Feeding horses with or prone to laminitis requires you to reconsider their whole diet, whether they’re retired or at the peak of their competitive career.

Laminitis is a common, painful condition which manifests itself in one or more of the horse’s hooves. It is a multifactorial condition, which means it can be caused by a number of factors, but it frequently arises as the result of a metabolic upset.

While laminitis is often seen in native ponies during periods of peek grass growth, overweight horses of any type can be at risk – and suffer from the condition – at any time of year. Horses with underlying issues, such as Cushing’s disease or Equine Metabolic Syndrome, are also at greater risk.

“The modern equine lifestyle of cosy stables, rugs and over-full haynets is often where the problem of laminitis stems from,” says Kate Hore, head nutritionist at NAF.

“The largest part of any diet should be forage and grazing. When that is rich spring grass, it can be a real risk for the laminitis-prone.

“We should be feeding as naturally as possible, which means feeding a high-fibre, high-forage diet with little to no starchy cereals, such as may be found in concentrates.”

So, how to approach feeding horses with laminitis, or those at risk? Read on for advice from nutrition experts. It’s important to note, however, that laminitis is a veterinary emergency – if you suspect your horse has it, please call your vet before doing anything else.

Feeding horses with laminitis – in the bucket

If a horse has been diagnosed with laminitis, then take individual advice from your vet, but generally speaking, they should be fed little and often in line with good equine feeding practice.

Fibre should form the bulk of their diet alongside essential vitamins and minerals, while sugar and starch levels should be kept low. Because hay, haylage and grass are naturally deficient in some nutrients, forage alone is not sufficient to deliver a fully balanced diet, so a top-up of essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements is required.

Pelleted forage balancers are an ideal bucket feed for laminitis-prone horses. Balancers work to ensure horses receive their recommended daily intakes (RDA) across the full spectrum of their diet. Some of these feeds are formulated specifically for horses prone to laminitis.

While they provide key vitamins, minerals and quality protein to suit the horse’s lifestyle and workload, they also keep calorie, starch and sugar intakes low. However, they must be fed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations to be effective.

“Ensure you maintain a good vitamin, mineral and quality protein intake. This supports muscle, hoof health, coat condition and internal nutrient reserves and healthy fibre levels to support gut function,” says Emma Short, equine nutritionist at Baileys Horse Feeds.

“For horses that need additional calories for weight gain, high-calorie fibre sources can be added along with the balancer. These might include unmolassed alfalfa chaffs with added oil, or soaked beet products. High oil supplements are also available,” she adds.

If a balancer is not the right option for your horse, you can also feed a supplement specifically for horses on restricted grazing, which will ensure they get the nutrients they need.

Feeding forage to a laminitic

Forage should make up the bulk of any horse’s diet, because it’s essential for healthy gut function. What’s more, it’s a horse’s chief source of energy (calories).

With this in mind, it’s important to consider how much hay to feed a horse. Most nutritionists say horses should ideally eat forage on an ad-lib basis.

However, this method delivers too many calories to some horses. Therefore, most nutritionists agree horses should eat between 2–2.5% of their bodyweight in dry matter forage (i.e. weight of hay less its moisture content) to maintain condition, or 1.5–1.8% for weight loss.

Another approach to feeding hay is to ensure your horse never has to fast for more than four hours. Consequently, you may need to look at ways to increase his chew time by making his ration last longer. You can do this using forage blocks, small-holed haynets and slow feeders.

Soaking hay will help to reduce the sugar content and calorie intake, while clean mature (stalky) hay is preferable to fresh green hay.

Feeding good quality oat or barley straw as part of a horse’s forage consumption is also an option. Because it’s low in calories yet high in fibre, it helps extend chew time without oversupplying energy.

Always ensure the straw is a nice yellow colour and free from mould. As with hay, there should be no airborne spore clouds emerging when you pull it apart.

Is hay or haylage better for laminitics?

The right type of forage for feeding horses with laminitis is low in WSCs (water-soluble carbohydrates, which include sugar and fructans), starch and calories.

Forages vary widely, and these factors could be true of either hay or haylage. It’s also true that some hay types deliver more calories than haylage.

Therefore, it’s best to consider what to put in a laminitic horse’s haynet in terms of its content. You can ask the manufacturer for advice, or send samples of your forage off for analysis. Bear in mind, you would need to do this regularly and comprehensively, which is an additional cost.

If you feed hay, a late-cut crop is the most suitable. Late-cut hay is typically a stalkier, more mature plant that is less nutritious than early-cut hay, which is soft and leafy.

However, you can further reduce your hay’s WSC and calorie content by soaking it. The degree of nutrient reduction required determines how long to soak hay.

Soaking hay also reduces its fibre and dry matter content. This means you can safely feed a greater quantity to a laminitic horse, so they can chew for longer.

Grazing horses prone to laminitis

Feeding horses with laminitis can mean avoiding grass entirely, depending on their health or weight status. Always adhere to veterinary advice when considering turnout for a laminitis-prone horse. Vets recommend active laminitis cases be kept indoors in a deep, soft bed to minimise the risk, or degree, of pedal bone rotation.

Generally speaking, the grass is at its most dangerous for laminitis-prone (i.e. producing the most sugar) when it is…

• experiencing flush, fresh growth
• under stress from over-grazing
• covered with frost on a bright morning where temperatures are below 4ºC (as sugar is produced but cannot be used for growth)

“For an overweight pony in light work, ideally we want to limit access to fresh grazing,” explains Kate. “If he needs additional fibre, ensure it is a low WSC hay or haylage, and consider soaking to reduce sugars.”

Many laminitics are notoriously good-doers, and love their food. Research shows that ponies on restricted turnout can adapt both bite rate and the amount taken in each bite, so that they can essentially eat as much in three hours as they would naturally do in 12 hours.

“Think of ways that you can maximise the time turned out, but still control access to grazing. It’s best to avoid a small cornered off area as that encourages them to stand and eat; natural movement is what we want. Track systems can be really useful, if practical, alternatively look at using a grazing muzzle or strip grazing to limit intake whilst encouraging mobility,” continues Kate.

But what about the horse in a higher level of work? The basic feeding principle with a laminitis-prone animal is really the same as with any horse, and that is “feed to work done”.

“For a fit but insulin-resistant eventer, we might be looking at alfalfa chaffs and controlled grazing, with additional oil, to provide all the energy they need,” explains Kate. “Supplement these with concentrated vitamins and trace elements to balance the diet.”

Prevention is better than a cure

If your horse is prone to laminitis, it’s important to regularly body condition score them to monitor their weight.

Ask for advice from your vet or nutritionist if you’re unsure how to do it. Plus, keep a record so you can track the results. Taking photos can also be useful.

“One of the key messages is working towards stopping laminitis happening rather than dealing with it,” Lizzie Drury, senior nutritionist at Saracen Horse Feeds.

“Be on high alert with your horse, particularly if he’s prone to laminitis, and don’t allow him to become overweight. Be constantly aware of what and how much you’re feeding him and his exercise level. Ask whether he needs to be rugged. Be aware 365 days a year,” she concludes.

Feeding competition horses prone to laminitis

The effect of the diet on laminitic horses is complex, and requires expert tailored advice from a nutritionist. Spillers nutritional content manager Vanessa Allen emphasises “prioritising health over performance”.

“We would recommend feeds based on body condition first and ridden energy levels second,” she explains. “For good-doers, balancers would be the first choice. Ensure all essential nutrients are provided, then choose a balancer specifically aimed at harder-working horses. Protein quality is just as important as quantity – for example, deficiency in lysine can limit protein synthesis, affecting muscle health and overall performance.”

Even if you feel your competition horse needs more oomph, if he’s prone to laminitis, most traditional competition course mixes are off the menu.

“This can make balancing energy levels difficult,” says Vanessa. “Some low-starch, high-energy performance feeds could be sensible options, ideally providing energy from oil and fibre rather than cereal.”

Meal sizes are another factor when considering starch and sugar intake, don’t just look at percentages.

“A balancer with a combined starch and sugar content of 15% provides just 75g of starch and sugar when fed at 500g per day; a feed with just 5% provides 150g when fed at 3kg per day,” Vanessa points out.

“As a guide, restrict non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) or ‘starch or sugar’ to less than 0.5g per kilogram of body weight per meal – less than 250g for a 500kg horse – for those who are not severely insulin-dysregulated. For the latter, seek advice from a nutritionist or vet; testing the horse’s insulin response to their normal feed and/or forage may be helpful.”

For laminitics in particular, Vanessa warns: “It’s important to tackle the whole diet, with potentially stricter forage and grass management – don’t just concentrate on the bucket feed. Consider all strategies to reduce sugar intake: soaking hay and reducing access to grazing.”

Vanessa would also recommend having your forage analysed for water soluble carbohydrate (via the “wet chemistry” method) to discover if it is suitable for your horse to eat.

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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How long to soak hay for horses is one of those questions that you hear asked by owners time after time, especially in the summer months, and there’s a lot of confusion around the subject. If your horse is overweight, dust sensitive, prone to laminitis or has equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), it’s probably something you’ve questioned at some point.

Horses in these categories may have excessive body fat, which can contribute to many other conditions, such as some types of colic and arthritis, and affects the body’s normal hormonal processes. Overweight horses are also more likely to have EMS, which is a condition that encompasses insulin dysregulation and predisposes horses to laminitis.

Tackling weight gain for these horses is a potential life-or-death factor, so we’ve asked independent equine nutritionist Clare MacLeod MSc RNutr to help you work out what’s best for your horse.

Why soak hay for horses?

The two main reasons are to reduce nutrient intake (when helping horses to lose weight) or minimise dust (for horses with respiratory problems).

Horses have evolved to spend most of their time chewing fibre, and to receive most of their daily calories from grass, hay and haylage. Often, forage oversupplies calories to horses, contributing to weight gain and obesity.

Soaking hay is an effective method for reducing its energy (calorie), water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC), or sugar and fructan content. This helps cut sugar and restrict calories from an equine diet.

Fructans are not the same as sugar, Clare explains. “They are sugar units joined with bonds that are fermented in the hindgut, rather than broken down by digestive enzymes.

“Research shows some fructan is broken down via bacterial fermentation in the small intestine. This is likely why it contributes to insulin response.”

This means fructans also contribute to laminitis.

How long to soak hay for horses: things every owner should know

The length of time you’d soak hay for depends on the desired result.

You might soak hay for 15-30 minutes to minimise dust for a horse with respiratory problems.

Soaking hay for 30 minutes to an hour slightly reduces its calorie and WSC content. However, the reduction may be insufficient to keep an obese horse in a calorie deficit, which is necessary for weight loss.

“Losses from soaking can vary,” says Clare. “It depends on factors including the composition of the hay, the amount of water used and the temperature,”

“Therefore, research that shows significant losses of WSCs in an hour or two cannot necessarily be relied upon in all real-life situations.

“In addition we are not soaking just for sugar and fructan loss but also for energy (calories). Reducing sugar without a significant reduction in calories will be insufficient for weight-loss targets.

“It’s not just sugar that horses get calories from – it’s fructan and fibre, too!”

Clare says water temperature can also influence nutrient loss.

“Losses are quicker in warmer water, so we might find we can soak for less time in summer, compared to winter, and in large volumes of water, so using as much as you can is key.”

Can you soak hay overnight?

Soaking hay for longer periods of 8–12 hours, or overnight, is considered suboptimal by some due to nutrient loss and the risk of fermentation.

But, according to Clare, a balance must be struck.

“Long soaking [10+ hours] reduces dry matter – the amount of actual hay, and fibre. Therefore, we need to take this into account and slightly increase the weight of hay to accommodate this loss.

“Increasing the weight of long-soaked hay by 20% can accommodate this, but the long-soak generally means we would be feeding hay at a higher rate anyway, since it becomes less nutritious.

“This is part of the benefit of long-soaking hay: it means we can feed more forage to our horse or pony while maintaining the calorie deficit they need for weight loss or healthy weight maintenance.”

As well as feeding more soaked hay, Clare adds that owners should use the bucket feed to ensure optimal nutrition.

“In terms of nutrient intake, we do need to carefully balance the diet with long-soaked hay,” she says.

“This can be done by adding a well-formulated feed balancer, such as a low-calorie compound concentrate fed at 100g per 100kg bodyweight, if there is no grass in the diet.”

Clare recommends considering long-soaking hay in cost-benefit terms for overall equine health.

“Although bacterial count can increase on long-soaked hay, there is no evidence showing this occurs to a level that is harmful to the horse. Plus, horses and ponies have been fed long-soaked hay for years with good results,” explains Clare.

“We should only soak for as long as necessary, but also realise that a slightly elevated bacterial count in hay is less unhealthy than chronic obesity with altered metabolic parameters, for example insulin dysregulation and/or laminitis.”

How long does soaked hay last?

As a rule, Clare says that soaked hay should be fed as soon as it has drained. Avoid re-presenting any uneaten quantity to your horse.

The quality of the hay to be soaked will likely influence its longevity.

“We should select only good hygienic quality hay for long-soaking,” she continues. “By this, I mean hay that is not dusty, with no signs of a high mould spore count (no fine smoke-like clouds that go airborne when you pull it apart).”

Other good hygiene practices to improve the life of soaked hay include:

• Soaking out of direct sunlight
• Using clean water for every soak
• Keeping soaking vessels and haynets clean
• Using the largest volume of water possible to speed up the effects of soaking
• Avoiding a long soak (for 10+ hours) unless you have to
• Remove and dispose of any uneaten portions

If the hygienic quality of your hay is suboptimal and there is no alternative, Clare says you could steam after soaking to improve the hygiene.

“With less than ideal hay to soak, using straw to replace some of the hay ration might be a better choice than a long soak,” she continues. “However, very dusty or mouldy hay should never be fed to horses.”

How long to soak hay for horses prone to laminitis

While we can’t put an exact figure on how long to soak hay for laminitis, Clare has a rule of thumb to follow.

“I recommend soaking for as short a time as possible, but with caveats,” she says.

“The soak time should also be as long as it takes for that horse or pony to be able to be fed enough forage to avoid more than a four-hour fast, whilst still receiving the correct amount of energy (calories) for the desired result.

“That might be for weight loss, or maintenance if they are at a healthy bodyweight, and to control the laminitis.

“So, it really does depend on the hay, and the individual horse or pony.”

How to dispose of water from hay soaking

To prevent pollution, you should not allow uncontrolled draining from the waste water used to soak hay.

You should store liquid waste in a waterproof container and then dispose of it at a permitted facility or land spread – for more information, visit gov.uk.

You must get permission from your local water company to dispose of liquid waste to the sewer or a controlled water source. For more information, visit gov.uk

• For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The best grazing muzzles can be a highly beneficial tool for managing good-doers. They can be worn by all types of horses and, if used correctly, they can really help to reduce your horse’s grazing intake if you need to help your horse lose weight in order to prevent obesity and laminitis.

There are a variety of grazing muzzle styles available – some muzzles are attached directly to a field-safe headcollar, while others are all-inclusive and come as one piece. Finding a muzzle that works for your horse can make a real difference, so we’ve rounded up the options available and put some to the test.

Best grazing muzzles: H&H’s quick guide

Best grazing muzzle: LeMieux Noma grazing muzzle

Best grazing muzzle for big horses: Thinline Flexible Filly grazing muzzle

Best grazing muzzle tiny ponies: Best Friend Deluxe grazing muzzle

Best grazing muzzles: what are your options?

This muzzle has an adjustable leather headpiece, soft webbing straps and a leadrope ring. The Ultimate Muzzle has been made higher at the front to prevent the horse from removing it. It has large nostril holes for ease of breathing, and a rubber base with one rectangular grazing hole.

Why do horses wear grazing muzzles?

Grazing muzzles are used to restrict grass intake, while allowing your horse to benefit from turnout. They are usually used in conjunction with other measures, such as strip grazing, as part of a weight loss or maintenance plan to protect against equine obesity and other associated problems, such as laminitis. They do not prevent a horse from eating.

How long should a horse wear a grazing muzzle?

Grazing muzzles should not be left on 24/7. It’s not recommended that they’re worn for more than 10–12 hours each day, but it’s important to remember that during muzzle-free hours your horse’s grazing or access to forage should be restricted to avoid compensatory eating.

Do grazing muzzles work?

Research studies have found that grazing muzzles can reduce grass intake significantly – one study found a 79% reduction over a three hour period. Another study that looked at muzzle use over 10 hours, combined with 14 hours of un-muzzled turnout, and found that weight gain was reduced over a three-week period in most ponies.

Other scientists in Minnesota studied four horses grazing in four separate paddocks, each planted with a single grass species. The study, published in 2014, found there was no difference in the quantities of each grass species that the horses could consume through the muzzle. Wearing the muzzle reduced the horses’ dry matter intake by an average of about 30%.

How to introduce a grazing muzzle

It’s important to introduce a grazing muzzle slowly and to make it a positive experience for your horse. How long it takes for your horse to be accustomed to it will depend on his temperament and prior handling experience.

The National Equine Welfare Council recommends the following steps…

• Begin by training your horse to accept the muzzle near his face and then around his nose. Reward relaxed and calm behaviour.
• When your horse is accepting, do the muzzle up, leave it on for a few moments and provide a low-calorie treat reward through the muzzle.
• Increase the amount of time your horse is wearing the muzzle from seconds to minutes. Graze your horse in-hand to encourage him to try eating with the muzzle on.
• Increase the supervised time that your horse wears the muzzle before turning him out with it on. Make sure he is grazing comfortably and is able to drink easily.

Tips for successfully using a grazing muzzle

• Take time to introduce your horse to the muzzle
• Ensure you’ve fitted the muzzle correctly – most come with fitting advice
• Fence off any potential hazards where the muzzle could become caught
• Monitor your horse’s weight weekly and conduct a body condition score assessment at least every 2–4 weeks
• Check for rubbing daily – common areas include on the poll, behind the ears, top of the muzzle, lips, cheek bones and under the chin
• Ensure your horse’s grazing is restricted when he is not wearing the muzzle to avoid compensatory eating. Common options include stabling or putting him in a bare paddock with soaked hay during this time
• Check that your horse can manage to eat the grass in his field – grazing that is too long or too short can be difficult to eat through a muzzle

How do you keep a grazing muzzle on?

Firstly, make sure your muzzle is fitted correctly. Too tight and your horse may experience discomfort and put more effort into getting it off, but too loose and it’ll be easy to get off. Some owners swear by plaiting the forelock around the headpiece to hold it on, while others loop it through the ear holes of a fly rug. Some horses are particularly efficient muzzle removers, so it might take a bit of trial and error but perseverance is key.

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The owner of a pony in “extreme pain” from laminitis, who ignored advice and refused veterinary treatment even when a charity offered to help with costs has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Freddie, a Welsh section A belonging to Daniel Robert Briggs, of Hawthorn, Appledore, had to be put down after he was signed into charity care, as his “suffering was too great and his prognosis was so poor”.

Briggs, 62, was sentenced at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court on 3 February, having pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a pony.

The RSPCA worked with World Horse Welfare to help Freddie, who had not had appropriate veterinary care for chronic laminitis.

An RSPCA spokesperson said World Horse Welfare field officer Rebecca Carter visited Freddie in a field in Pluckley, Kent, last February, after members of the public had thought the pony was in pain relating to his feet.

“Ms Carter confirmed Freddie had severely overgrown and distorted hooves but said Briggs did not take her advice and refused to call a vet out to see Freddie, so she contacted the RSPCA for further investigation,” the spokesperson said.

The court heard Briggs had owned the 18-year-old pony since he was a foal; the RSPCA spokesperson said Briggs told Ms Carter he had “always managed the laminitis on his own without any input from an equine vet or farrier”.

Warning notice

“Despite being issued a warning notice by the RSPCA and a vet visit on 25 February, Briggs refused critical diagnostic tests (bloods/X-rays) and proper management, claiming Freddie was fine,” the spokesperson said. “He also cancelled a follow-up vet appointment.

“When World Horse Welfare revisited on 18 March following reports that Freddie had been lying down for three days, Ms Carter found him still in extreme pain. She was unable to persuade Daniel Robert Briggs to seek urgent treatment, even when the charity also offered to contribute towards the costs.

“This led to a joint visit with the RSPCA and an independent vet, during which Briggs was found to have withheld prescribed pain relief. Following a veterinary examination, Briggs signed Freddie into the care of the charities, and the pony was then transported for urgent veterinary assessment.”

An equine vet who assessed Freddie said in a witness statement that his welfare needs were not being met.

