Laminitis

Horses are natural grazers and their digestive systems are designed to digest a continuous supply of small amounts of roughage. This type of digestive system worked well for wild horses that had to travel a long way to get enough food to keep them alive. However, today domestic horses are grazing on huge amounts of high nutrient grasses and are usually confined to a much smaller space.

The problem with this is that the horse is consuming more sugars than it's body can handle. This is usually the main cause of laminitis. Laminitis is an inflammation of structures in the hoof called lamellae. They are what keep the coffin bone held tight within the hoof capsule. In a healthy horse, on the sole of the hoof you can see a narrow white line.

Some of the symptoms connected with Laminitis include your horse being less active or being reluctant to move when led. Tight muscles, hooves warmer than usual and lying down more than normal are also signs. If your horse is standing with its hind feet further under their body supporting their weight and the foot feet further out in front of the body, this is a common laminitic stance. If you see any of these signs you should consult your equine vet.

Preventing laminitis starts with figuring out what is causing the problem. Usually your horse's diet is the key. To limit the amount your horse can eat you can use slow feeders and grazing muzzles.  Your vet will be able to advise you on the treatments and diet to help your horse get back on the road to recovery.