Horse Dies After Neighbor Dumped Grass Clippings In Pasture
Please stop feeding horses without the owner's permission
Jen Larson and her family have a special name for the bond between a rider and a horse – they call it a violin horse. For them, it feels like violins are playing and they are running through a field when they meet a horse that they have a close bond with. That’s what happened when Jen’s husband, Seth Larson, met a mare named Chula.
Chula was a Spanish Mustang who was used as a lesson horse, a family 4H horse, and was trained in scent detection for search and rescue, which was the specialty of the Larson family. They had Chula for 10 years before she suddenly passed away in late April after eating grass clippings that were thrown into her pasture by a neighbor. The Larson family had warned their friend not to put anything in their pastures for the past four to five years, but unfortunately, Chula still ingested the grass clippings.
Dr. Jenna Moline, an associate veterinarian with Montana Equine, says that horses are meant to graze and if they ingest grass clippings, they can choke on them, get stomach and intestinal impactions, colic, or even founder and laminitis. Many people have a misconception that horses can eat grass clippings, but this is not true, and Dr. Moline urges people to never feed horses any food without the owner’s permission.
Jen Larson shared Chula’s story on Facebook and it has gained global attention. Larson hopes that Chula’s story can help spread awareness to keep grass clippings away from horses, never feed horses without an owner’s permission, and to cherish horses. Although Larson hasn’t talked much to the neighbor who put the grass clippings out for Chula, she hopes that by sharing Chula’s story, it might help save other horses.
Source: KTVQ & NoBoo Horse, LLC Facebook. There are so many people that don’t understand how dangerous it is to feed horses without the owner’s permission, especially grass clippings! Please Share this on Facebook to help raise awareness.