“He was suffering due to unmanaged, chronic pain from laminitis, exacerbated by inappropriate environmental management and untreated endocrine disease,” the vet said.

“These issues were longstanding and recognisable to the layperson due to the obvious signs of pain, poor mobility, and visible hoof abnormalities. The animal had endured extended periods of pain and compromised mobility.

“His suffering would have been continuous, particularly in the absence of adequate pain control, and was entirely preventable through appropriate veterinary care and basic husbandry adjustments.”

The spokesperson added: “Sadly, Freddie’s suffering was too great and his prognosis was so poor that the decision was made by the veterinary specialists and the two charities that the most compassionate course of action was to euthanise Freddie, to prevent him suffering any further.”

RSPCA inspector Kirsten Ormerod said this had been an “incredibly sad” case.

“As horse owners themselves, the welfare teams involved found it particularly upsetting to see a sweet, older pony suffering with laminitis despite offers of help and financial assistance,” she said.

“Laminitis is such a painful condition for equines – but one that can be successfully managed with appropriate veterinary care and treatment. Many horse owners are meticulous in managing conditions like this to make sure their animals live a good life, and so it was very sad to see Freddie had lived in pain.”

Ms Carter added that Freddie was in so much pain he could hardly stand.

“Finding Freddie in so much pain due to untreated laminitis was heartbreaking,” she said. “It’s one of the most painful conditions a horse can face and should be treated as a veterinary emergency. It was shocking that the owner failed to recognise this and denied Freddie the veterinary support he so desperately needed.

“It’s so frustrating because laminitis is both preventable and treatable. This sad situation could have been avoided had the owner listened to advice and, crucially, taken action. The seriousness of the situation has been reflected in the sentence given in court.”

In mitigation, the court heard that Daniel Robert Briggs cares for his wife and that vet advice was received but he disputes the recommended medication.

He was given a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months and banned from keeping horses for five years. He was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £600 costs.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking equestrian news throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Horse owners have been warned to be careful who they believe, after a controversial message was shared on social media regarding laminitis.

Vets, nutritionists and manufacturers are among those who have spoken out or contacted H&H after a barefoot advocate claimed that the painful and often fatal hoof condition is “not diet related – it is just a symptom of hoof imbalance”.

Laminitis is an inflammatory condition of the laminae, the tissue that attaches the pedal bone to the hoof wall. In extreme cases, the pedal bone can rotate so far as a result of the condition that it penetrates the sole, at which point euthanasia may be the only option. Although there can be other causes, excess weight can more than double a horse’s chance of developing it.

Independent nutritionists Clare MacLeod, Jennifer Little, Nicki Castle and Nikki Meggison were so concerned by the claim on social media, they made a joint statement to H&H.

“As qualified independent equine nutritionists, we wanted to share a warning about some potentially disastrous misinformation online stating that laminitis isn’t caused by diet,” they said. “Laminitis is a complex condition, which is not yet fully understood, but the role of diet is well established in research, clinical and practical experience. To claim otherwise is to ignore decades of scientific evidence and the daily experience of veterinary, nutrition and hoofcare professionals alike.”

Although, the nutritionists pointed out, quality regular hoofcare or farriery is vital in prevention of and recovery from laminitis, “it cannot completely protect horses from the effects of inappropriate feeding”.

“We urge owners to be cautious about online opinions, especially those that reject established science,” they said. “We encourage them to seek guidance from qualified professionals who base their advice and practice on evidence, not unproven ideology. We know that extreme views attract followers, but we also know a balanced approach is what helps our horses thrive.”

Be careful what you believe

Ms MacLeod told H&H her concern was for newer or less well informed horse owners, who may not know much about laminitis and could be swayed.

“Please don’t ignore the role of diet in laminitis, and please do be careful about who you believe on social media,” she said.

Ms MacLeod’s advice for horse owners shown or told novel information online is to check its credibility; if different experts all say the same thing, “it’s probably right”.

“All horses’ conditions can be complex and if something sounds appealing, be careful,” she said. “There’s never just one right answer, which is why these issues can be easy for people with extreme views to pick up. There are desperate owners who have tried everything to help their horses and something like this might seem light at the end of the tunnel but the fact something is so complex means anything that claims to be an easy fix should be an amber warning light, as no one has all the answers.”

British Equine Veterinary Association CEO David Mountford pointed out that no responsible horse owner would ask a stranger on Facebook to tell them how to treat their horse’s colic, and taking their advice on laminitis falls into the same category.

“Laminitis has been a concern for horse owners for centuries, so it’s inevitable it has generated much conversation,” he told H&H. “We now know that laminitis is linked to endocrine disease (insulin dysregulation) in most instances, although it may sometimes have an inflammatory/toxic or a mechanical cause instead. In these latter instances the cause is usually very evident.

“Although it might be tempting to seek opinions from ‘Dr Google’ or social media’s plethora of keyboard ‘experts’, your horse deserves prompt veterinary attention and evidence-based veterinary advice.

“If you want to dig deeper into the subject, look for scientific articles and ask yourself: ‘Who wrote this?’ (are they a qualified vet/scientist?); ‘Where was it published?’ (a scientific journal or a social feed?); ‘What evidence is it based on?’ (studies or anecdotes?); and ‘Is it recent?’ (scientific research and understanding constantly evolves).”

Vigilance urged

A few days after the post, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) equine team also posted on social media to remind owners that they need to be vigilant at this time of year.

“The grass will continue to grow when the temperature is above 4°C, and on bright frosty mornings it will continue to make sugar but not use it up for growth, increasing the amount of sugar in each mouthful of grass,” the RVC said.

“Research has shown that 90% of cases of laminitis are associated with an underlying endocrine (hormone) disease, the two most common being equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID; also known as equine Cushing’s disease).

“In both of these diseases, it is high blood concentrations of the metabolic hormone insulin that seem to be responsible for causing the laminitis, and diet plays a big role in how much insulin there is in the blood at any given time, alongside the presence of EMS and PPID.

“It is important that animals with EMS or PPID are fed a diet low in sugar and starch and high in good-quality fibre to try and keep circulating insulin concentrations as low as possible.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Not just laminitis: vets warn of performance-related issues caused by excess equine weight

Laminitis: how to spot the signs, plus treatments and ways to prevent it

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• This article has been edited and approved by Karen Coumbe MRCVS, H&H’s veterinary advisor since 1991.

Laminitis in horses occurs all year-round and is an emergency that needs prompt action whenever it is suspected, so find out how to recognise it and what to do if your horse is showing signs

What is laminitis in horses?

Laminitis in horses is an inflammatory condition of the laminae within the feet – the tissues that attach the pedal bone (the bone in the centre of each foot) to the hoof wall inside the hoof capsule. Although many people mistakenly think laminitis is only suffered by overweight ponies, horses of all types, age and size can develop laminitis for many reasons.

The condition occurs when the sensitive laminae within each foot become inflamed, but they are unable to swell since they are restricted by the solid external structure of the hoof. This leads to the horse feeling extreme pain and adopting the classic leaning back on the heels posture in an attempt to relieve the pressure from the front of the hoof. In the most severe cases the horses will lie down as their feet are too painful to bear weight.

An acute new episode or flare up of laminitis is a veterinary emergency and an equine vet should be called to assess any horse with suspected laminitis as a matter of urgency. Some horses and ponies have long standing chronic laminitis, which may not be an immediate emergency, but still needs expert care and attention. According to the RVC¹ more than 7% of equine deaths are linked to laminitis, with many cases being put down on welfare grounds.

Laminitis can develop very rapidly. It can result in the pedal bone sinking or rotating within the hoof and in extreme cases the pedal bone can drop so far that it penetrates through the sole of the hoof. If the pedal bone completely detaches from the hoof wall then the horse has ‘foundered’ and euthanasia may be the only option.

Laminitis: Signs | Diagnosis | Causes | Treatment | Prevention

Early signs of laminitis

Early signs of laminitis can be quite subtle and include the horse taking a shorter than normal stride and being reluctant to walk on hard or stony going, choosing grass or softer ground when possible. The horse may appear more lame on hard ground and turns, and may shift its weight between feet when standing still.

Acute signs of laminitis in horses

Lameness is typically seen in all four legs, although the forelegs may appear more badly affected. Signs of laminitis to look out for include:

• An increased digital pulse at the back of the pastern/fetlock
• The hooves may feel warm to the touch, although this alone is not a reliable indicator
• Pain will be shown with use of hoof testers, especially around the point of frog on the foot
• The horse stands leaning back onto its heels – the classic laminitic stance
• The horse may lie down, and be unwilling to get to its feet

When do you see laminitis rings on the hoof?

Clear rings on the hoof wall can be a sign of a horse with chronic (i.e. long standing) laminitis. A horse that has suffered repeat bouts of the condition is likely to have misshapen feet with horizontal rings or lines on the hoof wall, which are wider at the heel than at the toe. The sole of the hoof may be flat or convex, with a wider than usual white line.

How is laminitis diagnosed by a vet?

A vet should be consulted if laminitis is suspected and will usually diagnose the condition based on the clinical signs. X-ray images are useful to confirm whether the pedal bone has sunk or rotated, which will help as a guide to prognosis and inform the farrier fitting shoes. Blood tests can be very useful to help identify if any underlying endocrine disease is responsible.

What causes laminitis?

In general, ponies tend to be more susceptible than horses to laminitis, although the condition can affect horses of all breeds, sizes and ages. Risk factors associated with the disease include a flush of fresh grass at any time of year, grazing when the grass is under stress (such as after frost or severe overgrazing), and horses that are overweight.

Underlying conditions that can lead to laminitis include equine Cushing’s disease (also known as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction or PPID) and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). The hormone insulin appears to be significant in laminitis associated with endocrine disorders.

The RVC Equine department shared a timely warning on its facebook page in late October 2025 urging owners to be vigilant during autumn, saying: “The grass will continue to grow when the temperature is above 4°C, and on bright frosty mornings it will continue to make sugar but not use it up for growth, increasing the amount of sugar in each mouthful of grass.

“Research has shown that 90% of cases of laminitis are associated with an underlying endocrine (hormone) disease, with the two most common being equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID; also known as equine Cushing’s disease). In both of these diseases, it is high blood concentrations of the metabolic hormone insulin that seem to be responsible for causing the laminitis, and diet plays a big role in how much insulin there is in the blood at any given time, alongside the presence of EMS and PPID.

“It is important that animals with EMS or PPID are fed a diet low in sugar and starch and high in good-quality fibre to try and keep circulating insulin concentrations as low as possible.”

A 2021 study² conducted by Scotland’s Rural College in collaboration with the Waltham Petcare Science Institute found that steps taken to protect public health during the Covid-19 pandemic – including reduced exercise, turning horses away, and limiting yard visits – had the potential to compromise the welfare of overweight equines, increasing the risk of laminitis.

David Rendle, chair of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s health and medicines committee, said: “The study provides testimony that many horses spent additional time at grazing as a result of Covid health guidelines. Vets have been concerned throughout the pandemic that increased turnout during periods of good weather could tip laminitis-prone animals over the edge into clinical laminitis. The fundamental issue is the unacceptably high proportion of equines with obesity and associated metabolic disease.”

Research³ led by Garance Christen at the Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, University of Bern, published in 2020, found that horses aged over 25 may suffer from chronic laminitis without displaying any outward signs or suffering from contributory health conditions. Almost half of the total sample of 51 clinically sound horses from different age groups (15-32 years) showed signs of rotation on X-ray, although none of them showed signs of acute lameness or PPID. Of these, horses aged over 25 were found to be three times more likely to have pedal bone rotation than horses in the younger age category.

The study’s authors said: “We think that radiographic changes are related to early or pre-clinical PPID in this cohort of horses because this remains the best explanation for the higher incidence of laminitis in the old age group.”

Other causes of laminitis

Laminitis can also be caused by a retained placenta after foaling, following on from another illness, limb concussion caused by excessive work on hard ground, or overload of a limb due to a severe injury of the opposing leg. In these instances, if the primary condition is effectively treated, the laminitis risk will subside.

In diseases associated with inflammation (such as certain types of colic, diarrhoea, retained placenta and severe pneumonia), the inflammation throughout the body triggers inflammation of the laminae, although why this happens remains unclear.

In mechanical overload laminitis, such as when a fracture or infected joint causes the other leg to bear all of the horse’s weight, it’s thought the excessive and continuous weight bearing may negatively affect the blood supply to the laminae.

Cases linked to concussion can occur during the summer in susceptible animals when a heatwave bakes the ground, with ponies in active service during the school holidays, as well as show horses and racing thoroughbreds, at a higher risk.

Laminitis treatments

A vet should be consulted regarding any suspected case of acute laminitis as soon as possible. They may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as phenylbutazone or flunixin and potentially other painkillers to help manage the horse’s discomfort.

Foot support and complete rest to limit movement of the pedal bone is important and will help to reduce the extreme levels of discomfort. The horse should be placed on box rest on a deep bed of shavings or other similar bedding right up to the stable door. Special supports can be attached to the horse’s hooves by your vet or farrier to give additional support.

Acepromazine (ACP) has been frequently used to increase the blood supply to the feet, but it’s beneficial effect may be more due to its sedative properties, which will encourage the horse to stand still or lie down.

In cases of laminitis associated with inflammation, the use of ice to cool the feet may be beneficial, especially in the very early stages of the disease. Research comparing seven different ways of cooling the hoof⁴ found immersion of the foot and at least the pastern region of the leg in ice and water achieved the lowest hoof wall surface temperature for a sustained period, along with use of a prototype perfused cuff device with a dry interface. In summary, when apply cold therapy, the cooling should cover the whole hoof as well as the lower part of the leg for the greatest effect.

If the laminitis is the result of an underlying condition, such as an endocrine disorder, that should be treated accordingly. Discuss this with your vet, depending on the results of blood tests. If a horse or pony has insulin regulation problems caused by EMS or PPID, or both, he will certainly be at increased risk of developing laminitis and will require careful management. By diagnosing these underlying problems the vet can guide the owner more clearly and manage the case more effectively.

A new treatment for laminitis

Ertugliflozin, an SGL2 inhibitor used to help lower blood glucose levels in humans, has been found to successfully lower insulin levels in horses, and is being successfully used in the treatment of laminitis and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).

Veterinary expert David Rendle, who has been involved in the early research⁵, said the drug can bring insulin levels down “remarkably quickly”, adding: “We have found in cases of laminitis the horse’s level of comfort increases very quickly. Everything is pointing toward SGL2s being an effective way of reducing the suffering associated with laminitis.”

Although the drug does not have marketing authorisation for use in horses, but it can be prescribed by a vet in the UK.

Research published in April 2024⁶ examining horse owners’ experiences and observations following the use of this treatment found 85.3% of 342 owners reported their horses had an improved quality of life after commencing treatment, while 9.4% reported no change and 5.3% reported a worsening of clinical signs.

Of the owners who had thought they might need to end the lives of their horses prior to treatment, 80.5% reported their horse’s level of pain to be either mild or absent after 30 days of treatment and 94.8% reported their horse’s quality of life to be improved. Side effects were seen by 114 owners (33.3%), particularly excessive urination (20.5%), excessive drinking (11.1%), excessive weight loss (9.9%) and dullness (7.6%).

Overall the study found that treatment resulted in excellent rates of owner satisfaction and owner-reported improved quality of life for the horse; although, some adverse effects were observed.

Feed for horses with laminitis

Diet is very important during bouts of laminitis. Clean fresh water should always be available while the horse should be fed poor quality hay, rather than grass. The hay should be soaked for at least an hour to reduce soluble carbohydrate levels. Fibre-rich feeds, such as unmollassed sugar beet and low-sugar chaffs or hay replacers, can also form part of the diet.

Horses that are overweight should not be starved in an attempt to shift excessive condition as doing so risks triggering hyperlipaemia, a disorder of fat metabolism.

All horses need to receive a balanced diet of vitamins and minerals, so discuss the best way to supply this with your vet. Once the acute stage of the condition is over, hoof supplements can be used to promote healthy hoof growth, while other supplements are formulated to help support healthy horses on restricted grazing. There are also feeds marked as suitable for horses prone to laminitis by The Laminitis Trust.

How to prevent laminitis in horses?

While it is not only overweight horses that get laminitis, the weight of all equines should be carefully managed to reduce the associated risk. Horses of all types need to go into the spring in lean condition (where you can easily feel and just start to see their ribs) to avoid the risk of obesity as the levels of nutrition in grazing improve.

Winter is a great opportunity to achieve weight loss in overweight equines by keeping them unrugged and not increasing hard feed, unless the horse drops clearly below a healthy bodyweight. Grazing muzzles can be used all year round to help control weight gain.

All horses hooves should be attended to by a qualified farrier or podiatrist every four to six weeks, whether they are shod or not, to maintain correct hoof balance and health. Appropriate shoeing can make a huge difference to the chronic laminitic by supporting the structures in the foot properly. There are many options of useful shoes designed to help laminitis cases including mouldable thermoplastic shoes and clogs amongst others.

The farrier who sees the case every few weeks is also in an excellent position to guide the horse owner, who sees their animal daily and therefore may not notice changes, especially in weight.

It is recommended that all riders avoid excessive trotting/cantering on hard ground, including roads, to reduce the concussion on the horse’s limbs and feet.

In broodmares after foaling, check that the whole placenta has been expelled. If you are unsure if this is the case, contact your vet urgently.

If your horse is recovering from a severe injury to one leg, discuss with your vet the best way to provide additional support to the opposing limb.

Above all be aware that we now know that there is much more to laminitis than simply avoiding lush grass. Underlying metabolic problems, proper regular attention to the feet and good general health care are all important.

Laminitis FAQs

What is the worst time of year for laminitis?

While laminitis can occur at any time of year, it is often seen in spring when the grass grows at a fast rate. This is typically the case in overweight equines, who are suffering with associated metabolic disease.

Should you walk a horse with laminitis?

No, a horse with laminitis should not be walked. Any horse with laminitis should be kept on box rest with a deep soft bed, such as shavings, to limit the risk of movement of the pedal bone while the inflammation of the laminae is ongoing.

How long on box rest for laminitis?

Every case of laminitis is different, but a horse is likely to need to be on box rest for at least a month after the initial signs of pain pass, even for a mild case of laminitis. More serious cases are likely to have to remain on box rest for a number of months while treatment is ongoing.

References and further reading:

• Royal Veterinary College’s laminitis fact file pub. undated
• COVID-19 impacts equine welfare: Policy implications for laminitis and obesity pub. May 2021
• Age over 25 years, but not plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone con­cen­tration above the seasonally adjusted reference range is predictive for radio­graphically assessed changes of chronic laminitis in elderly horses pub. December 2020
• A comparison of seven methods for continuous therapeutic cooling of the equine digit pub. January 2016
• Preliminary observations on the use of ertugliflozin in the management of hyperinsulinaemia and laminitis in 51 horses: A case series pub. November 2022
  
• Horse owner experiences and observations with the use of SGLT2i for the management of equine metabolic syndrome and hyperinsulinaemia-associated laminitis pub. April 2024

You may also be interested in…

Hopes new drug can help laminitis cases – but good management remains key

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Equine Cushing’s disease aka Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID in horses)

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Due to the fact that laminitis is effected by diet, finding feeds suitable for horses prone to lamintis is a real challenge. Horses prone to laminitis require a low starch and sugar diet – a combined level below 10% is considered low, but really the lower the better. Even if overweight, they still need a balanced feed ration to avoid deficiencies, especially when grazing is restricted.

It’s important to understand that these feeds don’t treat laminitis, but are formulated for horses prone to the condition. This guide explores the options available to help you make the right choice for your horse. If you’re still unsure, consult a feed manufacturer’s nutritional helpline.

Feeds suitable for horses prone to laminitis

Jump to:

• Fibre-based chaffs
• Soaked feeds
• Low-calorie balancers

Fibre-based chaffs

Dengie Meadow Lite with Herbs

Bag weight: 15kg

RRP: £14.99

• Energy: 5MJ/kg
• Sugar: 3%
• Starch: 0.5%

A soft, tasty blend of British grown, chopped, precision-dried grass and high-quality oat straw for maximum fibre content whilst being low in calories. Suitable for good-doers and those prone to laminitis, naturally low in sugar and starch with tasty herbs – cinnamon and thyme – plus postbiotics to promote digestive health, can be fed as a total or partial forage replacer. Free from molasses, cereals, alfalfa & preservatives.

