For months, horse owners across the country have been praying for rain. Now it's here, and if your horse has ever been sensitive to rich grazing, you might be wondering what the return of fresh green grass could mean for them.

After a long, hot and dry summer, many paddocks have gone from lush grazing to dry, sparse fields. Now, with rain and warmer weather, new growth is appearing – and for some horses, that change can bring a whole host of familiar niggles back with it.

Grass sensitivity in horses isn't just about laminitis. Changes in behaviour, digestion, weight and way of going are all worth paying attention to.

So, what happens when the grass starts growing again, and what should you be looking out for?

Watch for any combination of the following as new growth comes through:

• Hooves and feet: tenderness, a shortened stride, reluctance to move or being overly careful over hard or uneven ground

• Behaviour: sudden girthiness, spookiness, overexcitement or a horse that's harder to settle

• Digestive: bloating, wind, loose droppings or faecal water

• Weight: a noticeable increase in weight or condition

• Musculoskeletal: tension through the back, pelvis or hindquarters, stiffness or a change in way of going

One sign alone doesn't necessarily mean grass is the cause. But if you notice the same pattern when grazing changes, it's worth paying attention.

Who's most likely to react

• Horses with a history of laminitis, EMS or insulin dysregulation are the highest risk.
• Horses generally affected by grass. Feeling bloated, girthy or more difficult each time grazing changes, including those who go the other way and become overexcited or full of unspent energy.
• PPID (Cushing's) horses, already less efficient at coping with sugar spikes.
• Horses prone to ulcers, where sudden dietary change is often enough to flare symptoms.
• Good doers, who gain weight fastest when grazing sugar rises.

1. Restrict before you see a problem. Use of a grazing muzzle, strip grazing, reduced turnout hours, or stabling reactive horses during the peak flush. Sugar is lowest in the early morning and builds through a sunny day. Turn out before sunrise where you can, and be extra cautious after a cold night followed by bright sunshine, when levels reach their highest. Provide hay (soaked if necessary) so the diet isn't relying on new growth alone.

2. Support the gut, not just the waistline. Reducing grass intake limits both nutrient provision as well as calories. A properly formulated balancer fills that gap and supports the hindgut through the change, which matters as much for the bloated, girthy horse as the ones prone to laminitis.

3. If it keeps happening, get it checked. A horse reacting strongly to every seasonal grass change is worth a vet conversation about EMS or PPID testing and ruling out ulcers if digestive or behavioural symptoms feature. It changes how you manage them long term.

4. Check the physical side too. Horses that react badly to grass often carry it in the body as well, tension through the back, pelvis or hindquarters, or a stiffer way of going. A check from your vet or a qualified equine therapist is worth adding alongside the feed changes.

Slim & Trim Super Concentrated Feed Balancer carries four times less sugar and starch than many similar balancers, with cinnamon and L-carnitine to support healthy blood sugar and glucose tolerance. Ideal for good doers and horses prone to laminitis while the grass is unpredictable.

Ulsa-Cool Super Concentrated Feed Balancer is for the horse whose gut reacts first. It buffers stomach acid and supports the gut lining, useful when the sudden switch from dry, dormant grazing to lush growth unsettles digestion and triggers bloating, loose droppings or ulcers.

Calming Super Concentrated Feed Balancer is for the horse who shows it through behaviour first: sharp, spooky or hard to switch off once the grass comes through. Chamomile, magnesium and L-tryptophan work alongside full balancer nutrition to take the edge off.

Senior Super Concentrated Feed Balancer suits older horses prone to PPID. It includes chaste tree berry to support normal pituitary function in Cushing's, plus antioxidants, a joint supplement and probiotics, useful backup for a horse already more exposed to sugar spikes.

Not sure which one fits your horse? Our free personalised feed advice service can talk you through it.