If a Horse ate too much grass can it die??!!?

I totally think you're a troll, but I'd rather answer this than clean doors.

It depends. If the horse has been kept in a dry lot with no access to grass or other sugary feeds (maybe the horse has metabolic issues), and they got out and went to a lush spring pasture then chances are good that they would wind up with serious complications. Depending on how sensitive the horse is to sugars, the results will vary.

Laminitis, and thus founder, won't necessarily kill a horse but it is extremely painful and in some instances requires the horse to be put down. Colic, however, is the most common cause of death in horses. Colic simply means an abdominal upset, but this could be anything from bloating and gas to impaction.

There are a lot of things to keep in mind when it comes to grass, and the feeding of it. Pasture grass is not a natural diet for the horse, they weren't designed to consume large amounts of sugary plant flesh, but rather a high fiber, coarser stem material as evidenced through the structure of their teeth and the efficiency of their digestive system. They've evolved to eat a small quantity of moderate quality roughage frequently throughout the length of the day -- think plains and grassland, not pasture.

Some horses will do fine on 24/7 pasture, for a time. Smaller breed horses and ponies, and especially miniatures, should have limited access, if any. Simply watching them at pasture "until they get fat" is dangerous for the horse. If it's suspected the horse is eating too much, or if you already know them to be gluttonous anyway, giving them a grazing muzzle or limiting their access is responsible practice. Allowing the horse to get fat before doing anything is pretty much uncalled for, unless you honestly have no idea how the horse is going to react to full-time pasture (in which case a lot of observation is required).

Laminitis is inflammation in the laminae of the hoof, the living tissue around the hoof capsule, inside the hoof wall. How this happens is the bacteria in the hindgut become disturbed and die off, releasing mycotoxins into the bloodstream. These mycotoxins, through gravity, concentrate in low places in the body. While inflammation occurs at various points through the horse, damage is seen most profoundly in the feet. When the laminae become chronically inflamed they can begin to separate from the coffin bone, and this is what is referred to as "founder". Laminitis is simply inflammation, but founder is the rotation caused by the drooping of the coffin bone.

This same digestive upset as seen by disrupted bacteria can also cause various forms of colic.

No it won't kill them. They would only get colic if they aren't used to eating grass ie kept in in winter or only eat grass for an hour then go out in a field and eat as much as they want as has happened to some in our herd at our old yard. If they live out all year like ours do then they won't get colic from the grass as it is always going through their system. We have 1 laminitic, she has a grazing muzzle on when the grass is rich which you could use on your horse if you're worried about laminitis. Ours have got fat this year because we have had so much rain and the grass is growing and growing , meant to be hot from the weekend though that will slow the grass down. If you have a dry paddock, you could turn them out in there for an hour or so to chase each other round. If your horse is a native breed then you need to be careful as they are more prone to laminitis.

The biggest risk of a horse gorging on too much grass is laminitis. This often occurs in horses who are on 24/7 on lush grass, especially in spring and autumn when the grass is at it's best.

Laminitis is a very nasty condition that effect the lamini in the feet, it causes them to become inflamed and worst case scenario the pedal bone will rotate away from the wall and will drop through the hoof. If the horse is not treated and sorted, this condition can kill them.

They also get higher risks of things like colic, heart problems and even diabetes.

If they're only out like that for a week, the biggest risk will be laminitis, it takes time to get very fat.

It's not to say that horses can't be turned out 24/7 on large pasture, but they need to be kept under observation and they need to be restricted if they start getting too fat. They also need regular exercise to keep them using up excess calories.

So long as you are on top of things, your horse won't die.

I think Sazzy's answer is the best. I would also like to add that horses are in danger of colic if you take them from short grass to long grass. I have known several horses go that way due to owners who seem to think that all horses need is LOTS of grass and if it gets too short they will starve. Some horses need more grass than others, older horses for instance, but generally they need less grass than a lot of people seem to think. And they need exercise. I have seen so many well-intentioned "horse rescuers" who just give their horses lots of grass and no exercise and the horse suffers as a consequence.

It's possible. As some already mentioned, they might colic or develop laminitis. The progressive metabolic events that produce serious colics and laminitis can progress to result in septic shock and death.

Grasses and legumes in pastures photosynthesize glucose, fructans and water soluble starches during the day that accumulate and then are used to support growth of the plants overnight. When horses consume overages of these sugars and starches as is likely in spring or fall, or when pastures are stressed, it can lead to hyperglycemia with release of stress hormones and insulin excesses in blood, and also to disruption and die-off of bacterial flora of the hind gut with acidosis and release of toxins by the dying bacteria (called enterotoxins or endotoxins). If the vascular gut barrier is compromised, these bacterial toxins are leaked into the bloodstream (called endotoxemia or enterotoxemia). Prolonged and progressive release of toxins into blood worsens the systemic impact. The toxins are circulated throughout the body, and may produce various conditions such as intestinal ischemia (diminished blood supply to the intestines), metabolic acidosis or toxic shock, and may trigger mmp enzyme changes in the hooves that destroy the "glue" that attaches the laminae of the hoof capsules to the laminae of the coffin bones, If the horse doesn't die from toxic shock or bowel infarction (death of intestinal tissue from cessation of blood supply), then a serious bout of laminitis and founder with bone sinking through the sole and complete hoof capsule detachment can still ultimately require euthanasia.

So yes, a horse can die after eating only grass for about a week under certain circumstances, and especially if the horse already has a disorder of glucose and fat metabolism that predisposes him to certain colics and laminitis. When horses are obese they are more likely to be insulin resistant and prone to carbohydrate overload colics and laminitis.

i like the first persons answer. she gave a really good answer. you see horses graze in the wild 18 hours a day i always make sure my horse has a filled hay net with grass hay throughout the day inbetween dinner and breakfast. its better to let them have 24 access to grass hay / regular grass cause its more natural.

They could get colic/Laminits if they over ate allot of fresh grass or they could get a Twisted gut..

It depends. If its just regular grass then no they can founder or get colic. You only need to worry if they eat to much hot alfalfa it swells in their stomachs and can cause bloat and kill them

they wont die