Mollichaff Light Molasses Free

Bag weight: 12.5kg

RRP: £8.79

• Energy: 7.5MJ/kg
• Sugar: 1.8%
• Starch: 3.9%

High in fibre, while being low in starch and sugar. This highly palatable chaff contains straw, fibre pellets, and grass that is dressed with soya oil. This chaff can be fed as a partial forage replacer or to complement your hard feed or balancer. It is suitable for good doers and those that have endocrine and metabolic issues that could lead to laminitis.

Spillers Happy Hoof Molasses Free

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £18.15

Laminitis Trust Approved: Yes

• Energy: 8.8MJ/kg
• Sugar: 1.25%
• Starch: 1.5%

This product is the same as the original Happy Hoof, providing all the same nutrients, but without the molasses coating, which lowers the sugar content from 4% to just 1.25%. For those concerned about molasses this is a low calorie fibre blend with garlic and no added sugar. It contains biotin and a full range of added vitamins and minerals to provide a balanced diet and can be used as a total hay replacer.

Dengie Healthy Hooves Molasses Free

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £17.45

• Energy: 8.5MJ/kg
• Sugar: 2.5%
• Starch: 1.5%

This nutritionally-balanced, high fibre feed has been formulated with B vitamins, biotin and MSM to promote stronger hooves and healthy joints. It’s made from a blend of soft cereal straw with chopped and pelleted nutrient rich alfalfa. It’s low in calories, which makes it ideal for good-doers and laminitis prone. It has a light rapeseed oil coating that provides slow-release energy and coat shine, plus garlic to help tempt fussy feeders.

Dodson & Horrell Safe & Sound

Bag weight: 18kg

RRP: £19.29

• Energy: 8.7MJ/kg
• Sugar: 5%
• Starch: 5.8%

This fibre-based feed is formulated specifically for horses prone to laminitis. It contains blended herbs, added biotin for hoof support and antioxidants to support the body’s ability to fight against free radical damage.

Honeychop Lite & Healthy

Bag weight: 15kg

RRP: £16

• Energy: 8MJ/kg
• Sugar: 3.5%
• Starch: 0.5%

Is a non-heating, molasses-free, low sugar fibre feed suitable for those prone to laminitis. It is a soft, palatable blend of oat straw, timothy grass, herbs, marigolds and cinnamon with a light coating of oil.

Spillers Happy Hoof

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £17.45

• Energy: 8.8MJ/kg
• Sugar: 4%
• Starch: 1.5%

This high fibre feed is suitable for horses prone to laminitis as it will produce a low insulin response – and being low calorie it is also ideal for good-doers, natives and those in light work. It can be fed on its own, alongside a balancer or as a hay replacer. The blend includes short chopped fibre to extend eating time, contains biotin to support hoof health, and a full range of added vitamins and minerals to provide a balanced diet.

Pure Feeds Pure Fibre Balance

Bag weight: 15kg

RRP: £23.93

• Energy: 9MJ/kg
• Sugar: 3%
• Starch: 7%

Specially formulated for good doers – horses that maintain condition easily and don’t need extra calories. With a high fibre content and a concentrated dose of balancer, it provides all the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients without the risk of unwanted weight gain. This low-calorie, all-in-one feed supports digestive health including prebiotics and probiotics for gut function, essential amino acids for muscle maintenance, biotin for healthy hooves and coat, and added salt for electrolyte balance.

Thunderbrook Organic Herbalite

Bag weight: 12.5kg

RRP: £17.75

• Energy: 7.2MJ/kg
• Sugar: 4.6%
• Starch: 1%

A tasty mix of diverse, organically grown UK meadow hay, combined with organic oat straw, plus organic mint and fennel seed.

Allen & Page L Mix

Bag weight: 15kg

RRP: From £16.40

• Energy: 7MJ/kg
• Sugar: 1.5%
• Starch: 3.75%

L Mix is a chaff based feed that is suitable for those prone to laminitis. The alfalfa and chaff ensures increased chewing time, which is beneficial for horses on a restricted diet and can help to maintain a healthy digestive system. It contains no added sugars, molasses or cereal grains and has an extremely low digestible energy. It contains herbs for palatability, pre- and probiotics, and linseed, which is a good source of omega-3. Suitable for horses with intolerances to cereal grains or molasses.

Soaked feeds

Also known as a mash, these products are soaked before feeding. While frequently composed of fibre-based elements, they can also include cereals and other components, such as herbs.

British Horse Feeds Speedi-Beet

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £20.50

Soaking time: 10 minutes

Laminitis Trust Approved: Yes

• Energy: 2MJ/kg
• Sugar: 5%

A highly nutritious, quick soaking (10 minute) beet pulp feed, with no added molasses, 95% sugar free. Made using only best quality British Beet Pulp, Speedi-Beet is subjected to a patented cooking process to produce a unique feed.There’s a high proportion of soluble fibre, mostly pectins, which means its fibre is more easily digested than that found in forage e.g. hay. This makes it a great source of non-heating slow-release energy. It’s starch free and low in sugar, so safe for horses prone to laminitis.

Spillers Speedy-Mash Fibre

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £18.15

Soaking time: 1 minute

• Energy: 8MJ/kg
• Sugar: 2.5%
• Starch: 7.5%

This molasses and cereal-free, low-starch and sugar formula is suitable for laminitic, senior, and weight-prone horses, even those with poor teeth or in light work. Its quality protein supports topline and muscle tone without excess calories. Prebiotics and probiotics support hindgut health. Highly digestible and palatable with an apple aroma, to temp fussy feeders.

Baileys Natural Meadow Cobs

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: From £22

Soaking time: up to 1 hour

• Energy: 6MJ/kg
• Sugar: 7.8%
• Starch: 2.2%

Made from late-cut perennial meadows, these are high in fibre, yet low in starch, sugars and calories, and soak to a tasty fibrous mash for extended chew time alongside any existing balanced diet. Ideal as an alternative to a low calorie chaff or unmolassed beet pulp.

British Horse Feeds Fibre-Beet

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £22

Soaking time: 45 minutes

Laminitis Trust Approved: Yes

• Sugar: 5%
• Starch 3%

This is a combination of Speedi-Beet and alfalfa supplemented with biotin, sodium and calcium. It has all the benefits of Speedi-Beet with its high level of easily digested soluble fibre for slow energy release, along with low starch and sugar but can be fed in larger quantities. This makes it a good conditioning feed and is ideal for those needing to control starch intake.

Allen & Page Care & Gain

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: From £16.40

Soaking time: 3 minutes

• Energy: 10.75MJ/kg
• Sugar: 4.5%
• Starch: 4.5%

This high-calorie feed designed for laminitis-prone horses and ponies, ideal for weight gain and higher energy needs with low starch and sugar. Contains quality protein for muscle maintenance in older horses, plus vitamins C and E for immunity, antioxidants, and muscle function. Calories from digestible fibre and oil support controlled weight gain and normal metabolism.

Keyflow Pink Mash

Bag weight: 15kg

RRP: From £24.50

Soaking time: 5 minutes

• Energy: 9MJ/kg
• Sugar: <2%
• Starch <2%

This mash is enriched with super fibres and beetroot to support the daily diet with high levels of prebiotics, aiding in the restoration of beneficial microflora for improved fibre digestion. Its low sugar and starch content makes it ideal for barefoot horses and thoseprone to laminitis. It can serve as a partial substitute for hay or forage and is particularly suitable for horses prone to digestive issues, with a very low feeding rate.

Balancers

Balancers, typically pelleted, are concentrated feeds formulated to offer horses a well-rounded diet without excessive calorie intake. Their low feeding rate makes them a great option for good-doers.

TopSpec AntiLam Forage Balancer

Bag weight: 15kg

RRP: £34.75

• Energy: 9MJ/kg
• Starch: 6.5%

This balancer is designed to provide nutritional support for those prone to laminitis. The formula combines several supplements with a high fibre, very low-calorie carrier to make it palatable. It can also be used as part of a calorie-controlled diet when weight loss is required.

Baileys No.14 Lo-Cal Balancer

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £34

• Sugar: 5.5%
• Starch: 6%

This balancer provides essential nutrients without the calories associated with a mix or cube. It contains quality protein to provide the building blocks for muscle, skin and hoof and help maintain topline and tissue integrity, as well as a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals, including biotin and antioxidants. It also has Digest Plus prebiotic and a probiotic yeast to support gut health.

Blue Chip Lami Lite Balancer

Sizes: 15kg

RRP: £40.35

• Energy: 9.1MJ/kg
• Sugar: 4.5%
• Starch: 11%

A palatable formulation for those prone to laminitis, on restricted grazing, and a wide range of good-doers. Lami Light is a low starch, molasses free, no added sugar balancer that supports digestive health, fat metabolism and hoof quality.

Simple System Horse Feeds MetaSlim

Sizes: 10kg or 20kg

RRP: £39.95 for 10kg, £71.95 for 20kg

• Energy: 11.75MJ/kg
• Sugar: <4%
• Starch: <4%

A balancing feed specifically designed for those challenged by weight, and prone to laminitis. Made from functional, plant-based ingredients, MetaSlim offers natural support, for horses with fat pads, crests and metabolic issues.

Baileys No.19 Performance Balancer

Bag weight: 20kg

RRP: £36

• Sugar: 6.5%
• Starch: 6%

This balancer supplies the additional nutrients that are required by an increased workload without the unwanted calories. It helps build and maintain muscle and topline, while a full balance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants support healthy hoof growth, metabolism and recovery. The low starch and sugar levels also make it suitable for those with elevated nutrient requirements (not calories) and prone to laminitis.

Spillers Lite & Lean Balancer

Sizes: 20kg

RRP: £34.89

• Energy: 9.5MJ/kg
• Sugar: 3%
• Starch: 7%

A multi-vitamin and mineral balancer that supports the health of horses on a weight loss diet. These feed pellets are high in the essential amino acid, lysine, which is typically deficient in weight loss diets and supports muscle and topline.

Dodson & Horrell Go Lite Balancer

Sizes: 15kg

RRP: £26.13

• Energy: 8.5MJ/kg
• Sugar: 4%
• Starch: 8.5%

This low-calorie balancer is suitable for horses in need of a calorie-controlled diet and those prone to laminitis. It contains an effective level of biotin, zinc and methionine for hoof strength and growth, as well as natural antioxidants to support overall health, and protected yeast to support a healthy hindgut and nutrient uptake.

How to choose a suitable feed for a laminitis prone horse

If a horse is overweight and laminitis prone, it can be tempting to think they don’t require a bucket feed at all. While they don’t need to be supplied with energy or calories, consuming only grass or forage won’t provide everything they need. Deficiencies are even greater if grazing or forage have to be restricted to facilitate weight loss and manage the risk of laminitis. Therefore, feed rations for horses prone to laminitis need to be balanced and tailored to their individual needs.

It’s important to be aware that these feeds do not treat laminitis in any way, but are carefully formulated so that they are suitable to feed to a horse that is prone to the condition. If you’re at all unsure, it’s advisable to call a free nutritional helpline for additional advice – these are provided by most feed manufacturers.

For a good-doer or overweight horse, the bucket feed tops up the nutrients that are naturally lacking in grass and forage. This top up can be achieved by using a fortified feed, which is designed to provide a balanced ration when fed at the recommended quantity, or by feeding one of the best vitamin and mineral supplements (you can also find supplements for horses on restricted grazing) or feed balancers added to a low-calorie fibre feed.

Feeding a poor-doer that is prone to laminitis can be more challenging, as you’ll need to find feeds that contain more energy/calories but are still low in sugar and starch – look out for unmolassed alfalfa chaffs with added oil, or soaked beet products.

What is The Laminitis Trust approval mark?

The Laminitis Trust established an approval mark for horse feeds that reach certain standards as outlined by their scientific committee. The idea is that it will help owners identify feeds that are considered suitable for horses that either are considered prone to laminitis or are suffering from laminitis.

Feed manufacturers can apply to The Laminitis Trust for approval, but many choose not to do so despite developing feeds that are specifically formulated for horses prone to laminitis.

We’ve rounded up a selection of feeds that manufacturers describe as suitable for feeding to horses prone to laminitis, some of which are also approved by The Laminitis Trust. It includes some fibres, fully balanced feeds and balancers, so that you can find something that works for you and your horse. Before deciding what to feed a horse who is prone to laminitis, it’s advisable to call a free nutritional helpline for additional advice.

You might also be interested in:

12 supplements formulated for horses on restricted grazing

Best feed balancers for all horses: what’s on the market?

Laminitis: how to spot the signs, plus treatments and ways to prevent it

Expert advice for feeding horses with or prone to laminitis – what owners need to know

How to calculate your horse’s body condition score – is he the right weight?

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With rates of obesity thought to be as high as 70% in some populations of ponies, it’s invariably weight loss rather than weight gain that’s needed to keep most of our horses healthy and this means cutting back on the availability of grass to them.

Excess weight can significantly increase the risk of horses and ponies developing laminitis, alongside causing other potential problems ranging from insulin dysfunction to being unable to perform at their best, whether that’s on a relaxing hack or while out competing.

Tips to help you take control of your horse’s weight

1. Use winter wisely every year and allow your horse to lose weight naturally. Being able to see your horse’s ribs is healthy as you enter spring and will give some scope for natural weight gain when the grass starts to grow.

2. Restrict grazing because grass in its growing stages is highly calorific:

• Consider turning out overnight when there is likely to be less water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC sugar and fructan) in the grass, but keep an eye on the amount of time you turn your horse out for as the lower level of WSC may be negated if you are turning them out for 16 hours rather than eight hours during the day
• Strip graze to restrict the amount of accessible grass and consider back fencing to make grazing restriction more effective.
• Consider implementing a track system to reduce grass intake and encourage movement.
• Turn out for longer on sparser paddocks with lower quality grazing rather than on lush pasture for a limited time, to prevent binge eating.
• Try a grazing muzzle remembering to introduce it carefully and not use it for more than 12 hours per day. Ensure it’s worn for the duration of your horse being turned out to avoid compensatory eating once the muzzle has been removed.

3. Assess faecal output daily to check for changes in pasture intake when you have restricted the grazing. The latest research suggests you need to see a decrease of around half to result in weight loss if the horse previously had unrestricted access to pasture.

4. Don’t use rugs unnecessarily – very few horses need them in summer, even if it’s raining! Instead allow your horse to naturally shake off a few pounds by keeping themselves warm, as nature intended.

5. Feed alternative forage to horses and ponies at very high risk of laminitis. Ideally remove them from pasture altogether and feed a suitable forage/short chopped fibre, preferably one of the feeds that has been approved by the Laminitis Trust.

6. Invest in forage analysis to make sure you know the nutrient and WSC content of the hay or haylage you plan to use for your weight loss programme.

7. Weigh forage before feeding having first discussed with your vet the appropriate percentage bodyweight ration your horse needs to promote weight loss (if soaking start with 20% more dry weight as some dry matter will be lost post soaking). Consider using a slow feeder to extend eating time.

8. Increase exercise to a minimum of 25 minutes (including 15 minutes at brisk trot) five times a week to help keep your horse’s waistline in check and support a healthy metabolism.

9. Provide nutritional support to ensure your horse has a balanced diet. The latest research recommends that a low calorie, protein, vitamin and mineral supplement or balancer should always be included in the diet of horses on restricted forage.

10. Monitor your horse’s weight by regularly reviewing your weight loss programme with your vet or nutritionist. Use a weighbridge for accuracy and then assess and record weight weekly using body condition scoring and a weigh tape (like this one on Amazon).

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If you’re on the search for the “best laminitis supplements”, it’s important to be aware that supplements will not cure laminitis or make a lame horse sound – only regulated medicines can claim to do so. It’s also important to bear in mind that laminitis is a medical emergency – if your horse is showing signs of laminitis you should call your vet immediately.

However, as horses on restricted grass intake require additional support to remain fit and healthy, targeted “laminitis supplements” can help to support the diets of horses in this category throughout their lives. Most overweight equines are susceptible to laminitis, as are those diagnosed with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), insulin dysregulation (ID), or Cushing’s disease (PPID), but ensuring they have the right diet and nutritional support is a key step in helping to avoid an attack.

In general, supplements that are formulated to support horses on restricted grazing and sensitive to spring and autumn grass flushes deliver nutrition that supports healthy hoof growth and promotes circulation in a low-sugar and starch form. They can be added to feeds suitable for horses prone to laminitis for easy feeding.

‘Laminitis supplements’: what are your options?

Here is a selection of available supplements to support horses on restricted grazing, including the manufacturers’ descriptions of their products…

NB: Cost per day has been calculated using the maintenance measure for a 500kg horse in light work (where there was variation) and the RRP of the smallest available tub. Some products require you to feed more in some situations, which will increase the cost per daily measure, while buying a larger tub will likely decrease it – these costs per day are a guide only.

NAF Laminaze

Sizes: 750g, 3kg

RRP: £42.99 for 750g

Daily measure: 25–50g

Cost per day: From £1.43 – £2.87

This blend of more than 40 ingredients combines key gut support, bio-available sulphur and targeted nutrients, in a palatable formula to maintain hoof health and improve the diet. Prebiotics and live probiotics are included to promote a stable, healthy gut environment, while antioxidants support the liver.

Aviform Equine Lamino

Sizes: 1kg, 2kg

RRP: £18.95 for 1kg

Daily measure: 45g

Cost per day: £0.85

This contains a blend of ingredients that are particularly useful when the blood supply to the foot has been impaired.

Global Herbs LamiPro Liquid

Sizes: 500ml, 1l, 5l

RRP: £28.50 for 500ml

Daily measure: 10ml

Cost per day: £0.57

This palatable herbal supplement works by providing nutritional support for digestion, metabolism, liver function and feed utilisation. This combined action supports and comforts the feet at any time throughout the year. The formula is fast-acting and provides nutritional support from the first day fed. Also available in powder form.

Lincoln Laminide

Sizes: 600g

RRP: £46.50

Daily measure: 7g

Cost per day: £0.55

Formulated to support and help maintain normal, healthy circulation to the hooves and the laminae, this supplement is made from 100% natural ingredients. In an ideal situation it can be fed all year round or when management changes occur, combined with exercise where appropriate and weight control, in order to support healthy blood flow and circulation.

Dodson & Horrell Lami-Free

Sizes: 1.5kg

RRP: £22.70

Daily measure: 38–47½g

Cost per day: From £0.58

This dried herbal blend has been formulated for the nutritional maintenance of the laminae. It contains nettle and rosehips, which promote healthy circulation and immune function, and seaweed, which provides minerals essential for healthy hoof growth.

Equine America Lamigard TRT Regular Solution

Sizes: 1l

RRP: £55.50

Daily measure: 30ml

Cost per day: £1.67

This liquid supplement is low in sugar and starch, while also high in fibre. It provides nutritional and antioxidant support, is easy to feed and is suitable for

horses receiving a very low concentrate feed.

Cavalor LaminAid

Sizes: 1l

RRP: £99

Daily measure: 20ml

Cost per day: £1.98

This supports the sensitive intestinal flora and helps to maintain balance in hormonal and metabolic processes. It also helps to support blood circulation and promote blood flow in the hoof. Best used in conjunction with Cavalor PodoSens.

Omega Equine Laminology

Sizes: 900g, 1.8kg

RRP: £31

Daily measure: 15-30g

Cost per day: From £0.52 – £1.03

This supplement is formulated from a collection of natural ingredients for supporting healthy laminae and hooves. It contains nettle, hawthorn and rosehips, to promote circulation and immune function, and biotin, which promotes healthy hoof growth.

Horse First Hoof First

Sizes: 750g, 2kg, 5kg

RRP: £25.30 for 750g

Daily measure: 25g

Cost per day: £0.84

This supplement contains 40mg of biotin per serving, plus all the essential vitamins and minerals to successfully grow strong, healthy hooves.

Maxavita MaxaLami

Sizes: 900g

RRP: £24

Daily measure: 30g

Cost per day: £0.80

Containing powerful antioxidants and green-lipped mussel, this supplement supports the health and wellbeing of horses on restricted diets. Key ingredients support the development of healthy hooves and laminae and promote optimum circulation. It also contains a prebiotic that has been seen to have a beneficial effect on weight management and digestive microflora, especially when feed and calorie intake is being managed.

TopSpec AntiLam

Sizes: 15kg

RRP: £34.95

Daily measure: 500g

Cost per day: £1.17

This pelleted multi-supplement designed to provide nutritional support for those prone to, being treated for, or recovering from laminitis. It combines several supplements with a high fibre, very low-calorie carrier to make it palatable. Long-term trials have shown that it does not promote weight gain when on restricted or poor grazing.

