritional value.
At the same time, grass becomes stemmier and more fibrous. Lignin, the woody part of the plant, increases, making it much harder for horses to digest efficiently.
So even though your horse may spend all day with its head down, it isn't necessarily getting the nutrition you'd expect.
It's rather like spending all day at a buffet where most of the plates are empty.
Hay Helps... But It's Not the Whole Answer
When pasture runs short, hay and haylage become essential.
They keep fibre moving through the digestive system, encourage chewing, support the hindgut and help buffer stomach acid.
But it's worth remembering that hay and haylage are simply preserved grass.
If the grass they were made from was drought stressed, overly mature or naturally lower in nutrients, preserving it doesn't magically improve its nutritional value.
Think of it like freezing vegetables. They retain much of what they started with, but they can't gain nutrients they never had in the first place.
That's why hay should always be viewed as the foundation of the diet, but not necessarily the complete nutritional package. Depending on the quality of the forage, many horses will still benefit from targeted vitamins, minerals and quality protein to fill the gaps.
Could Your Horse Be Telling You Something?
Nutrient shortages rarely appear overnight.
Instead, they creep in gradually.
You might notice:
- Difficulty maintaining weight or topline
- A dull coat that lacks shine
- Hooves that chip or grow slowly
- Less energy than usual
- Needing more hard feed simply to maintain condition
None of these automatically mean your horse is deficient, but together they can suggest that Dr Green isn't quite providing the full prescription anymore.
Giving Dr Green a Helping Hand
At GB Horse Power, we still believe Dr Green deserves a place on the team.
Nothing replaces turnout, fresh air, natural grazing behaviour and good quality forage.
But modern grass isn't always the nutritional powerhouse it once was.
That means giving Dr Green a few trusted assistants.
- Test your forage where possible.
- Introduce additional fibre before paddocks become bare.
- Balance the diet with quality vitamins, trace minerals and highly digestible protein to replace what today's pasture may no longer provide.
Dr Green hasn't retired.
He's just working under some pretty challenging conditions these days, and like all good professionals, sometimes he needs a little support from the rest of the team.
Did You Know?
Dr Green has a few surprising secrets...
A horse can take 40,000 - 60,000 bites of grass every single day and spend up to 18 hours grazing.
A 500 kg horse needs around 10 - 12 kg of forage dry matter every day to keep its digestive system healthy.
Grass is typically 70 - 85% water, so when pasture becomes dry and sparse, horses have to graze much longer to eat the same amount of nutrients.
A field can look beautifully green but still be low in protein, minerals and digestible energy. Colour tells you very little about nutritional quality.
Long term studies have found modern crops contain up to 50% less iron and copper than they did around 80 years ago, highlighting how nutrient density has changed over time.
Hay and haylage are simply preserved grass. They help provide essential fibre, but they can only contain the nutrients that were present when the grass was cut.
Grass growth slows dramatically once soil temperatures drop below around 5°C, even if the field still looks green.