Staying Sound

Don’t think the risk of laminitis has gone just because winter is here. Equine Nutritionist Joanna Palmer sets out why you should stay vigilant

- Joanna Palmer

During winter, attention turns to changing a horse’s routine. The colder season often leads to more time spent in the stable, a change of feed and forage and an alteration to the workload.

Many of us look forward to hacking out on sunny, frosty mornings, competing on the indoor circuit or joining a drag hunt.

And, with less grass in the field, it is easy to assume the risk of laminitis decreases. But be warned – this debilitating condition can be a risk at any time of the year.

Laminitis is a disease that affects the horse’s hooves. Being the most common cause of lameness, it is mainly seen in the forefeet, although one or all four hooves can be affected.

A misunderstood condition, it is painful and in some cases can be fatal – any case needs to be treated as a veterinary emergency.

There are a variety of types of laminitis, ranging from dietary induced – the most common form – to those brought on by hormones, concussion or toxins in the blood.

Chain reaction

Horses evolved as trickle feeders, grazing for around 16 to 18 hours per day, eating a varied high-fibre diet of grasses, shrubs and plants, which had a relatively low nutritional value.

Modern pastures now include higher quality grasses containing increased levels of fructans (a type of sugar that horses can’t easy digest) and sugar.

Combining this with supplementary feeding of barley or molassed-based feeds (which are high in starch and sugar), can result in dietary induced laminitis.