Saracen KER Bio-Bloom PS

Sizes: 2kg, 4kg, 10kg

RRP: £90.32 for 2kg

Daily measure: 30g

Cost per day: £1.35

This is a dual action supplement designed to support and maintain hoof and coat condition formulated with key nutrients, high levels of biotin, lecithin, iodine, methionine, chelated zinc at research-proven levels shown to support hoof growth.

How to choose the best laminitis supplement for your horse

Most supplements formulated for horses prone to laminitis are low in sugar and include a range of herbs known for their support and development of healthy hooves and laminae and promote optimum circulation. They are available in powder or liquid form. Make sure you choose the form your horse prefers to ensure they are getting the required amount for the desired results.

If you’re looking for a more general hoof supplement to support your horse’s hooves and encourage healthy growth, check out this selection of the best hoof supplements.

We’ve calculated the daily cost of all the supplements featured in this guide to help you compare them easily. To make it as comparable as possible, we’ve used the smallest tubs available, but if you’re better off buying a larger volume of supplement if you can as the daily cost can become significantly lower.

If you compete with your horse then it is important you make sure any supplements you use do not contain any prohibited substances.

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Lean horses could be at as much risk of laminitis as their fat counterparts, research has found.

The study, led by Marine Barnabé in association with Spillers, looked at adiponectin, a hormone coming from fat deposits, and its relationship with obesity.

Adiponectin is thought to improve sensitivity to insulin, and previous work by the brand and its associates has shown that low blood concentrations of adiponectin reflect an increased risk of laminitis. Lower levels of it have been found in obese horses, but this study found this can also be the case in lean native ponies.

“This work supports earlier research, conducted in collaboration with the Spillers brand, which showed that severe insulin dysregulation can also be found in lean ponies,” a spokesman for Spillers said. “Collectively, the work confirms that lean ponies can also be at higher risk of metabolic disease and associated laminitis.”

For the study, adiponectin levels were compared in 734 native ponies of different body condition scores, breeds and body shapes, with and without history of laminitis.

“This study together with our previous work has provided us with the important take-home message that you cannot presume that just because your horse or pony is lean or of ideal bodyweight it is automatically at reduced risk,” said Sarah Nelson, product manager at Mars Horsecare, which owns Spillers.

“They may still have insulin dysregulation and/or low adiponectin concentrations and so be at an increased risk of laminitis. If you are concerned it is important to speak to your vet and have your horse or pony tested. It’s also advisable to contact your nutrition advisor to ensure you provide the best diet to manage your individual.”

The study also found a significant difference in adiponectin levels between ponies of different body shapes. The middle-heavy shape was associated with higher levels, suggesting that this fat accumulation pattern may be less detrimental in ponies, although the team said more work is needed to investigate these findings.

“Understanding the modifiable factors associated with total adiponectin concentrations may help to identify targets for preventive or therapeutic intervention, with the goal of reducing the development of endocrinopathic laminitis in at-risk horses and ponies,” said Ms Barnabé.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

“Dilemmas” around turnout, euthanasia and restrictive grazing have come under discussion by experts as they navigate what “good welfare” really means.

At the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (13–16 September), animal welfare specialist Madeleine Campbell chaired a panel discussion comprising vets Imogen Burrows, Becky Smith and Isabella Wild, and animal welfare researcher Jo Hockenhull, to tackle the theme: “Good health or good welfare? Why can’t we agree what good welfare means?”

Professor Campbell opened the discussion by highlighting that in vets’ everyday working lives, they come up against “welfare dilemmas”, and one current issue is that there are numerous definitions of welfare, and debate on whether there is a difference between welfare and wellbeing.

The aim of the session was to discuss how a lack of agreement on what good welfare means can affect vets’ ability to serve the best interests of horses under their care – and vets and nurses in their daily practice.

The panellists presented case studies during which they considered the difference between health and welfare, and the moral decisions involved in each.

One was a horse with a history of laminitis, who was kept on restricted grazing with no animal companionship. From a health perspective, the horse was deemed to be doing well as he had had no recent laminitic episodes, but the question arose whether keeping him alone was good for his welfare.

“Welfare is not just that physical state,” said Dr Hockenhull, researcher at the Bristol Veterinary School. “I’d be thinking what effect is the restriction on that pony’s diet having on its mental wellbeing, and desire to perform behaviours such as foraging.

“The other concern I’d have would be relating to his social life; not only is he the only horse on that property, he can’t see or hear any other horses, which raises massive concerns for a social species kept in that level of isolation.”

Another case study opened the floor for debate on palliative care for horses, and whether it is reasonable for vets to give this when it is known that the end point is euthanasia. An example was provided of giving an owner a couple of days to come to terms with a euthanasia decision.

“Do we have responsibility towards owners as well, to enable them to have some time to come round to what’s going on, or should we be euthanising the animal there and then?,” asked Professor Campbell.

The topic of giving horses “one last summer” was raised and the ethics surrounding this.

“We see it all the time when owners say, ‘Can we have one last summer?’ So we’re providing palliative care to the arthritic horse by putting them on bute until the mud kicks in,” one attendee said. “But is that right? The horse is lame, sore, and just in the same way we’d pop a paracetamol, we’re saying it’s fine, carry on – and when the mud kicks in, we’ll put them to sleep.”

Imogen Burrows, who chairs the BEVA ethics and welfare committee, said she had dealt with a case where the owner of an ataxic horse felt pressure from others on their yard to delay euthanasia.

“Why do we have this thing of one last summer? If this issue happened in October, would we wait until the following September?,” said Dr Burrows.

“We have a job to go in and assess that horse, and we have to remember we are assessing the welfare of that horse as to whether that summer is worth it.”

A hypothetical case study looked at a high-level competition stallion given one hour of turnout per day, and the welfare concerns attached to this.

Many attendees had dealt with similar cases where owners raised concerns about the risk of competition horses’ injuring themselves in field accidents, and it was agreed that giving these owners positive examples of studs and riders that regularly turn out horses, such as Carl Hester and William Whitaker, can be beneficial.

“There’s some amazing stuff going on, but it never gets shouted about and people aren’t hearing that it can be done, and done well. These horses are still performing at a high level, but their basic needs are being met,” said Dr Hockenhull.

“It’s having that evidence and these people telling their stories, whether they are an influencer or a big name in the sport, and the more we can drip-feed from different levels and have that evidence to tell people about, the better it’s going to be.”

A recurring message was the usefulness of objective frameworks and measurement systems, such as the five domains system, and quality of life assessment tools, to help vets have difficult discussions with owners and clients.

“Having these frameworks, whether it’s the domain models, pain score models, or whatever it is, helps with engaging that conversation and not making people feel judged and they know we’re trying to optimise everything and work together,” said Dr Burrows. “To align health and welfare is a really hard juggle, but by opening the doors to the conversation it’s the best we can do.”

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The owner of a 32-year-old gelding who was chased to exhaustion, causing traumatic laminitis, said she cannot comprehend why anyone would have done such a thing.

Kath O’Donnell told H&H her traditional cob Samson was fit, happy and still enjoying hacking out in April, when he was injured days after his 32nd birthday.

“It’s been horrific,” Kath said. “He does seem a bit brighter-eyed this week but it’s been three months, and he’s still got a long road ahead. I’ve had him 29 years, and I really thought we were going to lose him.”

Kath said her husband Andy found Samson unable to move in his field on 4 April.

“He was just standing there; we knew something had happened,” she said. “The vet came and gave him pain relief, and she found a wound on his fetlock, but he had to be flushed [with water] as he was in too much pain even to poo.”

Andy then found tyre tracks in the field, and blood tests carried out by the vets showed some interesting results.

“The muscle enzyme levels showed he’d run and run, which he wouldn’t have done by himself,” Kath said. “It was starting to make sense. Someone had gone in his field with a motorbike or something, and he was forced to run until he was exhausted. He couldn’t poo for weeks without us syringing water in, and the weight dropped off him; it must have been so traumatic. He was made to run the way he shouldn’t have been running at his age.”

X-rays showed rotation of Samson’s pedal bone in his left forefoot; traumatic laminitis is brought on by repeated physical trauma to the hooves. The O’Donnells have set up a fundraising page towards their veterinary bills.

“It’s only in his left foot; the vet said it’s unusual but it’s because he was made to run,” Kath said. “He is allowed out during the day but not with his friends; he’s lost his summer. It’s cost us about £4,000 so far and we’ve had to forfeit our holiday, because someone’s attacked an ancient horse; I can’t get my head round it. What satisfaction they got out of doing this to him, I’ll never know.

“He still isn’t out of the woods but this week’s the first time I’ve seen in his eye that he’s himself. He’s a star, one in a million.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Vets have urged owners to be on guard following a spike in laminitis cases around the country. Practices have reported a higher than usual number of cases this year, which “needs to be taken seriously”.

H&H vet Karen Coumbe said Bell Equine in Kent has seen a “huge number” of cases recently, and more this year than last.

“It’s not just the fat ponies, we’re seeing it across the board,” she said. “The grass is a huge contributory factor, but it’s multifactorial; hormones, horses that are overweight and insufficient exercise.

“Laminitis is an awful disease, sadly with poor outcomes in many cases, despite everyone’s best efforts, and prevention has to be better than cure. The key message is watching your horse’s weight and being aware of what you’re feeding. It is always best to look at the bigger picture.”

British Equine Veterinary Association council member Imogen Burrows told H&H that grazing quality and quantity tend to alter rapidly throughout the seasons, and “perhaps we are not adapting our grazing management strategies as promptly and effectively as we could”.

“With the recent variable weather, grazing muzzles and electric fencing may have been kept in summer storage and not quite made it out yet, when in fact these grazing intake reduction tactics should ideally be in place as soon as pastures start to green up,” she said.

“We cannot solely blame the rapid arrival of lush grazing on the perceived increase in laminitis – but it adds another risk factor to the mix, and without mitigation, more risk results in more laminitis.”

Ms Burrows added that as many spring competitions were cancelled owing to the wet weather, “perhaps decreased competition demands have led to reduced exercise, a key factor in the management of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and insulin sensitivity”.

“It is well recognised that up to 80% of laminitis cases are caused by endocrine disorders, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction [Cushing’s disease] and EMS. However, with our dedication to providing the ‘best care’ for our horses year-round, winter has ceased to have the slimming effect it used to,” she said.

“Regardless of our perceptions of the frequency of laminitis occurring currently, we must consider laminitis the year-round threat that it is, identifying underlying causes and target risk factors year-round too. Risk can be reliably assessed to help prevent disease before it starts, using factors including fat scores, endocrine status and basal insulin levels. Laminitis remains responsible for a significant proportion of equine deaths in the UK. This demands we must do anything we can to prevent this devastating disease.”

Vet Edd Knowles of Bell Equine told H&H the number of cases tends to vary from year to year, and this can be dependent on the weather and grass growth. He said that the “vast majority” of the cases the practice and lab are currently seeing are hormone-related.

“Traditionally, the highest incidence of laminitis occurs typically in May or June, so it’s not unusual, but this year has been particularly marked. Some cases can be quite mild and sometimes people can be a bit blasé about it, but there are enough nasty cases out there that it needs to be taken seriously,” he said, adding that exercise plays an important role in managing horses and ponies at risk.

“There are some studies showing that even small amounts of exercise is enough to make a difference. You don’t have to be galloping up hills for hours. Our message is that, assuming the horse doesn’t have active laminitis at the time, any exercise is better than nothing,” he said.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

“Let your older horse talk to you”, is the advice from the owner of a 28-year-old gelding enjoying his “second chance at an active life”.

Kiki Maurey’s American quarter horse Snippers Soul Rebel (Ché) was retired in 2020 as he was intermittently unlevel, then went very lame in all four feet a year later. He was diagnosed with laminitis and PPID (Cushing’s) as well as issues in his teeth.

Three years of team effort later, including top veterinary and farrier treatment and Kiki’s care, he is back in work and happy.

“When Kiki first saw Ché in his stable, it was love at first sight,” said a spokesman for Seadown Veterinary Group, which treated Ché.

“She’s always loved grey horses and she recalls loving Ché’s big liquid eyes, his large cheeks, tiny ears and a lively intelligence.”

Kiki had painful joints and was considering hanging up her riding boots when she heard about five-year-old Ché. Her now ex-partner thought she had bought an overpriced New Forest pony but “thankfully it was my money, so no contest”, Kiki said.

Kiki competed and trained in western disciplines, settling on reining as her competitive discipline of choice. They were Garden of England Winter Circuit 2010 Rookie Circuit champions, trained with British Reining team member Doug Allen and competed with some of the best in Europe.

Their last competition was in 2012, after which they hacked out until Ché’s first retirement, at which time Kiki bought another horse.

Karolina Kalka, who came to see Ché when he went lame, X-rayed his feet.

“The radiographic study revealed subtle signs of chronic laminitis that had been overlooked for a while, due to a low level of discomfort being masked by the horse,” she said. “I took a blood sample and discovered that he also had early PPID that could have been associated with an insidious onset of laminar separation within the hoof capsule and mild rotation of the coffin bone. It was not that easy to spot as Ché had none of the classical appearance of early-onset PPID, having a good quality coat, preserved reasonable condition of his musculature and a normal demeanour. The horizontal position of the palmar processes of the coffin bone (flattened position) in the left fore hoof was associated with a mild but persistent discomfort exhibited by Che.”

Dental assessment showed he had multiple diastemata (enlarged spaces between his teeth), which had induced periodontal disease and discomfort.

Ché was put on a strict diet with limited turnout and medicated. He lost muscle but his next blood counts were positive, and he was shod in front with mesh and gel to give him support.

His condition improved but Kiki learned she had to be strict with his diet. The PPID affected his hoof quality but an assortment of foot pads and hoof boots kept him comfortable.

“I’ve learned my lesson: I need to be able to see a slight shadow from his ribs, avoid moving the electric fences too much, and avoid cereals, sugar beet, molasses or oil in his feed, giving damped good quality hay instead,” Kiki said. “And whenever the weather allows, put turnout hoof boots and pads on his front feet to protect his naturally thin soles.”

Kiki said Ché’s recovery has been a team effort, but that the horse himself is the key.

“With an exceptional work ethic he nudges me if we don’t ride out every few days,” she said. “A highly charismatic little horse, he fought as much as I did for his rehabilitation and still goes through all the many western dressage exercises in my back field with gusto. This builds muscle strength – even at a walk. Secondly, Karolina has a great mind and she’s been genuinely interested in getting Ché back to work. Finally, working with The Hoof Boutique was essential in finding the right boots for when Ché couldn’t take metal shoes and couldn’t tolerate going barefoot. All this taken together with a new farrier, has worked fabulously.”

Ché shows “no signs of slowing down” despite his age.

“After years of chronic knee pain, I’m now on a waiting list for a knee replacement,” said Kiki. “I’m as lame as a crow but riding western on a highly responsive and intelligent quarter horse allows me to continue being active. Ché keeps himself in self-carriage on very little contact, never trips, needs no kicking on, and is obedient to neck-reining and my voice. When I mount, we feel like one and he returns to me the thrill of freedom of movement and speed I once experienced in my youth. As for getting off, he patiently stands four-square while I carefully heave myself to the ground, doing the same when I mount, positioning himself perfectly by the mounting block, never moving until my old bum settles in the saddle. And then we’re off.”

Kiki’s advice to other owners includes finding a vet who will work with the farrier and being prepared to change habits.

“Let your old horse talk to you,” she said. “Some older horses thrive with having a job.

“Lots of cuddles, blanket changes and grooming, like with us humans, physical comfort brings its own rewards – I think Ché heals me, and I heal him.”

Karolina added that Ché is an “excellent example of an elderly horse that thrives thanks to the owner, who insists on maintaining a good quality of life of her beloved horse”.

“It is a time-consuming and demanding process, but thankfully, is equally rewarding,” she said.

“Geriatric medicine should mean more than just reducing pain originating from poorly defined sources with bute. Resolution of the discomfort can be achieved in many cases and it should be sought, as there can be a reasonable solution easily available that might change not only your horse’s life, but also your own!

“Ché can now enjoy the twilight period of his life to the very fullest extent, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

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Choose a pair of the best hoof boots so you can saddle up and go exploring

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A pony who could barely walk as all four pedal bones were threatening to emerge through his soles is now fit and happy and in full work.

Alex Aungier’s Welsh Section A Friars Gold Fever was struck by acute laminitis two years ago. Now rising 19, he’s fit and well, goes out for full days’ hunting with Alex’s daughter Gracie, and is “like a four-year-old”.

Alex told H&H “Flash” was sound, happy and healthy one day, then barely able to walk the next.

“It was so sudden; Gracie had been jumping him the day before and he was absolutely fine,” Alex said. “At that point, I didn’t know anything about laminitis; I thought it was a disease fat ponies got from grass and that was all I knew. But I’ve since learned it’s often secondary to another issue; it turned out he had [equine metabolic syndrome] EMS and Cushing’s. Normal insulin levels are 12 to 20 and his were 375. And by the time you start seeing the signs of laminitis, the damage is already done.”

Alex called the vet and had X-rays done, which showed that all four pedal bones were rotated at least 11 degrees. The hind feet were worse; one was rotated by 14 degrees.

“His near hind was pointing straight down, millimetres from his sole,” Alex said. “It was desperate times.”

Under a farrier who specialises in laminitics, Flash made slow but steady progress, as his feet were redmodelled and supported. He was trimmed and X-rayed every four weeks, and on box rest for months.

“He was such a good patient,” Alex said. “Absolutely brilliant all the time. I was trying to manage his EMS but the treatment he was having was being counteracted by the Cushing’s. So because we weren’t treating the cause, the laminitis wasn’t getting better. But my vet tested him, found he had Cushing’s and then we could treat him.”

Alex said that with hindsight, she has realised the trigger of the laminitis was some rye grass haylage Flash had in December.

“I’ve since found out that’s a complete no-no for EMS, and that’s what must have pushed him over the edge,” she said.

“Months in, he looked better; his feet were growing beautifully and he had reverse aluminium plates to support his frogs, still being trimmed every four weeks, and by November 2021 we thought we were getting there. We hoped we could get him pasture sound, then by January we thought he might be up to light hacking. In August last year, he did a Horse of the Year Show working hunter qualifier and came third.”

Flash is now carefully managed and on medication but he is able to live a normal and happy life, turned out in a herd and enjoying himself with Gracie, out with the Surrey Union.

“He’s amazing, he’s my boy,” Alex said. “Of all the ponies, and I love them all dearly, he’s the apple of my eye. He’s the kindest, sweetest, nicest boy and he and Gracie have such a partnership; he loves her and she loves him.

“After four and a half hours with the Surrey Union last weekend, they passed me, him cantering sideways and pulling her arms out, looking like a four-year-old. When I look back at those horrible days – he will be with us for ever.”

Alex urged anyone in a similar situation to understand what is involved.

“With laminitis you have to have deep pockets, time and patience,” she said. “It takes a year for the foot to grow out, and even when they look sound, don’t take things too quickly. It’s important to X-ray because if you don’t, you’re blind to what’s going on. People need to understand that laminitis is often secondary to something else.

“Throughout the whole thing, there was never a point I thought Flash had had enough; it was more a ‘Help me’ than ‘I’m done, Mum’. We are over the moon. He’s my boy and he’s never leaving us.”

British Equine Veterinary Association veterinary projects manager Lucy Grieve told H&H: “Flash’s story is an incredible one, which highlights what an awful condition laminitis is for everyone involved. He is lucky to have recovered to the extent he has, as so many do not despite owners’, vets’ and farriers’ best efforts. Sadly, many horses and ponies are living on the knife-edge of developing laminitis, without their owners knowing what could be round the corner. By making others aware of Flash’s lucky escape, Alex is helping others learn about the causes of laminitis and how to avoid it where possible.

“As Alex highlights, laminitis usually occurs as a result of having high insulin levels, which can occur with Cushing’s Disease (PPID), EMS, when a horse is overweight, a high starch and sugar diet or any combination of these factors. By keeping horses at a healthy weight and checking for PPID and high insulin, we can hopefully minimise the number of horses who succumb to laminitis and suffer its terrible effects.”

You might also be interested in:

Laminitis: how to spot the signs, plus treatments and ways to prevent it

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The winners of the prelim silver under-21 final at the Petplan Equine Area Festival Championships were a pair of 18-year-olds, Sophie Taylor riding Vision Of Dreams. The “incredible” 14.3hh palomino gelding, who is by Desired Vision, certainly did not look 18 as he busted his moves at Hartpury to finish 4% clear of her rivals with 71.25%.

