How to Avoid Laminitis

Lungeing on small circles and running in a small round yard (less than 20m in diameter)  should be avoided as regular exercise because too many small circles can cause physical pain and damage to your horse’s legs and body.

Have a safe area to restrict grazing during high-risk times – this should ideally have no grass, but be as large as possible to enable movement.

Bare tracks are ideal, but if you can provide regular (daily) exercise then a dry lot or arena-sized yard will work too.

Regular trimming is vital to keep laminitis prone horses and ponies from progressing to laminitis or founder.

Maintain their hooves frequently – if you or your hoof care provider are trimming every 4-6 weeks you will notice changes and signs such as hoof rings, red spots (bruising) and hoof flare which can all indicate sub-clinical laminitis.

More serious issues such as a hoof abscess and seedy toe (white line disease) are a red light warning to take action.

Remove the horse from pasture, and/or call the vet or qualified hoof trimmer to assist with treatment and a plan to avoid further problems.

Summing up – Laminitis is the most common cause of lameness and disability in horses and is much easier to prevent than to treat.

Once a horse has ‘foundered’ or had an acute laminitis attack, it will be prone to it recurring for the rest of its life.

Prevention is far better than cure!