Preventing laminitis, the curse of native breeds

It seems strange to be thinking of grass induced laminitis as very cold nights persist and the Irish countryside has been scorched an uncharacteristic brown by severe frosts. There is hardly a green blade of grass to be seen and owners are feeding hay and hard feed to keep weight on horses and ponies living out.

However, we know how quickly the weather and temperatures can change and it is a good idea to be aware of the possibility of laminitis before the spring grass appears. I have had several horses prone to this painful condition and prevention is better than cure. Please note that this is my way of trying to prevent laminitis caused only by too much rich grass and not any other kind of laminitis. If this is your first time to deal with laminitis or you are worried about your horse or pony, please contact your vet immediately as it is a serious, life threatening condition.

What is laminitis?
The suffix ‘itis’ means inflammation and laminitis is the painful inflammation of the laminae in a horse’s hoof. This can be caused by a number of different conditions but the common one is grass induced and often affects native breeds of horses and ponies which are genetically programmed to live in areas of poor grassland, such as the Connemara, Irish Draught, Shetland and native moorland ponies. Overweight animals and ‘good doers’ will often suffer from laminitis.

Watch out for sudden grass growth
Once a horse has been diagnosed with laminitis, he will always be prone to it. I find I have to be vigilant all year round but especially during periods when grass grows quickly, such as spring and summer. As soon as the grass starts to grow reduce the horse’s grazing hours. I keep laminitis prone horses and ponies on smaller paddocks and I also use a sand arena at times for turn out and hang hay nets on the fence if the horse is there for longer periods. A sand arena is useful for a horse recovering from laminitis as he can walk about to improve circulation and the sand is soft under his feet.

Use low protein feeds
I feed ponies prone to laminitis very little hard feed and mostly hay. Feed plenty of fibre, such as hay, in a net which will take longer to eat and help prevent boredom. My vet advised me to feed my big Irish Draught horse a low protein, low carbohydrate, low sugar diet such as beet pulp, oats, low protein coarse mix and up to one cup of vegetable oil a day which helps keep on weight. I also use high fibre chopped straw mixed with feed instead of beet pulp. There are several good fibre chops available on the market and some especially for laminitis prone horses. You can also buy oil pellets which are expensive but an easy way to add extra oil to the diet.

Exercise is important
Often horses and ponies with bad circulation are prone to laminitis so exercise is vital but only after they have become sound again. Some owners let their animals out on grass with a muzzle to prevent too much grazing so that they will get exercise but I haven’t tried this because I use small paddocks and the sand arena. I would never risk putting laminitis prone horses and ponies on a large field full of grass. And I would never put small ponies on rich grass, even if they’ve never had laminitis. Animals can be lunged or loose lunged to keep them fit if they can’t be ridden.

Always keep a look out for the first signs of laminitis
If a laminitis prone horse or pony looks any way stiff or is lying down for longer periods, bring him into a stable immediately and reduce feed until he moves freely again. You will save him a lot of pain and misery if you act quickly.