The Area Festival Championships title was a very special win for Sophie Taylor, as “Sunny” was her first pony that she has had since she was 12 and has taught her everything she knows.

“When I got him I honestly fell off at walk – none of us knew what we were doing, and had to be taught how to muck out. He has made me the rider I am today and I owe him the world,” she said.

Sophie also explained that it “takes a whole team to keep him on the road” and that nothing is spared in keeping Sunny as happy and comfortable as possible as he enters his senior years, especially following a major health scare last year.

“A lot of work goes into him and it is huge credit to my mum as we could not do it without her,” she said. “He has very strict management. He was really poorly with laminitis last year and we thought we were going to lose him. So now he is on a really strict diet and he hates us for it. He also sees the physio and the chiropractor every six weeks or so, just to keep him ticking over.”

While Sophie and her family are conscious of not putting too much pressure on Sunny now he is older, “he’s nowhere near ready to be retired,” said Sophie.

“He’ll go out and probably do a few shows over the summer,” she said. “He doesn’t owe me anything.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A drug being used to treat horses suffering with acute laminitis is proving to be successful – but owners have been warned this does not mean they can become complacent in management practices.

Ertugliflozin, an SGL2 inhibitor used to help lower blood glucose levels in humans, has been found to lower insulin levels in horses, and is being used more in the treatment of laminitis and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). The drug does not have marketing authorisation for use in horses, but it can be prescribed by a vet in the UK.

David Rendle, chair of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s health and medicines committee, who has been involved in some of the research of the use of ertugliflozin, told H&H that although there is limited data available, the drug has been found to bring insulin levels down “remarkably quickly”.

“We have found in cases of laminitis the horse’s level of comfort increases very quickly. Everything is pointing toward SGL2s being an effective way of reducing the suffering associated with laminitis,” he said.

“This is exciting, but management still has to be the central theme. I wouldn’t want owners to think there’s now a magic bullet and they can be complacent about management, because that’s not the case.”

Pearl James’ gelding Murphy developed laminitis and EMS last autumn. Murphy had sustained an injury and could not be exercised, and despite strict management practices, he continued to put on weight. Having changed vet practices to Pinkham Equine, he was prescribed ertugliflozin by vet Rich Bristow.

Pearl told H&H within two weeks of Murphy being on the drug his insulin levels dropped from 150 to 11. Studies have indicated generally a horse’s insulin level should be below 20.

“We had been desperately trying to make him lose weight but no matter what he was getting fatter and fatter. You can reduce their food as much as you can, but you can’t starve them. Because we had the laminitis, coupled with the other lameness issue, I just felt up against it and desperate,” she said, adding that although the drug is expensive, she believes it has been worth it.

“Ertugliflozin has been like a wonder drug and Murphy looks amazing. If it wasn’t for this I don’t think we would have been able to keep laminitis away – and I don’t know if we would have been able to keep him going.”

Vet Rich Bristow told H&H there are other drugs that can be used for EMS and insulin resistance, but he believes ertugliflozin has been “the most effective”.

“If you can institute good management changes, in terms of feeding and weight loss and increasing exercise levels, then sometimes you can get horses’ glucose levels to come down – but the frustrating cases are when a horse is suffering from laminitis and can’t be exercised. There is no shortage of horses and ponies suffering from EMS so I’m sure there will be some who will benefit from this drug,” he said.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Knowing a pony’s insulin levels makes it possible to determine how at risk of laminitis it is – with the highest indicating a 70% chance of developing the condition, research has shown.

A study led by Edd Knowles of Bell Equine and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), funded by the RVC and Mars Petcare, has provided further evidence on indicators that a pony is at risk of laminitis.

The project involved 374 ponies, with no history of laminitis, from 24 premises. Over four years, they had six-monthly examinations, during which sugar syrup was administered and blood samples taken to monitor levels of insulin and ACTH, the hormone measured in PPID (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, often called Cushing’s disease) diagnosis. The ponies were also weighed and measured. Of the 374 ponies, 43 cases of laminitis were reported over four years.

Dr Knowles told H&H the aim of the study was to assess which factors were most useful when considering whether a pony was at risk of developing laminitis.

“We have known for a long time there are different things that can cause laminitis, whether it’s being overweight, grass, hormones, and we wanted to look at things that are practical for vets to measure and owners to determine fairly easily,” he said.

“In those who developed laminitis, when we looked at all the information collected in the visits beforehand, we found the levels of insulin in the blood were the most important factor. We expected insulin to be important, but what was interesting was how important it was compared to other things, like measuring a cresty neck for example. Blood testing tells you something you can’t see from the outside.”

“By knowing the different levels of insulin we can put a number on how high the risk is for that pony. For ponies where insulin stayed normal for four years, they were at a very low risk of laminitis. But for animals with the highest insulin dysregulation, we could say about 70% of them would develop laminitis in that time.”

Dr Knowles said it is important owners consider which ponies are at risk of developing laminitis and how they are kept. He added “logically” it could be assumed the study’s results would apply to horses as well as ponies, but more work is needed.

“We need to get better at identifying the animals at risk, and consider how we want to keep them.”

David Rendle, chair of the British Equestrian Veterinary Association’s health and medicines committee, told H&H the study backs up previous research and makes it “really clear” there is a strong link between insulin concentrations and the risk of laminitis.

“It’s helpful for owners to see that their horse has a high insulin level. We’ve spent years trying to persuade owners that their horses are overweight and need a diet, and it’s really difficult to change owner behaviour. So if we can show a horse has a very high level, that’s black and white evidence the horse has a metabolic abnormality,” he said.

“If you’ve got a pony with insulin above 45, they have a 70% chance of developing laminitis. Those numbers are powerful and the question is what do you do about it? The central theme has to be the same drum we keep banging that horses need to be leaner and fitter. Owners often have an optimism bias that even if they appreciate their horse is slightly larger than it should be, they always think they won’t be the one that gets laminitis.”

Mr Rendle added that it would be helpful for owners to test insulin levels more regularly, but warned that low insulin is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

“If you get a low result you can’t be completely complacent about the risk of laminitis. With changes in diet and body condition insulin can quickly go up,” he said.

Read the study here.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Understanding how to body condition score a horse will enable you to judge whether or not your horse needs to lose weight. As horse owners, we know our horse should not be overweight, but it’s not always clear what we are aiming for.

It is impossible to discern by eye how much fat a horse is carrying, and it can be deceptive. Many owners do not have easy access to weighing their horse accurately with a weighbridge, but it’s easy to body condition score a horse if you know how. While weight is dependent on many other factors such as size, build and muscle, the amount of fat a horse is storing has fewer variables. This makes it a reliable indicator of whether a horse is obese or otherwise.

Once you know how to body condition score a horse, you can tailor the horse’s management plan to help your horse gain weight, maintain condition or get your horse to lose weight.

What is a body condition score?

Also called “fat scoring”, this assesses the amount of fat a horse is carrying, not their physical weight, muscle tone or coat condition.

Body condition scoring involves dividing the horse into three areas: the neck and shoulders, the middle or body, and the hindquarters. The scorer both looks at and feels each area and grades them on a scale depending on how much fat they are carrying.

It is a six-point system, grading from emaciated (zero) to obese (five). A healthy horse should score between two and three, allowing for seasonal fluctuations. The ideal score for most leisure horses would be about three. Higher than that, and the horse is at risk of obesity and associated diseases such as laminitis.

While in the UK we use a system of zero to five, a one-to-nine system is used in the US, ranging from “poor” to “extremely fat”.

How to body condition score a horse

Make sure the horse is relaxed and standing as squarely as possible on a firm, level surface. You need to feel the fat cover in certain areas; you cannot just use your eye. Don’t wear gloves, as you need to be able to feel whether it is muscle or fat.

As horses store fat in different places, give them three score out of five for the neck and shoulder, one for the middle, and one for the hindquarters, and take an average. Try to be objective and consistent, using the guide below.

The scoring system is as follows:

0 Emaciated: showing a marked ewe neck, which is narrow at the base. The skin is tight over visible ribs and you can easily see the sharp spine and. The pelvis is angular, the skin tight and the rump is sunken. There will be a deep cavity under the tail and either side of the croup. Large gap between thighs.

1 Poor or underweight: ewe neck, narrow at the base. The ribs are visible. Skin shrunken either side of the spine, which is well defined. Rump sunken but skin supple, pelvis and croup well defined and cavity under the tail.

2 Moderate: ideal for fit racehorse or eventer. Neck narrow but firm, shoulder blade clearly defined. Ribs just visible. Spine well covered and the spinous processes felt but not seen. Rump flat not shrunken. Croup well defined with some fat. Slight cavity under tail.

3 Good: ideal for most show and leisure horses. Firm neck and no crest (bar stallions), defined shoulder blades. Ribs and spinous processes covered but easily felt. Pelvis rounded but easily felt.

4 Fat or overweight: slight crest, wide and spongy. Ribs well covered. Gutter along spine to root of tail with fat stored either side and an “apple-shaped” or “M-shaped” bottom when observed from behind. Pelvis covered and barely felt.

5 Obese: marked crest, very wide and firm with creases of fat. Shoulder blade and pelvis buried and difficult to feel. Cannot feel ribs. Deep gutter along spine to root of tail, back broad and flat. Marked apple (or M-shaped) bottom with distended skin. Inner thighs rubbing together.

Ideally you should check your horse’s body condition score on a fortnightly basis so that you can act on any weight gain or loss appropriately. This can be done in tandem with a weigh tape to monitor changes. While it is good for consistency to have the same person check the horse, it is advisable also to have another pair of eyes (and hands), as we can be biased towards our own horses.

Correct body condition scoring

Just as in humans, it’s tempting to pass off fat as muscle. If you are struggling to discern whether you are feeling fat or muscle on your horse, compare it to your upper arm – the bicep (muscle) feels different to the wobblier bit underneath the arm. Fat feels spongy or wobbly; muscle is firmer. However, dangerous crest fat can feel hard and firm.

Bear in mind, too, that natives store fat in different places to other horses. They tend to store it in pads behind their shoulders, so you should include this in your score – it may even out if they score lower in other areas.

When measuring the “middle” of the horse, pay attention to the ribs and the back. Horses don’t tend to store fat under their bellies, so this is not an accurate area to assess their weight.

Even if your horse is fit, if his body score is four or over, he is still fat. However, if he creeps up to four while on holiday or in the summer, this is less dangerous than horses that fluctuate according to the season. But any horse scoring four or above should lose weight. The Blue Cross advises that horses that are prone to laminitis should never be allowed to go over a score of two and a half, to ensure they are not carrying any excess fat.

Conversely, eventers and racehorses can look a little underweight when they are physically fit with well-developed muscles.

What is a Cresty Neck Score?

An additional tool is the Cresty Neck Score (CNS), which assesses the fat along the top of the horse’s neck, and uses the same grading as the UK body condition score, from zero to five. The crest fat is heavily influenced by breed (less common in thoroughbreds and more common in cobs — and stallions). A healthy CNS is zero to two, while a CNS of three or higher has been linked to an increased risk of laminitis and Equine Metabolic Syndrome.

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A horse who was withdrawn from the Olympic dressage just three days before the start of competition owing to laminitis has died.

The Tokyo Games was planned to be 19-year-old Ramoneur 6’s final competition, ridden by South Africa’s Tanya Seymour. Germany-based Tanya reported that the Rohdiamant x Alabaster gelding had arrived at the Games after quarantine at Aachen and flying from Liége in Belgium, and was “looking fresh and feeling great”. 

But days before they were due to compete for South Africa, Tanya said that she could sense something was “amiss” during a training session, and Ramoneur was subsequently diagnosed with laminitis. 

“Unfortunately in Tokyo Ramoneur got laminitis, with no previous indications of anything. We brought him home, and gave him 200% care but on Monday, suddenly things changed for the worse and I decided it was enough. He did not deserve this at the end of such an amazing career,” said Tanya, explaining that Ramoneur was put down on 6 September.

“We were with him to the end and he passed on in my arms. I will love him and be grateful to him to the end of eternity.

“They say you have have that one special horse in a lifetime and Ramoneur was mine. I’m absolutely heartbroken and devastated… words cannot describe it,” she said of the gelding she has partnered for 12 years. They made history at the Rio Olympics in 2016 when Tanya became the first dressage rider to represent South Africa at an Olympic Games. 

“He was with me every step of the way,” said Tanya, describing Ramoneur as her “best friend and one true love”.

“In Europe, even though I was miles from friends and family, he was always there. Anyone who knew him loved him; he was the most kind, loving and generous horse.

“We started our international career together and did so for 10 years, qualifying and competing at the World Equestrian Games [WEG] in Caen, then became the first ever South African [dressage] Olympians in Rio.

“He went on to qualify for WEG in Tryon, and then also became the first South Africans to compete at the World Cup finals in Gothenburg. Then to top it off he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics at a ripe age of 19 years. He felt and looked amazing and loved competing more than anything.”

Tanya and Ramoneur’s last competitive outing was at Grote-Brogel, Belgium, in May, where they posted their highest score in 18 months. 

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

THE pandemic has highlighted challenges faced by owners of horses and ponies at risk of laminitis.

A study, COVID-19 impacts equine welfare: Policy implications for laminitis and obesity, conducted by Scotland’s Rural College in collaboration with the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, aimed to assess how lockdown affected the management and welfare of horses and ponies prone to laminitis and obesity.

Following interviews with owners, farriers and vets, researchers concluded steps taken to protect public health during the pandemic – including reduced exercise, turning horses away, and limiting yard visits – had the potential to compromise the welfare of at-risk horses and ponies, and there was a need for guidance to highlight risk factors of laminitis and obesity, in the event of future lockdowns.

PhD student Ashley Ward, who led the study, told H&H participants felt guidelines issued by the Government and governing bodies were not attuned to the needs of horses with laminitis.

“People were finding themselves in a position where they were trying to stay in line with Government guidance at the same time as balancing their horse’s welfare,” she said.

“What we can take from this study is the guidelines we give to owners need to be really clear on what they can do for their laminitis- and obesity-prone horses.

“There needs to be a specific policy that can inform owners if they choose to take a certain action during a lockdown, what implications this might have on horse health and how to combat that. It’s all very well saying don’t turn your horse out because it will get fat, but owners need to be involved in the conversation about what alternatives there are.”

David Rendle, chair of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s health and medicines committee, told H&H the study is “multi-faceted” and highlighted a number of challenges faced by owners, farriers and vets during the pandemic.

“The study provides testimony that many horses spent additional time at grazing as a result of Covid guidelines. Vets have been concerned throughout the pandemic that increased turnout during periods of good weather could tip laminitis-prone animals over the edge into clinical laminitis,” he said, adding BEVA has seen particularly high numbers of laminitis cases this year and last, but it was impossible to quantify the contribution of the pandemic.

“The fundamental issue is the unacceptably high proportion of equines perpetually close to tipping over the edge because of obesity and associated metabolic disease.

“Most horses gain some weight over the summer, pandemic or no-pandemic, but what is often not appreciated is their need to lose weight during winter to restore their metabolism to normal prior to the next grazing season. It is important this year, as every year, owners engage with vets in establishing whether their horses are at risk and discuss plans for controlled weight loss programmes through autumn and winter.”

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H given the changes brought by the pandemic it was “not that surprising” the welfare of at-risk horses and ponies could have been compromised.

“The answer is not necessarily about more guidance because quality, accessible information on avoiding obesity and laminitis was abundant prior to lockdown. Many organisations – including the National Equine Welfare Council – work together to bring the latest information to owners and are always open to fresh opportunities to do so.” he said.

“At the start of the first lockdown World Horse Welfare, among others, provided frequently updated advice online and across social media covering the management of horses during restrictions, making any changes gradually and focusing on non-ridden exercise and weight management.”

Mr Owers added that many owners may have been unable to follow advice for reasons such as a lack of clarity on essential travel, restrictions on routine veterinary and farriery services, or yard access.

“The first lockdown also unfortunately coincided with a period of strong grass growth. What’s important is to make sure we learn lessons from the pandemic and expecting the unexpected has to be part of the planning with our horses.”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The oldest horse set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics dressage has been ruled out of the competition after he was diagnosed with laminitis. 

Tokyo was due to be 19-year-old Ramoneur 6’s swansong, ridden by South Africa’s Tanya Seymour. The pair made history at the Rio Games in 2016, when Tanya became the first dressage rider to represent South Africa at an Olympic Games. 

Tanya is based in Germany, and Ramoneur arrived in Tokyo last week having quarantined at Aachen and flown from Liége in Belgium. 

“When he arrived he was doing so well. During training he was looking fresh and feeling great. He had travelled well,” said Tanya in a statement issued by Team South Africa. 

“When I got on him yesterday, I could sense there was something amiss. He was holding in his front feet a bit and it felt a little odd. The vet and farrier had a look at him and initially we thought it might be a stone bruise, that he had a painful front hoof after standing on a stone.

“But by this morning his condition had worsened and he was sent for X-rays and subsequently he was diagnosed with laminitis. The vets can’t say what brought it on, so it’s something of a mystery. Needless to say, the news is devastating.”

Tanya has partnered the Rohdiamant x Alabaster gelding for 12 years, and despite his age, he had been on good form – he posted his highest score in 18 months on his last outing at Grote-Brogel, Belgium, in May. 

“I was so excited to be in Tokyo with him and to represent Team South Africa at the Games here,” added Tanya. “The one saving grace is that we reacted quickly and he has received treatment quickly. But, for a longer-term prognosis we will have to wait a day or two. Obviously we’ve had to withdraw him from the Olympics.”

Tanya’s withdrawal leaves South Africa with just one equestrian competitor: eventer Victoria Scott who rides Valtho Des Peupliers.

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Many vets are seeing more fat horses and ponies than usual this year, and not just laminitics. H&H looks into the host of other negative effects excess equine weight can have

EXCESS equine weight can cause a host of performance-related and soundness issues as well as risk of dangerous illness, riders are reminded, as the number of fat horses seen by vets is on the up.

This summer’s combination of high rainfall and warm temperatures has meant an “explosion” of grass, and many horses and ponies are showing the effects.

And while H&H has frequently reported on the dangers of obesity-related illnesses, carrying excess pounds can have many more impacts.

“We talk so much about laminitis, maybe we get distracted and don’t think about the other issues,” British Equine Veterinary Association president Lucy Grieve told H&H. “I have had a lot of owners saying a horse has never had laminitis; maybe he’s one of the lucky ones but it doesn’t mean being overweight is OK. There are so many other reasons.”

Ms Grieve said that on a basic level, extra weight will put more strain on everything, from organs to joints. Overweight horses may be lethargic and less willing to work at their usual level.

“As someone put it, you wouldn’t strap a 50kg bag of feed to your horse before you rode it,” she said. “That’s massively detrimental, then to ask it to go cross-country or showjump; that’s pretty harsh, isn’t it?”

Ms Grieve mentioned the small size of horses’ legs and feet compared to their bodies; if these are then taking the extra pressure from more weight, it will mean more strain on bones, soft tissue and the hooves themselves. Foot conformation can also be affected; they can be encouraged to spread by the extra pressure but respond better to remedial farriery when the horse loses weight.

“I’ve seen a few horses where their abdomens are so big, and I get the impression their hind legs can’t move normally because of the sheer volume in front, and when they lose weight, they seem to trot normally. Hind leg action could be impeded by a distended abdomen,” she added.

Excess weight can affect saddle fit; Ms Grieve said she often sees poor fit and saddle movement on “roly-poly” horses as the fat changes where the saddle should go, or displacement of the girth, all of which can affect equine comfort, movement and performance. Excess weight will put more pressure on arthritic joints, causing pain and making them deteriorate more quickly, and also affect respiration so even horses in full work will be out of breath more easily.

“Carrying extra weight means the spine will sag, so things like kissing spine, or even horses with close spinal processes, will be more likely to develop pain and pathology,” she said, adding that being overweight can also affect horses’ mentality and willingness to work.

“And youngsters; I came across a two-year-old warmblood recently who was very fat and had been struggling with OCD [osteochondritis dissecans]; excessive calorie intake in growing horses increases the risk of OCD, which can cause quite severe joint pathology that can prevent an athletic career or mean they have to be put to sleep. Being a fit and healthy bodyweight early in life will set up for a much healthier future.”

Vet and chiropractor Laura Tollitt agreed there are “a lot of fat horses” about, often not laminitic but “starting to get a bit pottery”.

“It definitely affects them; they get more shuffly,” she told H&H. “Excess weight won’t do the joints any good, and it will change saddle fit.

