Hi Dr.Getty,
Central Texas is covered with clover!! I know there are several different types, this one has yellow flowers. My husbands horse (Mr. Colic... aka JC) is being allowed to eat around 30 minutes a day in the early morning. He coliced the other night & I'm not sure if it was from the new (lower quality than he's used to) hay that I've been mixing in with his decent hay or the clover. We are anxiously waiting for some good hay to come in and the coastal we just planted to come up. What would be the safest thing to do until then???
Thanks,
Lynette

Where are you from? Texas

Is the clover you're seeing the type of plant that has small leaves, close to the ground, with tiny yellow flowers? The plant I'm thinking of has little round burrs (seeds).

Where are you from? Poolville Tx

How did you locate this forum? Equine DDS

Hi Lynette,

Alsike clover is toxic to horses but I am not certain that this is what you have in your pasture. Excess salivation is a sign of clover toxicity. Photo sensitivity is, as well, where any white areas on the head or body are easily sunburned. And, could induce colic.

So, I really don't have a definitive answer for you. You could contact your county extension agent to help you determine if you have any toxic plants in the pasture.

Good luck with this and please keep me posted on what you find out.

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Here's a link with a fairly decent photo of alsike clover: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/Ext/forages/publications/legumes/alsike.htm

Doesn't sound like what you're looking at, Lynette. We have a yellow-flowered clover up here in Colorado -- and I remember it in Idaho as well -- that sounds similar. I've always just known it as "sweet clover," more a pest than anything else, as far as I know.

Where are you from? Colorado

How did you locate this forum? Dogpile search

Yes, it must be the sweet clover (or yellow sorrel?)My mare and her baby are out on it and they don't get sick. I would have put some kind of weed killer on it but we just planted coastal seed that is finally coming up.
It is said that the spring and fall grass is easier for horses to founder and colic on.... when is a safe time to put that gelding that has the sensitive stomach slowly back on it, late May? I'll just keep shreading the clover as short as possible and hope the coastal takes over.
It's late & I'm probably rambling!!
Good night!
Lynette

Thanks, Jeanette for the link and I agree that it is not alsike clover but rather a benign clover that is infiltrating Lynette's pasture.

And, Lynette, you're right about the grass taking over and the amount of clover being reduced. All weeds are reduced when the grass is healthy.

But, regarding the risk of colic on spring grass... this really depends on the horse and his sensitivity toward fructans in the grass (a type of sugar molecule). Fructans are found in higher levels in spring grasses because it is still cold at night. Generally, if the temp gets below 40 degrees at night, these grasses will hold on to their sugar level more readily than when it warms up. And, the higher the fructan level, the greater the risk for horses that are prone toward laminitis. But, colic can be a risk as well, if too much of this sugar reaches the hind gut.

But, in Texas, the temperature at this time of year can be crazy, so the grass can be more stressed on one day than on another, making it more of a risk for your horse.

So, bottom line -- minimize his grazing time during those times when the grass is stressed by cold weather. And, provide an access to water really close by!

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO