For many years there has been a saying among horse owners concerning what to feed equines. It goes something likes this: “Dr. Green is an excellent veterinarian.” What is meant by that statement is that green grass prevents a lot of equine health problems.

For example, horses on good pasture rarely colic, and unless the pasture is located in an extremely dry climate, there is little problem with respiratory maladies. Horses on green pastures also tend to get sufficient exercise, which is an asset for muscles, circulation, and the respiratory system.

Feral horses used grass as their primary source of nutrition. They seldom suffered from parasite problems because when an area had been grazed down, they moved on, thus breaking the parasitic life cycle.

Then came domestication and everything changed. Horses, generally speaking, weren’t allowed to roam free. They became man’s form of transportation and a beast of burden. They carried riders from point to point, pulled plows, moved freight in the cities, and took the family to church on Sundays