“I’m desperately trying to lose weight myself and I hadn’t realised how much I was struggling, almost waddling round. Now I’ve lost a stone and a half the difference is amazing, and it’s the same for horses.

“If they’ve got extra fat pockets round the shoulders, for example, it will restrict how they move, and how the scapula moves; if you’re asking for extended trot, the extra fat pockets will make it a lot more difficult physically to extend and flex the leg.”

H&H vet Karen Coumbe said she has been seeing more overweight horses than normal; many are presented as lethargic, a bit short-striding or “pottery”, but this is a result of the excess weight.

“You can understand why,” she said. “If you’re suddenly a size 16 when you were a 12, it will be the same.”

Ms Grieve added though that although she is seeing more fat horses, she believes awareness of the issue is also on the up, which is key to tackling it.

“I, and other vets, are definitely getting more owners saying, ‘I know what you’re going to say, he’s overweight’; the awareness is getting there, which is really refreshing,” she said.

“Feedback from BEVA members recently has been the same; thanks to H&H and other publications, the issue is hitting headlines; what we’ve done so far has been really successful in bringing it into people’s minds, which is really good.”

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A “grossly obese” horse more than 100kg overweight and suffering from laminitis was allowed unrestricted grass and fed extra hay – despite advice from welfare inspectors and vets about the same horse three years earlier.

Tracey Anne Woodward, 53, of Normanton Park, Chingford, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 15-17 June. She was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to part-bred Hackney gelding John, and failing to provide a suitable diet between 5 March and 5 May 2020.

Last year the RSPCA was contacted by a concerned member of the public about the health of the gelding. The charity attended on 5 May 2020 and found John in pain and suffering from laminitis, but still being grazed with no restrictions and fed extra hay.

A vet described John as “grossly obese” and estimated it would have taken several months for him to have reached the “state” he was in. John was taken into possession by the police after the vet certified he was suffering, and he was transported to a vet hospital.

“His body condition could have been so easily avoided if he had been managed differently by his owner and had his grazing restricted,” said RSPCA inspector Jessica Hayes, who investigated the case.

“It’s really sad that he was allowed to become so hugely overweight, especially as we had previous dealings with Woodward in respect of a similar situation [involving John in 2017] when veterinary and dietary advice was provided, so she knew John’s needs could be met.”

The gelding has since been rehabilitated by Redwings and the judge granted a deprivation order so he can now be rehomed.

“When you read stories about neglect, it is often images of emaciated ponies that hit the headlines, but obesity is a serious welfare issue and we’re pleased it has been recognised with this conviction,” said Nic de Brauwere, Redwings’ head of welfare and behaviour.

“An overweight horse can suffer very significantly, and obesity can also lead to painful conditions such as laminitis, which John was experiencing.”

Mr de Brauwere said during John’s time at the sanctuary he has steadily returned to a healthy weight, which involved losing 124kg in “unnecessary fat”.

“This equates to him carrying 27 per cent more weight than his optimal healthy weight. This was done with John’s mental wellbeing carefully considered, with our team making huge and creative efforts to ensure he was kept occupied and had plenty to eat while still losing weight,” said Mr de Brauwere.

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“This once unhappy, frustrated and tetchy individual is now a much more relaxed, active and engaging horse.”

In mitigation, the court heard that the defendant’s actions were described as “misplaced or ignorant”.

Woodward was banned from keeping equines for three years. She was ordered to pay £8,000 costs and a £97 victim surcharge. She was also fined £875.

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Horses aged over 25 may be suffering from chronic laminitis without displaying any outward signs or suffering from contributory health conditions, a study has found.

Laminitis, which in severe, acute cases causes catastrophic pedal bone rotation, is a frequent cause of lameness and euthanasia in older horses. In many instances, this is as a result of endocrinopathic laminitis, which is caused by hormonal dysfunction.

The research, led by Garance Christen at the Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, University of Bern, looked at 51 clinically sound horses from different age groups (15-32 years) and X-rayed their feet to check for pedal bone rotation.

The horses were also assessed for laminitis risk by recording their body condition scores (BCS), cresty neck scores (CNS) and levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ATCH).

High ACTH levels can be a sign of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, also known as Cushing’s), one of the main underlying health conditions that can lead to laminitis.

The other common contributory health condition is equine metabolic syndrome (EMS, a form of insulin resistance), of which fatty deposits on the crest, shoulders and tail head are an indicator.

Almost half of the total sample had signs of rotation on X-ray, although none of them showed signs of acute lameness or PPID.

Of these, horses aged over 25 were found to be three times more likely to have pedal bone rotation than horses in the younger age category.

Surprisingly, those with high CNS and BCS and above average seasonal ACTH levels were not found to be more prone to radiographic changes than those who had low or normal scores in these categories.

“Chronic laminitic changes can be present in the absence of clinical disease, especially if the horses’ age exceeds 25 years,” the study’s authors said.

“We think that radiographic changes are related to early or pre-clinical PPID in this cohort of horses because this remains the best explanation for the higher incidence of laminitis in the old age group.”

They said that owners and vets need to be aware of the increased probability of sub-clinical laminitis in those animals, even in the absence of a PPID diagnosis.

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“Radiographic assessment of aged horses with suspicion of pre-clinical PPID remains important as no other diagnostic option for laminitis is currently available in the absence of clinical signs,” they said.

They added that as ACTH levels did not correlate with the presence of pedal bone rotation, this currently left researchers without an active biomarker to predict laminitic episodes.

One limitation of the study, however, was that insulin measurements were not taken and that this may be a more accurate predictor.

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A “powerhouse” Welsh cob who served in the King’s Troop, and starred in Downton Abbey, has been put down aged 12 after a short retirement.

Esmerelda, or Bumble Bee as she was known, had been experiencing recurring laminitis, six months after she retired to the Horse Trust.

The 15.2hh Welsh section D mare served for nine years with the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery (KTRHA).

“She was a little powerhouse of a horse and served as a leader of the B Sub-Section’s gun team,” a Horse Trust spokesman said. “She performed numerous ceremonial duties at all kinds of state occasions, including royal births, birthdays and anniversaries, parliamentary openings, state visits and state funerals.”

Bumble Bee also took part in high-profile events including The Queen’s birthday parades, royal salutes and the musical drive at the Royal Windsor and Royal Welsh horse shows.

“But her talents didn’t stop there,” the spokesman said. “She was also a movie star. Bumble Bee had a starring role in the Downton Abbey film which came out in 2019.

“Off-duty, she got to participate in plenty of fun ridden events, including cross-country – she was a superb jumper.”

Bumble Bee fitted “perfectly” into the Horse Trust herd on her arrival last October. The spokesman said that owing to previous sinus surgery, she could often by heard “whistling” before she was seen.

“This came in handy when checking the fields on dark winter mornings as we always knew where she was!” the spokesman said. “She was a really gentle, kind and loving girl who will be sorely missed by everyone.

“She had a huge fan club on social media and we loved hearing all the stories her former grooms and riders would tell us about. She was described by a former rider as ‘the most clean and kind little mare I have ever known’ and was very fond of nabbing the apple cores out of everyone’s hands at lunchtime.”

The Horse Trust was aware of Bumble Bee’s history of laminitis when she arrived.

“But we all wanted to make sure she had a good retirement,” the spokesman said. “It became apparent after a few months that her flare-ups were becoming more [frequent] and were incredibly severe, and we were really struggling to manage Bumble Bee’s pain and keep her comfortable.”

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Horse Trust vet, former KTRHA vet Nicky Housby-Skeggs, added: “Sadly her laminitis flared up again and she was very uncomfortable; we knew she had previously struggled to recover and when we saw her deteriorating despite treatment it was felt that her chances of recovering again were very small and it was kinder to let her go.”

The spokesman said Bumble Bee’s time with the charity was “short but sweet”.

“We are proud to have given her six months of the care and devotion that she so deserved but we wished we had her with us for longer,” he said. “She was a stunning, gentle and kind girl who we will never forget.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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Opinion

I was disappointed to read some negative comments on social media recently about a pony looking “unhappy” wearing a grazing muzzle. The pony had lost lots of weight – and I really take my hat off to the owner, losing weight is not an overnight task and it takes a lot of dedication – so to see negative comments about this fantastic achievement is so disheartening.

Laminitis is an emotive subject – and perhaps even more so is the topic of weight. Vets, farriers and welfare charities are working hard to support owners with information and advice, but as owners, we also need to do our bit. This might be taking advice on trimming or shoeing, or making adjustments to the management of our horses – which can be hard when we have managed them in a certain way previously.

My first experience of laminitis was as a child with my first pony Phoenix. He had suffered laminitis in the past and we knew when taking him on we would have to watch his weight carefully. One summer he came down with a mild case and I remember being so upset that my pony had got ill. He made a full recovery, and during the seven years I had him it was only one occurrence, but it was something that stayed with me.

Now as an owner of two miniature Shetlands, Mootie and Poppet, laminitis is always on my radar. They regularly wear grazing muzzles in summer – and sometimes winter too – and when they are not wearing their muzzles, they are in a bare paddock with some hay. They thankfully have never had laminitis but I know I cannot take my eye off the ball, no matter what time of year.

And that’s what made my Connemara/Irish sport horse mare Chloe developing acute laminitis in November 2019 a bitter pill to swallow. I turned her out one morning looking like her normal self, but when I took her in that evening, she was extremely uncomfortable and had a very “typical” laminitic stance. I got the vet, and before she could say the words, I knew Chloe had come down with laminitis.

I didn’t think Chloe, who was then seven, was particularly overweight and with winter ahead I thought we had time for her to lose some pounds before spring. I can’t help but think, could it have been prevented if she had been slimmer, and was this a failure on my part? She spent four weeks on box rest, on a lot of pain medication and she had regular trims from my farrier, which were difficult given how uncomfortable she was – but absolutely key to her recovery.

With time, hard work from my farrier and a huge amount of support from my vet, Chloe made a full recovery. But it was a harsh reality and some real lessons were learnt on my part. Now Chloe wears a muzzle when necessary, and perhaps the biggest thing has been having regular discussions with my farrier and vet about her weight. Those tricky conversations are no longer tricky and for me are so important to keeping her on the right track.

Our journey certainly wasn’t easy – and of course there are no guarantees it will never occur again, which is frightening. So more than ever I feel for owners who are dealing with horses and ponies with laminitis, or trying to help their animals lose weight. We all want our horses to be healthy and happy. But when we are talking about laminitis in overweight horses and ponies, we have to accept that preventative actions aren’t always going to be rosy. Grazing muzzles, diets, and restricted grazing can sound “mean”, for want of a better word, but I wholeheartedly agree with British Equine Veterinary Association president Lucy Grieve that “Food restriction is not as cruel as laminitis. Being clipped out and not wearing a rug is not as cruel as laminitis.”

Of course there are other preventative measures that people can take; track systems are being recommended more and I’ve seen some really fantastic set-ups. But we have to remember a track isn’t always possible at home, or at a livery yard. Using a grazing muzzle isn’t a lazy option or a quick fix, sometimes it’s a necessity. If owners are taking steps to prevent laminitis, or reduce their horses’ and ponies’ weight then they should be congratulated, not made to feel they are being cruel. While in a dream scenario I would love to see my mares grazing carefree on lush green fields, the reality is that could kill them, so for me it’s muzzles for the win.

No one has said laminitis is a simple condition; we know it can occur for a multitude of reasons such as PPID, equine metabolic syndrome, even stress.

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My thoroughbred gelding Archie developed laminitis when he was in hospital with an infection and being treated with steroids. He never came home from the hospital and I lost him to toxaemia – and while laminitis played a part, the outcome wasn’t anyone’s fault. Some cases sadly can’t be prevented – but in the cases of overweight horses and ponies this is something we can be proactive about.

While it’s great to see people discussing horse welfare and sharing tips with each other online, we can’t ignore expert advice. Vets and farriers aren’t pointing fingers and blaming owners – but they are there, with years of training, to look out for the welfare of animals. Vets are sometimes unfairly accused of “money grabbing” yet if we choose to ignore what they tell us about obesity and management, then surely that’s a surefire way of paying more vet bills, when we are calling them out to treat a case of laminitis?

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“Magic” shoes, supplements and leg wraps will not cure equines with laminitis unless the root cause of the condition is addressed, a leading vet has warned.

In an attempt to bust some of the myths circulating, at yards and on social media, British Equine Veterinary Association president Lucy Grieve has spoken to H&H about the realities of treating the painful and potentially fatal condition.

Lucy, who had to put down two otherwise healthy but laminitic horses this week, said she has seen and heard many owners talk about “cold-induced laminitis”, although there is no evidence to suggest that cold weather can induce the disease.

“What’s more likely is that in cold weather, the horses end up stabled more, eating more feed and hay, moving less, not being exercised as much and so on, and these things actually just tip them over the edge. They were already on a knife-edge,” she said.

“The average laminitis case does not happen overnight, they are always teetering on the edge with their insulin peaking out and their laminar tissues ready to go into meltdown.”

Some owners believe wrapping horses’ legs can help, but Lucy believes this may be linked to the cold weather myth.

“Laminitis will not get better unless the primary cause/driving factor is being addressed,” she said.

“Owners often want to put them in Imprint shoes, put them on ‘magic’ supplements, feed celery and so on, when they haven’t started treating the PPID [Cushing’s] with Prascend, or started a weight loss program to get rid of the fat pads.

“Reluctance and ignorance can mean signing a horse’s death warrant. It’s very sad, but all too often true.”

Lucy said some owners refuse to have a laminitic horse’s feet trimmed as they are too sore.

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“But every additional second that horse has an excess millimetre of toe on its foot, it is pulling and tugging and levering away the fragile lamina tissue and making the laminitis ever more impossible to recover from,” she said. “It is so important to get the toes off, as short as possible without causing more pain, otherwise you are fighting a losing battle.”

She added: “Calories, calories, calories — count the calories. The horse won’t recover from fat-induced laminitis until the fat has gone.

“Food restriction is not as cruel as laminitis. Being clipped out and not wearing a rug is not as cruel as laminitis.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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Laminitis is a common, painful condition which manifests itself in one or more of the horse’s hooves. It is a multifactorial condition, which means it can be difficult to identify the cause, but it frequently arises as the result of a metabolic upset.

Laminitis is regularly seen in native ponies, particularly those that are overweight, while horses suffering from underlying issues like Cushing’s disease or Equine Metabolic Syndrome may also be at greater risk of the disease.

“The modern equine lifestyle of cosy stables, rugs and nice full haynets is often where the problem of laminitis stems from. We should be feeding as naturally as possible, which means feeding a high fibre, high forage diet with no starchy cereals, such as may be found in concentrates,” says Kate Hore, head nutritionist at NAF.

If a horse has been diagnosed with laminitis, it’s important to consider their case on an individual basis. Generally speaking however, they should be fed little and often. Their diet should contain fibre with essential vitamins and minerals, while sugar and starch levels should be kept low. Depending on the individual horse or pony and their weight and health status, grass turnout may need to be limited or avoided altogether. Some feeds are formulated specifically for horses prone to laminitis.

“Ensure you maintain a good vitamin, mineral and quality protein intake to support muscle, hoof health, coat condition and internal nutrient reserves and healthy fibre levels to support gut function,” says Katie Grimwood, equine nutritionist at Baileys Horse Feeds.

Soaking hay will help to reduce the sugar content and calorie intake, while clean mature hay is preferable to fresh green hay. Feeding good quality oat or barley straw as part of a horse’s forage consumption is also an option as it’s low in calories yet high in fibre.

“For an overweight pony in light work, ideally we want to source low water soluble carbohydrate hay, or use soaked hay to reduce sugars, and limit access to fresh grazing. For an insulin resistant eventer, we might be looking at alfalfa chaffs and ad lib forage, with additional oil, to provide all the energy they need,” explains Kate.

The basic feeding principle with a laminitis prone animal is really the same as with any horse, and that is ‘feed to work done’. Many laminitics are notoriously good-doers, and love their food. Research shows that ponies on restricted turnout can adapt both bite rate and the amount taken in each bite, so that they can essentially eat as much in three hours as they would naturally do in 12 hours.

“Think of ways that you can maximise the time turned out, but still control access to grazing. It’s best to avoid a small cornered off area as that encourages them to stand and eat, whereas natural movement is what we want. Track systems can be really useful, if practical, alternatively look at using a grazing muzzle or strip grazing to limit intake whilst encouraging natural movement,” continues Kate.

Pelleted forage balancers are an ideal source of food for laminitis-prone horses as they provide key vitamins, minerals and quality protein appropriate for the horse’s level of work while keeping calorie, starch and sugar intakes low. Remember horses should never be starved as this risks further metabolic complications.

“For horses that need additional calories for weight gain, high calorie fibre sources can be added along with the balancer, such as unmolassed alfalfa chaffs with added oil, or soaked beet products. High oil supplements are also available,” says Katie.

If your horse is prone to laminitis it’s important to regularly body condition score them so you can monitor their weight. Ask for advice from your vet or nutritionist if you’re unsure how to do it and keep a record so you can track the results. Taking photos can also be useful.

“One of the key messages is working towards stopping laminitis happening rather than dealing with it. Be on high alert with your horse, particularly if he’s prone to laminitis, and don’t allow him to become overweight. Be constantly aware of what and how much you’re feeding him and his exercise level. Ask whether he needs to be rugged. Be aware 365 days a year,” concludes Lizzie Drury, senior nutritionist at Saracen Horse Feeds.

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

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What can you personally do to help in the fight against the equine obesity epidemic?

This was the question asked of all of us at the National Equine Forum yesterday (4 March).

The virtual conference covered topics from Brexit to diversity to road safety, and also returned to the topics of two associated webinars, held in January.

One of these was The Great Weight Debate (Equine), a discussion featuring a horse owner, a vet, a livery yard manager, a nutritionist, an equine welfare officer and Showing Council chairman David Ingle.

Tamzin Furtardo, whose PhD was on equine obesity and owners’ attitudes towards it, and who was also present for that webinar, summed up the issues raised in the discussion, including the prevalence of images of overweight horses, leading to a perception than fat is normal, confusion over what to feed and the challenges of managing horses who need to lose weight.

“All of us — every single one of us, including me, have been part of creating this world our horses live in, so we’ve all been part of the problem,” she said. “But that means we can also all be part of creating the solution.”

Dr Furtado said our horses live in an obesogenic environment, or one set up in such a way, it becomes very likely the animals or people living in it will become overweight.

“We’ve been unravelling all these different strands that have contributed to creating that obesogenic environment,” she said. “So how can we move forward?”

Dr Furtado said all of us should recognise the part we can play, whatever our role in the equestrian world.

“But we need to change our behaviour,” she added.

“We can empower each other to help change things for their horses; even if you haven’t got an overweight horse, you can help other people feel it’s acceptable to achieve weight management. One thing discussed at the webinar was peer pressure, on livery yards and social media, in terms of weight management.

“People tell others they’re cruel by not rugging horses, or using grazing muzzles, and that makes it difficult for the owner, even though they know they’re doing what’s best for the horse’s welfare. We can support each other rather than having that negative pressure.”

Dr Furtado said owners should ask professionals about their horses’ weight at every opportunity, and be ready to take the answers on board and accept it if told the horse is overweight. The professionals, such as vets and farriers, should be working with owners rather than blaming them, and be open and honest, so owners can be open in return.

“Livery yard owners and managers have a really important role,” she added, explaining that helping owners with weight management can make a huge difference, such as providing low-grass areas and flexible management options.

Charities can, and have been, helping vets have the difficult conversations about excess weight, while competition governing bodies should have clear plans on tackling obesity, and help judges and stewards feel able to have conversations with owners of overweight animals at shows.

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“If you’re a stakeholder not mentioned, there are still absolutely important things for you to do,” Dr Furtado said.

“The NEF has been fantastic in bringing us together and providing the platform, and now it’s up to us, as individuals, organisations, professionals, to find ways to move forward.

“Things are already happening but we’ve got a long way to go, so I’d like to leave you with this question: no matter what your role is, what are you going to change, to help in this obesity epidemic?”

What do you find challenging in managing horses’ weight? Email hhletters@futurenet.com for your chance to be featured on our letters page. The letter of the week wins a bottle of Champagne Taittinger.

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Obesity is seen by many vets as the number one welfare issue affecting British horses. H&H speaks to owners about the challenges they face, and vets for their expert opinion on the matter

PERCEPTION of equine weight needs to change, vets have warned, as hundreds of equids could be existing on the knife-edge of potentially fatal laminitis.

H&H has reported on the equine obesity epidemic in Britain, which is thought by leading vets to be one of the major welfare issues affecting the national herd.

