28/07/2025
Laminitis- the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff?
We must look at prevention as our number one priority.
I know when I got my first horse I knew nothing about his feet. I left it all to my trimmer. Sure I picked them out and did all the things I thought were right- added ointments to prevent thrush, hoof oil to maintain moisture, special feeds just for feet. You name it- I did it. This fad and that fad.
Then I started to study the equine foot.
Fast forward 10 years-
I’m lucky that I only had one bout of laminitis in my miniature pony-Peanut nearly 2 years ago now. The trigger for him was being on lush grass when I was away working. My mate thought he needed a treat and let him out of the sand yard and into the jelly bean aka green grass (cow grass) factory. Peanuts mate did not get affected, luckily, and they were both on the grass for 2 days.
I had peanuts insulin done after a glucose load test a week after the acute laminitis started and it was high (220 units: should be below 20 units).
I then realised that peanut was at risk to getting continued laminitis unless I made some significant changes in his husbandry. I did that by installing a track.
So Peanut will always be at risk for laminitis. He is labelled “metabolic” or “insulin resistant” or whatever.
He is designed to eat little and often.
A bite here, a bite there, always moving. Sparse food and whatever is seasonally available. Different foods, berries, grasses, lichen, moss, tree bark. Whatever is available. Peanuts gut is designed to get every little bit of nutrient out of a meal. And store any excess as fat when times are hard.
We are not keeping our ponies (especially) in a suitable environment to keep them from getting laminitis. This is not new news….
When feet look like these in the photo, with sky high heels, lots of wall rings and a truly distorted hoof capsule (it’s not Peanut), then we need to understand it’s been a year in the making. I know the pony these feet belonged to and I feel sick that I didn’t do more to help his owner. To educate her but I felt embarrassed. I didn’t speak up. I didn’t really understand how devastating laminitis could be, until I experienced it myself.
A hoof capsule grows out in about a year. So every line and every distortion we see is continual damage inside the foot. The capsule is the diary of destruction. The inner foot / the coffin bone, hidden from view, will be under massive attack as will the sole. Sole stops growing, front wall slows to a halt and heels carry on growing like the clappers.
My plea is to those that have not suffered this terrible condition.
Please please constantly evaluate the grass and the diet. Please consider creating a track, getting them moving.
I know this is a difficult pill to swallow- I’ve been there!!! I know.
Chronic laminitis that goes on for years and years starts somewhere. It starts with acute laminitis. Sometimes we don’t even see the signs. But it’s there and it’s deadly.
Now I realise there is a lot of chatter in internet land about trimming causing laminitis. I truly feel there is a case to be made when trimming too short ie too much wall removed or too much sole weight bearing can trigger laminitis - that’s concussion related, used to be known as road founder. We don’t know exactly the process but it appears to have an inflammatory component due to excessive concussion.
My understanding is that trimming does not cause the laminitis that we see in the photo.
The laminitis I am discussing is the diet related, the insulin related, the too much food, little movement type. The ponies that sit on the couch with chips and sweets playing iPad games all day.
My heart breaks as we are loving them too much or we are just not getting that they don’t need this fuel. They are not walking 40 km a day. They are not working the fields pulling ploughs, they are not pulling coaches.
They eat and eat and they slowly kill themselves.
I am so so sick and upset every time I see feet they scream at me.
Every cadaver foot I study with these signs make me want to stop my studies and run and hide. But I don’t …as that life lost can save others
Sometimes I can’t speak as I video my findings as my throat is so tight.
I can’t see what I’m videoing for tears.
I’m not asking for sympathy but for a call to action. To re evaluate our husbandry.
Owners want answers, treatments, advice, help. It’s epidemic. My email is overwhelming. People desperate. Photos that give me nightmares.
It’s got to start at prevention.
Many of these ponies with half their coffin bone missing can continue to live a reasonable pain free life. Many do not.
As owners we are accountable.
We need to share expertise and support each other.
These feet didn’t get there overnight.
They won’t grow out pretty overnight either. But the will heal inside if
The cause is removed - diet
Movement is encouraged
And the foot set up to heal by using mechanics to help.
Yes many will be fine barefoot, but many could get better quicker with the right biomechanics and the right orthotics. I don’t care what you find works, but be proactive and involved.
I’m tired and I’m so deeply upset seeing the need out there.
I can’t help everyone but hope that education will be the one thing that I can share freely and hope that it gives folk a kind hand when they are drowning in despair.
There is a desperate need out there for folk to become more educated and that includes trimmers farriers and vets.
Finally if you got this far, I’ll be turning off the commenting if this gets sh*tty.
You may not agree with me. That fine but please keep the discussions respectful and not personal.
Lindsey.
