pasture is often eliminated from the diet, since digestible energy levels from grazing are not easily measured and pasture carbohydrates can trigger laminitis. it may be introduced back into the diet following improvement of insulin sensitivity. in horses with mild insulin resistance, this is often the case once obesity is resolved. however, pasture access should be restricted to those times of day when grass nsc levels are lowest, such as early morning, and never following a frost, which stresses the grass and results in accumulation of water-soluble carbohydrates. horses are best managed by only allowing short grazing periods—less than 1 hour since they can rapidly ingest grass, or confining them to a limited turn-out area or by use of a grazing muzzle. horses with severe ir, that have recurrent laminitis, are not recommended to return to pasture.