This week, two owners of laminitic ponies have shared their experiences and fears.

Miranda Wallace, who shows Dartmoors, told H&H she had thought she was taking enough precautions to keep laminitis at bay and weight under control, such as strip-grazing, weighing hay and feeding minimal concentrates. Then last September, two of her ponies started showing symptoms. The younger pony recovered fast but the older, Honey, was hit hard.

“We thought we were going to lose him,” she said. “I’d never seen a pony like that, and never want to again, it was horrific.”

Thanks to an “exceptional” farrier and vet care, and a huge amount of effort on Miranda’s part, 21-year-old Honey pulled through and is now, after a long fight, coming back into work.

Miranda said the incident has made her question how many other ponies are in a similar situation. She believes the trigger of the episodes was a batch of different hay.

“[Vet] Dave Rendle told me they were probably borderline anyway, and the hay just tipped them over the edge,” she said. “How many other show ponies, and ponies in general, are ticking time bombs, literally living on a knife edge?

“Dave said so many clients talk about ‘a bit of lami’, and that the pony ‘has it all the time’. I think they’re being blase and not giving it the respect it deserves.

“For showing, they’re expected to look plump and rounded, but what effect is that having? We have to be on it; something needs to happen.”

Natalie Reed’s 12-year-old Connemara mare, Abbey, is also recovering from laminitis, and Natalie said it has been hard work keeping her weight under control.

She praised her “fantastic” yard owner, who has helped by allocating the pony a field on old pasture, and allowing a track system to be set up, but the former beef farm is mainly on rye grass, which is high in sugar.

“It’s a constant battle,” she said. “We’re lucky to have year-round grazing, but really, Abbey should be on a mountain in Ireland.”

Natalie added that although her yard staff have been very helpful, other people’s comments have been less supportive.

“Last summer, she’d been on and off box rest since January, and I’d got her weight right down,” she said. “The vet said it was a good weight for her, but I had comments from other people. It’s very hard to hear a friend say, ‘I’m a bit worried and maybe you’ve gone too far.’

“My horsey friends are lovely and it came from the right place but it’s hard when everyone wants to do the best by their horse and to hear that someone thinks you’re not really hurts.”

Natalie believes people believe carrying excess weight is “how native ponies should look”, having been accustomed to seeing overweight animals, and so see those at a healthy weight as too lean.

British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) president Lucy Grieve agrees that perception needs to change, and that well-meaning onlookers can sometimes hinder owners’ efforts.

“We’ve been trying to get owners to leave rugs off overweight horses, and clip them, to help weight loss, then their friends are saying it’s cruel,” she told H&H. “Some people are so critical when others are trying to do right by their animal, just because it’s not what they do.”

Ms Grieve said novice owners especially can fall victim to livery yard and online “experts”, and that the best advice for owners is always to seek help from professionals, such as vets and nutritionists.

In terms of perception, she has moved away from body condition scoring, instead showing owners their horses’ fat pads, asking them to feel them, so they realise the excess weight is there, and can monitor its changes.

“I’ve had owners asking me, in the last year, if there horses are too fat, so I’d like to think there’s slow behaviour change going on,” she said. “If there’s awareness and questioning, that’s amazing and we need to ride the crest of that wave, and keep putting the message out there.”

BEVA health and medicines committee chairman Mr Rendle told H&H he has seen numerous clients who admit to keeping their ponies on the brink of laminitis in order to show them.

“There’s a perception that that’s how horses are supposed to look, when they’re clearly not,” he said.

“People always want to be slim but seem to want horses to be fat; we need to celebrate horses as athletes, and celebrate athleticism rather than roundness.

“There’s plenty of evidence from paediatric and small-animal medicine that loving something equates to feeding, but we’re killing our horses with kindness.”

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This week's National Equine Forum webinar covered the major welfare issue of equine obesity. H&H finds out what the challenges are in successful weight loss, and how to overcome them

EDUCATION, awareness and working together on an individually tailored approach to weight loss are the key to winning the war against equine obesity.

This was the consensus of experts at a webinar run as part of the 2021 National Equine Forum (NEF), on 27 January. Titled

“The great weight debate (equine)”, the session looked at different perspectives on managing horses’ weight.

Chairing the discussion, NEF vice-chairman Pat Harris said it is thought some 30% of UK equids are obese, and the figure could be 70% for native breeds.

Giving a horse vet’s view, British Equine Veterinary Association president Lucy Grieve said a big issue is the lack of understanding and awareness of equine obesity and its impact on welfare.

“I had to learn the hard way, like some owners,” she said. “That was all too palpable when euthanising otherwise healthy horses because of their fat, which had slowly poisoned their bodies.

“I felt sick at the realisation of how preventable these deaths were. But trying to warn owners of the risks was often difficult and ineffective.”

Ms Grieve said some owners do not see excess weight, or that it is a problem. Others know it is a problem, but do not know how to remedy it.

“I had my work cut out trying to get owners to recognise obesity, accept it without taking offence, understand the horrific consequences if nothing was done, and empowering them to do something and stick to it,” she said.

Ms Grieve said a big challenge is the vet-owner relationship; vets risk upsetting clients or losing them to other practices, so some vets will “shy away” from the subject.

“If we’re honest with ourselves, this is neglect,” she said.

“I doubt many vets would walk away from an emaciated horse, or an infected wound, so why are we so willing to walk away from these ticking time bombs?”

Ms Grieve said vets must keep their knowledge up to date and be proactive in disseminating appropriate knowledge. She wants to see more vet-owner engagement, adding that perhaps a “brutal” campaign highlighting the painful deaths suffered by horses with laminitis may help owners who do not want to engage, and said this is an opportunity for vets to work with other professionals to tailor individual plans for each horse and owner, taking all factors into account.

“If we’re to save that horse’s life, we must find a solution that works for horse and owner, and support the owner every step of the way,” she said.

As the owner of a “good doer”, Helen Gale spoke of issues such as some owners’ inability to distinguish between fat and muscle, horses on yards spending more time stabled in winter, with hay, often over-rugged.

“Do we really know how many calories we’re feeding, are we using too many rugs and do our horses do enough work for the food they get?” she asked, adding that opportunities to exercise horses can also be limited in winter.

She spoke of owners’ asking questions on weight or feed on social media, instead of consulting experts, and getting hundreds of responses, and of the peer pressure on yards when an owner is trying to rug or feed a horse less.

“Be truthful when assessing your horse and beware of ‘experts’ on social media,” she said. “Feed what your horse needs and monitor his weight with body condition scoring and weigh tapes. Don’t be afraid to ask for professional advice.”

Yard owner Beth Maloney said it can be hard to balance owners’ expectations with their horses’ nutritional needs, such as convincing owners that reducing their horses’ feed is for their benefit. She added that she has seen a growing number of owners who are happy to have horses carrying more weight, but that a nutritionist visits her yard frequently to weigh and condition-score the horses, so any trends are clear.

She said trust, communication and transparency are vital, as is seeking advice from the vet and nutritionist.

A discussion covered topics such as owners’ helping each other; putting hay in at different times to spread out an obese horse’s food, for example, and spreading positive messages or attempts to promote a healthy body shape on their own social media.

Nutritionist Liz Bullock pointed out that although many owners know exactly the composition of their hard feed, grass and hay or haylage contributes far more calories, and better understanding of this is important.

Showing Council chairman David Ingle said “a lot of work” has been carried out in showing on the issue, with more to come.

He said the council could put a page on its website signposting riders to the right information, and that it would talk about adding the topic to member bodies’ agendas, including helping judges have difficult conversations.

“I’m sure by talking about this, we’ll be able to come up with a much better way forward,” he said, adding that the council has a big part to play in disseminating helpful information to help those riders who need it.

World Horse Welfare field officer Penny Baker said what is commonly seen as the right weight is “causing problems”, adding that society does not judge owners of fat horses in the same way emaciated horses’ owners are seen.

She said overweight and over-rugged horses are often seen as well loved, and that far fewer overweight horses are reported to the charity than thin ones, although it takes far longer to rehabilitate the former than the latter, if there are no other major issues.

Ms Baker said some owners may know the issue is there but cannot admit it, that lifestyles and facilities often need to be changed, which is challenging. Other owners believe horses are not overweight, “conditioned by what has become the norm”.

World Horse Welfare has had success with human behaviour change techniques, in which staff are trained, to have an impact on horse welfare. Citing the success of groups in human weight loss, Ms Baker asked whether equine weight loss groups on social media could help.

Researcher Tamzin Furtardo said key is empowering owners to make change, rather than “telling them a horse has an issue and expecting them to do something”, along with teamwork and better communication.

Ms Grieve said key in developing a weight loss plan is listening to the owner and taking into account all the elements of a horse and owner’s situation.

“I’d like owners to see this as an exciting challenge; a positive thing they can do for their horses,” she said.

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Owners have been warned to be vigilant about laminitis this autumn, as factors combine to create a “perfect storm” for the potentially fatal disease.

Animal charity Blue Cross is reminding owners to be on the alert to the painful condition; all horses and ponies can be susceptible, although those who are overweight are at greater risk, and the most dangerous times are when the grass is growing.

“The combination of sun and rain we have been experiencing in most of the UK recently, coupled with many horses still out on summer pasture, significantly raises the risk factor for laminitis,” said Blue Cross horse welfare supervisor Clare Bevins.

“Add to the mix the fact some owners may still be struggling with their horses’ weight given limitations on riding during the pandemic, and potentially we have the perfect storm for laminitis.”

The charity has shared the story of rescue pony Piglet, a six-year-old obese 11.2hh mare, who suffered a severe bout of laminitis in autumn 2018, hoping it will inspire owners to act.

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The skewbald mare, who had pedal bone rotation in both front feet, had four months’ box rest and specialist vet and farrier treatment, including fortnightly trims and pads, and was put on a strict diet.

“Six months after returning to Blue Cross, X-rays showed that both front pedal bones looked normal,” a spokesman for the charity said. She has now been rehomed as a lead rein pony with a family who are very strict over her diet and exercise.

“Piglet was one of the fortunate ones – her laminitis was caught early and immediate steps taken to treat the disease under the supervision of a vet and a remedial farrier,” said Ms Bevins.

“Prevention of laminitis is always better than cure.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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The owners of a pony recovering from laminitis whose grazing muzzle was cut off in his field hope sharing the incident will help educate the public.

Charlotte Chambers’ pony Benny had recovered enough by last Sunday (10 August) to spend his first night out for nine weeks.

The 19-year-old gelding was turned out in the muzzle to restrict his grass intake, and, Charlotte’s mother Lisa told H&H, when they arrived at the private yard in Surrey the next morning, he still had it on.

“We passed the field about 8.30am and it was on, then we went to do the stables,” Lisa said. “We were on the yard about 40 minutes and when we went back to get him in, the muzzle was off.”

Every strap of the muzzle had been severed.

“He had a headcollar on too, and that was still on,” Lisa said, adding that the ends of each part appear to have been cut cleanly.

The field is next to a well-used footpath, which has been more popular since lockdown started, and Lisa believes someone may have seen Benny in the muzzle the evening before, and come back to cut it off.

“I was so thankful knowing we’d seen him with it on that morning so it would only have been that short time,” she said. “He’s now out in another field that no one walks by, and only for half an hour, as I’ve been so worried about it happening again.”

Lisa, who is also having signs made to explain the muzzle to walkers, has posted about the incident in local Facebook groups.

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“The number of responses I’ve had from non-horsey people asking me to explain why it’s on, and saying they’d always thought the muzzles were cruel, so people have learned,” she said. “So hopefully some good will come of it.”

Lisa added that about eight people had also offered replacement muzzles, and that the person who had one the right size would not even take the cost of postage for it.

“That stores your faith in people,” she said.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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Do the diseases we’d almost forgotten about still exist today? Patrick Pollock FRCVS sheds new light on old problems

Warble lumps

These marble-sized lumps are the work of the warble fly, whose correct name, Hypoderma, gives you an idea of its intent (from the Greek “hypo”, meaning under, and “derma”, meaning dermis or skin).

The fly lays eggs on a variety of animals – usually cattle, but also horses, sheep and occasionally humans. The eggs hatch and the larvae set off on their journey to their preferred site for development – usually the fat along each side of the dorsal spinous processes of the vertebrae or, for another species of the fly, the tissue around the oesophagus. They can migrate as far as the brain, causing severe and fatal neurological disease.

The larvae settle to form lumps under the skin, where they pupate and eat their way out as mature flies. The advent of modern insecticide treatments, such as the drug ivermectin, has greatly reduced the number of warble flies – the disease was last reported in the UK in 1990 and has been eradicated from much of Europe. Thankfully, warble lumps are rarely encountered in horses today.

Canker

While this hoof disease receives little attention in modern veterinary textbooks, canker is perplexing nonetheless. Correctly termed hypertrophic pododermatitis, it affects the same area of the foot as thrush. However, rather than leading to necrosis (death) of tissue, canker spreads through living tissue and causes the keratin-producing cells of the hoof horn to overgrow.

The heel bulbs and the crevices, or “sulci”, of the frog quickly fill with spongy, grey tissue that resembles cauliflower and produces caseous (cheesy) pus. The production of new, abnormal tissue led to the name canker, because the condition was mistakenly thought to be a form of cancer.

A possible cause is infection with bacteria known as anaerobes, which can grow without oxygen. The many different treatments suggest that no one method is very effective, although vets are united in the idea that there is no value in being conservative.

As much abnormal tissue as possible must be cut away, before the foot is dried out and treated with a topical treatment such as copper sulphate, the antimicrobial metronidazole, potassium permanganate or benzyl peroxide.

Fistulous withers

This affects the supraspinous bursa located on top of the dorsal spinous processes of the vertebrae, where inflammation may result in abscesses that discharge foul-smelling pus.

Although now rare in the UK, fistulous withers is commonly encountered in working horses, donkeys and mules in low- and middle income countries, where poverty can drive owners to work their animals with poor-quality, ill-fitting tack. A small wound or rub quickly develops infection, which can then extend into the deeper tissues and leave them exposed.

Because the affected area is on the top of the back, the fluid produced does not drain out well. Left untreated, infection can eat into the bone of the spinous processes.

Mallenders

An old name for cracks, mallenders develops in the skin at the back of the carpus (knee). Most common in heavier, feathered breeds, it can occur at other sites, including the front of the hock (where it is colloquially termed sallenders) and around the fetlocks, spreading to the lower legs in severe cases.

Mallenders is correctly termed hyperkeratosis, meaning “too much keratin”, the protein making up much of the connective tissue in skin, hair and hoof horn. Signs include thickened, greasy skin with scabs overlying cracks and small wounds, sometimes with secondary infection.

While there is no cure, hyperkeratosis can be managed by soaking the area and removing scabs, before applying emollient creams to soften the skin. In severe cases, clipping the hair is effective.

Poll evil

This ancient disease – recorded in veterinary texts from as early as 1731 – is similar to fistulous withers, but involves inflammation of the occipital bursa, a fluid-filled compartment at the base of the skull; this may result in a pus-filled abscess. Infection can extend to the nuchal ligament, which connects the skull to the body, causing intense pain and creating multiple fistulous (hollow) tracts.

“Poll evil” refers to the horse’s behaviour when objecting to a halter, bridle or other piece of tack, which in times past would have rendered him unfit for work. The condition can now be treated with anti-inflammatories and antimicrobials, often with surgical drainage of the affected area.

The classic poll evil infection was caused by Brucella bacteria, which are rarely implicated in the condition today. With any infection or swelling in the poll area, however, it is important to rule out the presence of Brucella. The bacteria are linked with brucellosis, a disease typically found in cattle that can also infect humans.

Navicular

We now know that navicular is not one disease, but a group of conditions affecting different parts of the complicated anatomical structures in the back of the horse’s foot.

The terms navicular disease or syndrome, palmar or caudal heel pain and podotrochlosis are all used to describe the presentation; this is typically forelimb lameness with pain localised to the foot and, more specifically, to the area around and including the navicular bone.

An affected horse may “point” a painful foot.

As a fulcrum for the deep digital flexor tendon, the navicular bone is under extreme pressure. It was thought that this pressure restricted blood supply to the bone and eventually affected its density, but pain can arise from the bone or its cartilage, the deep flexor tendon or one of the many ligaments holding the bone in position.

With the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), surgeons could at last “see” into this hard-to-reach area, detecting inflammation and even investigating inside the navicular bursa.

Conformational traits such as upright pasterns, small feet or narrow, upright feet certainly predispose a horse to problems. A long toe and a low heel will also place constant stress on the navicular bone, even as the horse stands at rest.

Quittor

On either side of the hoof, roughly level with the coronary band, sit the collateral cartilages, movable structures that are slightly springy to the touch. In years gone by, draught horses often sustained injuries and abrasions to the skin overlying the collateral cartilages, leading to a condition known as quittor, or gravelling.

Cartilage has no direct blood supply and takes its nourishment from surrounding tissue. Once infected, it develops multiple small abscesses containing dried-out pus. Since antimicrobials cannot penetrate these abscesses, successful treatment requires surgical removal of the affected cartilage – a process that is complicated by the proximity of the coffin joint.

Most veterinary practices still have a set of “quittor knives” for this purpose. Modern techniques such as MRI and ultrasound can be useful to determine the extent of infection, allowing surgeons to carefully plan excision of the infected tissue.

Founder

Technically laminitis, founder presents with marked foot pain and reluctance to bear weight. Laminitis is as common today as it ever was – maybe more so, due to the huge number of obese horses with equine metabolic syndrome at increased risk.

Inflammation around the laminae, the finger-like projections that attach the pedal bone to the hoof, results in separation of these structures. The pedal bone rotates and then sinks; if left unchecked, it will penetrate the sole. This painful condition may result in permanent lameness or the requirement for the horse to be euthanised.

Ref Horse & Hound; 9 July 2020

As the way horses are managed changes during the Covid-19 pandemic, owners are urged to be alert for early signs of laminitis

Owners have been reminded to be aware of laminitis, as more horses are turned away owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

With social distancing measures and movement restrictions in place, equestrian bodies have encouraged owners to keep visits to their horses to a minimum and consider increased turnout – but to remain aware of horses’ weight.

Lucy Grieve, member of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s ethics and welfare committee, told H&H there is a need to do “the best we can”.

“The way we manage our horses will have to change for the short term at least. In the interest of human health and saving lives, it may be best to consider turning away and roughing horses off to minimise the human interaction required in looking after them,” she said.

“Some will be worried about their horse or pony’s weight, and in particular the risk of laminitis. Any horses carrying excess fat in the form of fat pads you can see, or fat in the abdomen, which you cannot see, is at risk even if they have no history of laminitis.”

Ms Grieve added owners should speak to their vets and farriers for advice if they can, and consider “buddying up” with other owners to share duties and checks.

“Trying to find a way that keeps everyone as safe as possible is paramount and we must all be understanding and considerate to each other,” she said.

Farrier Daniel Bennett AWCF CertEd told H&H owners must remain mindful of grass growth following a mild and wet winter, adding that many horses are already overweight.

“If we’re not careful this could be a problem,” he said. “You have to be sensible about this; if your horse is going out to grass stop feeding hard feed or if you need to, have them on the right feed.

“Keep an eye on your horses’ weight and if necessary get some electric fencing and manage the grass situation.”

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World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers said it is imperative to remember laminitis is an issue all year, not just in spring.

“The pandemic is creating huge challenges, not least how we manage and care for our horses. For many the best course of action could be to turn their horses out to grass and, of course, we certainly need to be mindful about the risk of laminitis,” he told H&H.

“Making changes to horses’ management does need to be made as steadily as possible, but most healthy horses will adapt easily with no ill effects.”

Mr Owers added any horse turned out or not receiving its normal exercise should have its weight monitored using body condition scoring or a weightape.

“This gives a good early indication of any changes and allows adjustments to be made to help prevent problems,” he said.

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H&H canvasses opinions from vets and farriers, who are warning horse owners to be on guard for laminitis and calling for them to be honest with themselves about their horses’ weight so action can be taken if weight loss is needed...

Owners are being reminded about the importance of being vigilant about laminitis all year round — and not focusing on it as a “seasonal” disease.

Professionals are urging owners to act now to reduce horses’ and ponies’ weight, and to seek immediate veterinary advice if they see signs of the condition.

Chloe Casalis de Pury, of Buckinghamshire-based Chess Valley Equine Vets, has treated two acute cases of laminitis this year involving ponies who had no history of the disease — and were being kept on “bare” paddocks.

