How much sugar does your horse get from grass?

Grass seems natural and harmless – but for frugal horses it can be a big source of sugar.
Especially in spring and high summer, when the grass grows vigorously, sugar intake can quickly become critical - even without any other feed than grass. Here you will find a concrete summer example that shows how much sugar a horse can actually get - without getting anything but grass.

📊 A specific summer example:

400 kg horse in a 24-hour paddock with fresh grass

Can easily eat up to 30–40 kg of fresh grass per day.
In fresh grass, the dry matter percentage is typically around:

• 17–18% in spring
• 18–22% in high summer
  Here we take 17% dry matter as our starting point – a realistic average for fresh grass during the growing period.

📈 Calculation:

40 kg fresh grass × 17% dry matter = 6.8 kg dry matter
At a sugar content of:

• 15% in dry matter → 1,020 g sugar per day
• 20% in dry matter → 1,360 g sugar per day

➡️ This corresponds to 3–6 times as much sugar as a frugal 400 kg horse should receive at most.

🚩 For comparison:

A frugal horse weighing 400 kg can often tolerate a maximum of 200–400 g of sugar per day , depending on metabolism and activity level.
This means that even clean grass can exceed the horse's tolerance level several times a day - without necessarily noticing it.

💡 A good piece of advice:

Let the frugal horse graze in the early morning hours.
The grass produces sugar via photosynthesis during the day – but consumes some of it at night.
The sugar content is therefore typically lowest early in the morning, before 10 am.

➡️ Less sugar in the grass = less strain on the horse's metabolism.

⚠️ Conclusion:

Even a few hours on sugary grass can lead to a sugar intake that far exceeds what a frugal horse can tolerate.
It can increase the risk of:

• Detention
• Insulin resistance
• Metabolic problems such as EMS and PPID

✅ What can you do?

• Limit time on grass – especially in the middle of the day and in sunny weather
• Choose morning meals with lower sugar content
• Use a muzzle and combine with a low-sugar wrap
• Ensure proper mineral coverage – e.g. with Supreme Minerals and salt from Regulator Complete

👉 Are you unsure about how much sugar your horse can tolerate?
Read more here:
[ How much sugar can a frugal horse tolerate? → ]