“We’re seeing more laminitis in what we traditionally used to think as ‘safe’ periods, whether that’s late autumn or very early spring. Both ponies are mild cases, but we are hearing anecdotally of others who are becoming ‘footy’ too,” she told H&H.“We are becoming more aware of laminitis and less tolerant of the chronically footy pony, which means we’re seeing these acute or chronic flare-ups more than we would have done 10 years ago.”

Dr Casalis de Pury said it is never too late for owners to act.

“Now is the time to be taking precautions, such as restricting grazing or using track systems that encourage movement, especially if horses or ponies are still carrying too many pounds. There are very few excuses — to say ‘My horse will be OK’ is not appropriate,” she said.

“It is one of the worst diseases a horse could face. We have seen international dressage horses put down because of this disease.”

Lucy Grieve, member of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s (BEVA) ethics and welfare committee, told H&H it is important not to focus solely on “seasonal” laminitis.

“Grass growth, and therefore sugar levels, can vary from day to day, never mind between the seasons, so it’s not as simple as we would hope. There is the common misconception if the field is ‘bare’, it’s safe — but the grass is simply being eaten as quickly as it is growing, therefore the horse is still consuming potentially dangerous amounts,” she said.

“Obesity is the biggest cause of pasture-associated laminitis, so it stands to reason that keeping horses slim will reduce risks. I urge owners to be honest about weight; we can instinctively know our horse may be more fat than fit, but sometimes it feels easier to bury our head in the sand.”

Farrier Antony Marris told H&H laminitis can be fatal in horses and ponies of all breeds and sizes, adding that unpredictable weather can catch owners out.

“In the past couple of years, we’ve been getting some really extreme weathers so it can be difficult to manage if we’ve had mild weather, then a sudden hard frost or influx of snow — these can be serious triggers,” he said.

“If an owner does suspect laminitis, they shouldn’t hesitate to seek advice — it’s a veterinary emergency.”

Keep horses moving

A good way to help manage horses’ and ponies’ weight and reduce the risk of laminitis is movement.

Ms Grieve and Dr Casalis de Pury agreed that implementing an exercise programme and creating a track system can be useful.

“Don’t let your horse sit in the field like a couch potato,” said Ms Grieve. “Do more with them — they are athletic animals who enjoy exercise and the more they do, the fitter they’ll get and the more you will both benefit. If you really want to enhance their daily life, invest in a track system and research ways to enrich their environments — they’ll thank you for it!”

Dr Casalis de Pury said a track system restricts grazing while encouraging a horse to move.

“Instead of strip grazing, you run an electric fence around the outside of the field so you are minimising the acreage the horse can graze,” she said.

“If water is at one end, the gate at the other and any supplementary hay in the middle, you encourage them to walk around more than if they’re standing on a postage stamp of grass and are incredibly bored — that’s not great for welfare either.”

“I’ve seen people use different surfaces, such as a loafing area with woodchip or sand where horses can enjoy a roll — you can get as imaginative as you want,” she said.

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Researchers are calling on horse owners to help them identify previously unconsidered triggers for laminitis.

PhD students Phillipa Davies and Ashley Ward, who are studying at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), are looking for native ponies in northern Scotland to take part in their linked research projects.

Laminitis cases are commonly linked to changes in the sugar content of grass, or the amount of grass consumed (pasture-associated laminitis or PAL). It is also widely recognised that obese animals and those with altered levels of key blood hormones such as insulin and adiponectin are at increased risk.

Although these triggers are recognised, the new research aims to look at why some horses are more susceptible to developing the condition than others. Not all at-risk animals go on to develop laminitis, and the condition can also occur in lean equines.

The researchers, who are collaborating with WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute and the University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute, want native-breed owners to come forward and complete a questionnaire, as well as allowing samples to be collected from their pasture and ponies.

By studying the faeces and urine of individual animals, they want to see if differences in the ability of individual ponies to metabolise and use pasture can help identify those at a higher risk.

While many owners of laminitis-prone horses know to avoid grasses high in sugar, it is also hoped the study will shed more light on what these means in practical management terms.

The second project will look at the species make-up of Scottish grazing land and evaluate, among other things, the sugar content of the different grass species throughout the year. From this, the researchers hope to establish associations between the chemical composition of grass and laminitis risk.

SRUC’s Dr Pippa Morrison, one of the supervisors on the studies, said: “We know that for many owners of horses and ponies, the possibility of their animal developing laminitis is a constant worry and a very real concern.

“When it happens, laminitis can arrive with little or no warning and be quite shocking. All too often animals suffer extreme pain and the consequences can be devastating.

Continues below…

Owner’s shock as couple remove laminitic mare’s grazing muzzle to feed her bread

‘People have had muzzles cut off with knives, fly masks removed, grass cuttings and potato peelings emptied in fields –

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“These studies have been carefully designed to help us better understand some of the risk factors associated with laminitis, at both pony and pasture level, and may help to identify animals at increased risk and those for which recurrence of the disease is more likely.”

It is hoped the research, which is also supported by the Roland Sutton Trust and World Horse Welfare, will lead to the development of evidence-based biomarkers to identify animals at high risk of developing laminitis. It also aims to establish suitable management strategies to help reduce the occurrence of PAL.

Philippa and Ashley are looking for healthy native-breed ponies aged four and over, with no previous diagnosis of PPID (equine Cushing’s disease), to take part in these studies.

For more information or to get involved, email: projectPAL@sruc.ac.uk or call 01224 711026.

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An owner was shocked after a couple removed her laminitic mare’s grazing muzzle and fed her bread on private land.

Tracy Lovett from West Wickham had been turning out her 10-year-old cob mare Lily, who she has owned since birth, with a grazing muzzle for an hour a day after she was diagnosed with laminitis in July. On 10 August a man and woman were discovered feeding her in the field.

Tracy told H&H: “Lily spent a month in her stable and then my vet said she could start going out for an hour on grass with a grazing muzzle. This is the first time she has ever had laminitis – she was found to have arthritis in her neck as a four-year-old when I started to back her so she had to be retired. Because of the arthritis she can’t be lunged or long-reigned to help get the weight off so she needs to wear a muzzle.

“Ryan, the farmhand, spotted a commotion in the mares’ field and saw a man and woman feeding Lily. Ryan went over to them and found they had three empty bags of sliced white bread.”

Tracy said the pair had removed Lily’s field-safe headcollar and grazing muzzle so they could feed her.

“The couple came onto the farm and let themselves into the field – there are no public paths or roads near the field, they were on private property. Ryan asked what they were doing and the man said they love horses and had taken the muzzle off so they could feed her.

“Ryan told them Lily needed the muzzle because she had laminitis, which he explained was like a human having diabetes and too much sugar can be bad, but the man still didn’t understand what they had done was wrong,” she said.

“Ryan came and got me and I stayed with Lily until 9pm to watch for signs of colic, but luckily she was ok.”

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Tracy posted about the incident on Facebook and received hundreds of replies from people who have experienced similar incidents.

“I was shocked at how common this is and how often it’s happening. People have had muzzles cut off with knives, fly masks removed, grass cuttings and potato peelings emptied in fields – it’s unbelievable,” she said.

“People don’t realise horses are wearing muzzles for a reason. They shouldn’t be feeding someone else’s horse – it could kill them. I would like to see some kind of public awareness campaign to get the message out there to people that you can’t just feed horses; they could be on a special diet or they could start fighting with each other if they’re fed while in a group in a field.”

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Vets are urging owners to be on the alert for early signs of laminitis following a “huge surge” in cases.

Devon-based veterinary practice Phoenix Equine has seen an increase in cases of the condition, in both horses and ponies, following a mild winter.

Vet and practice director Tony Kaye told H&H it is important for owners to act quickly if they suspect a horse or pony has laminitis.

“If it’s not caught and dealt with quickly and appropriately, the prognosis for that episode and future soundness is definitely much worse,” said Mr Kaye.

“The longer it goes on, the more the pedal bone becomes unstable and it can start to move. The risk is that the pedal bone rotates a long way, or worse starts to fall down inside the hoof. Owners need to be really vigilant – as soon as a horse or pony goes a bit pottery – they need to act on that.”

Mr Kaye warned changes to the pedal bone can happen quickly.

“If you have a very big horse, there’s much more chance of the bone moving a lot as the horse is obviously putting a lot of weight on the foot so is going to be more susceptible. You can get change very quickly if you get a bad bout of laminitis, but in some cases it can be gradual changes over a long time,” he said.

“It’s definitely worth involving the vet and farrier – ideally you will have foot X-rays to see what rotation there is and you can take a lot of force off the pedal bone with trimming. You’ll occasionally have a pony where the owner will swear it has never had laminitis, but when you X-ray the hooves you’ll find quite noticeable rotation so it has to have had subclinical laminitis.”

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Phoenix Equine vet Teresa Cordovil told H&H owners need to stay on top of their horses’ and ponies’ management.

“It’s good to remind owners of the things to be on the lookout for, not to be complacent with checking horses and ponies and to stay on top of things,” said Ms Cordovil. “They need to make sure their animals are getting the appropriate amount of feed and enough exercise, and if they see any signs to ring their vet and treatment can start early.

“I try to teach owners to look for heat in the hoof and to assess digital pulses. If owners train themselves to do this to their horse or pony day in, day out, we can at least catch some cases in the early stages. Then it’s a lot easier to treat and prevent the long term traumatic affects of laminitis.

“If we can get to those horses early, and before we need to limit exercise because of the effects of laminitis on the hoof and pedal bone, the prognosis is a lot better. If you’re already having issues with laminitis and chronic changes to the hoof then it’s very difficult to manage.”

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The owner of three horses who had to be put down after she ignored advice on treatment for laminitis has been banned from keeping equines for 20 years.

The RSPCA said that by banning Claire Mason, of Magnolia Close, Drakes Broughton, Worcester, magistrates had “recognised how important it is that no other animals are made to endure the same fate” as Mason’s three mares.

Mason, 46, appeared at Worcester Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on 19 April, having pleaded guilty to three charges under the Animal Welfare Act at an earlier hearing.

Mason admitted causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide appropriate veterinary treatment for part-bred Arabs Rosie, Enrica and Fern, who were kept on a livery yard in Norton between 3 July and 14 September 2018.

The mares were found to be “severely lame” when an RSPCA inspector attended following concerns raised about their wellbeing in May 2018.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said despite repeated warnings from the charity and a vet, Mason failed to address the mares’ health concerns instead “choosing” to leave them to suffer.

RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith said: “The horses were suffering from laminitis brought about by failing to treat underlying pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, also known as Cushing’s.

“This can be managed successfully on medication alongside a well-managed diet. Sadly Mason failed to do this despite being made aware of the condition and being advised accordingly.”

The inspector said Mason was an experienced owner who should have known how to care for horses adding this made it “even more unacceptable” that she left the mares to suffer.

“The treatment plans and advice she’d been given were simply ignored. By banning her from keeping horses the court has recognised how important it is that no other animals are made to endure the same fate,” said Ms Smith.

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All three mares were put down with the owner’s consent following veterinary advice owing to the severity of their condition.

The court heard Mason had mental health problems and further mitigation was advanced on the basis that the defendant had owned horses for years, had never had any previous issues, and had “won prizes at shows”.

Mason was sentenced to 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 100 hours of unpaid work. She was ordered to pay £1,000 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

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Over millennia, horses became exquisitely adapted to eat the coarse, woody grasses rejected by the ruminant animals with whom they shared the plains.

This adaptation to rough grazing with relatively low nutritional value is all inclusive, from the type and arrangement of a horse’s teeth and the nature of his gastrointestinal tract with its associated microflora, to the physiological and cellular mechanisms that handle nutrients entering his body.

Agricultural development has led to the introduction of high-sugar grasses, created to meet the huge metabolic drives of modern food animal breeds, such as the Holstein dairy cow. These grasses, ubiquitous on lowland pasture, no longer resemble the poorly digestible foodstuffs equines evolved to eat.

We should not be surprised that some horses and ponies struggle with their new staple diet — it could be likened to keeping Labradors in a sweet shop. The result is an unprecedented rise in equine obesity and metabolic disease.

Eating to excess

Horses are herd animals and derive many benefits from being turned out with companions.

This freedom not only enables a horse to express his natural behaviours, but also provides exercise and the opportunity to breathe air uncontaminated by the airborne particles inherent in the stabled environment.

While grazing allows something of a return to nature for this social, free-ranging animal, problems can arise with the type and amount of grass ingested. A big issue is that many horses and ponies enter spring in “summer condition”.

During the rapid grass-growth phase in spring, modern cattle pastures can exceed the energy content of many concentrate feedstuffs on a dry matter basis at a time when a horse’s adaptive physiology is driving up his appetite to encourage fattening ahead of the next winter.

Conversely, in winter, grass decreases in quality and quantity. In nature, this would be the time when an animal would start to mobilise stored fat, reversing seasonal fattening to restore a seasonally appropriate weight.

However, rather than accepting some winter weight loss, many owners offer hay, supplement with concentrates and provide insulative rugs. In the long-term, the horse grazing high-sugar pastures experiences accelerated summer weight gains without losing fat in winter.

Many owners fall into the trap of considering grass as we would lettuce — virtually calorie-free. The micro-organisms in a horse’s hindgut are in fact extremely efficient at breaking down plant fibres and metabolising plant cell content to maximise the release of highly digestible sugars.

Sugars, particularly glucose, drive the horse’s cellular machinery and can be stored in the liver and muscle as glycogen. Excess sugars are converted to fats and stored in adipose tissues.

While some glucose circulating in the bloodstream is essential, an excessive accumulation can be life-threatening. The horse has become supremely specialised in controlling glucose concentrations. The pancreas responds by secreting insulin to hasten glucose uptake, largely by muscle and adipose tissues.

Problems occur when tissues become resistant to the actions of insulin. Many studies have shown elevated blood insulin concentrations are linked to pasture-associated laminitis.

Not all animals grazing the same pasture are equally afflicted. Susceptibility may be a consequence of phenotype (native pony breeds are more at risk), management (obesity and lush grasses spell danger) or differences in gut micro-organisms.

The risk of grass intake as a trigger for laminitis is probably greatest where grasses are “stressed”, either through rapid growth early in the year, when grazed to the roots or following frosts. All have been associated with increased production of fructans, a specific plant sugar associated with laminitis onset.

But any consumption which exceeds the basic requirements of an already overweight animal will continue to drive the accumulation of fat.

Know the score

Grass quality varies with season. As a rule of thumb, grass alone should provide sufficient dietary energy for animals in light or even moderate work, year round, as long as availability does not limit intake. In these cases, where animals live at pasture, the only supplementation required might be a vitamin and mineral balancer. If grass supply is limited in winter, a conserved forage should be fed.

A pony on unrestricted grazing can consume up to 5% of his bodyweight daily as grass dry matter. On improved spring pastures, this can result in an intake of more than twice his daily energy requirements.

The best way to understand whether a horse is being over- or underfed from pasture is to have a clear and ongoing understanding of his body condition score. Ideally, he should maintain moderate condition year round. Some modest weight gain may be appropriate going into winter, as long as we let it return to moderate again ahead of spring.

Grass intake is notoriously difficult, if not impossible, to gauge. Since “poo picking” is routine practice for pasture hygiene, one of the easiest methods is to graze the horse individually and count the piles of droppings produced.

The obese horse producing 12 faecal pats daily when allowed ad-lib access to grass can be graze-restricted to limit faecal output firstly by a third. If there is no decrease in his body condition score after a few weeks, grass intake should be further limited. Decreasing faecal output to less than half (fewer than six pats) is not recommended without veterinary guidance.

A dairy cow grazing cattle pasture can produce 25 litres of milk a day from grass alone. The horse’s greater appetite means that a mare could theoretically produce 35 litres — energy which is otherwise available to the free-grazing horse to lay down fat. When we use these rich pastures for horses, we must intervene to safeguard health.

Managing grass intake

Stabling allows control over grass intake, but can backfire, because hungry horses will eat more voraciously and for longer once turned out. The same is true of short-term restriction using a grazing muzzle.

A dry, grassless paddock is useful to regulate forage provision. For owners who wish to keep horses at pasture day and year round, the judicious use of electric fencing to create “strip grazing” is currently the most practical solution.

Ideally, fences are moved twice daily to allow access to fresh grass, which is carefully calibrated against body condition score and faecal output. Our understanding of such intermittent caloric restriction on glucose/insulin dynamics remains limited, but this method seems to work well in practice.

A horse fitted with a muzzle needs constant monitoring to make sure he can still drink effectively and has not become caught up. The muzzle must be removed regularly to allow natural behaviour, such as mutual grooming, making this a high maintenance option.

Ref Horse & Hound; 4 April 2019

Weight gain more than doubles the risk of equines’ developing laminitis – as do some techniques aimed at reducing the risk.

The study, carried out by the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and Rossdales Equine Hospital and funded by World Horse Welfare, found the condition developed “significantly” more often if horses gained weight, compared to when they lost or maintained it.

Owners recorded estimates of their horses’ or ponies’ weight at regular intervals over 29 months, more than half of them using a custom-built online tracking tool.(Link)

“Worryingly, weight gain was often occurring unintentionally, even when owners were aiming for weight maintenance or loss,” an AHT spokesman said.

“This emphasises the importance of consistent weight and body condition recording, so undesirable weight gain can be recognised before it has a negative impact on health.

“Owners need to review their animals’ current diet, exercise and health management routines as soon as undesirable weight gain is detected and take action.”

The study also identified groups at particularly high risk of developing laminitis.

Owners of native ponies, full- or part-bred, those with a history of laminitis and who suffer lameness or soreness after routine hoof care should be “particularly vigilant”.

Equine shod or trimmed at intervals of longer than eight weeks were also at high risk of future episodes, as were those who showed a “lengthy return to soundness” after their most recent episodes.

“Earlier recognition of laminitis, along with adequate and prompt veterinary attention, farriery support and diagnostic testing of underlying metabolic disorders should give animals the best chance of recovery and a potential to reduce the risk of future episodes,” the spokesman said.

Other factors associated with laminitis development include features of grass management. Equines who wore grazing muzzles for only part of the time they were at grass were more likely to develop the condition than those who had it on all the time or not at all. Similarly, those who were only turned out to graze for a brief period in the mornings were at more risk than those who went out all day, overnight or not at all.

It is thought these findings maybe owing to the fact the horses gorged on grass when they had limited access to it, but they need to be investigated more fully.

Continues below…

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“These findings suggest that some grazing management interventions were not optimal at preventing laminitis,” the spokesman said.

The study involved more than 1,000 horses and ponies.

Dr Dee Pollard of the AHT said: “This is one of the largest laminitis studies where we collected regular information from the same group of owners in real time. We assessed the relationship between laminitis and many potential management and health factors and identified those more likely to be present before a laminitis episode was reported.

“We now have good evidence to develop laminitis prevention guidelines, and a number of different avenues to explore in the future. We cannot emphasise enough how important systematic and regular weight and body condition monitoring are. It’s very easy to miss weight gain when you are just relying on your eyes and you see your horse or pony every day. You need to get hands on, feel for the fat deposits and take measurements; remember the figures don’t lie!”

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Even light exercise could help reduce the risk of horses’ developing laminitis, research has indicated.

In a study of obese equines on a restricted diet, those who were also exercised frequently did not lose more weight – but did enjoy other health benefits.

The research, carried out by Nick Bamford and colleagues at the University of Melbourne’s veterinary and agricultural science faculty, involved 24 equines.

All the horses and ponies were fed the same diet, of restricted hay, no grazing, alfalfa chaff, soya bean meal and a vitamin and mineral supplement.

One group were not worked, while the others were given 15 minutes of “brisk trot”, with five minutes’ walking before and afterwards, five days per week for 12 weeks.

At the end of the trial, the diet-only group showed a reduction in weight and body condition score. They also showed increased adiponectin, a hormone produced by fat cells, of which low levels are a risk factor for laminitis. They had decreased baseline insulin, high levels of which have been linked to increased laminitis risk.

Equines in the exercised group did not lose more weight, but the most important of the additional benefits seen in these horses was improved insulin sensitivity. Horses and ponies who are more insulin-sensitive need to produce less insulin to control blood sugar, and high levels of insulin and reduced sensitivity are risk factors for laminitis.

Continues below…

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“Reducing calorie intake and feeding a diet low in starch and sugar should be the priority for overweight horses and ponies,” said Spillers’ research and development manager Clare Barfoot RNutr. “But the results of this study suggest that exercise may offer additional health benefits for obese horses and ponies and/or those with equine metabolic syndrome that cannot be achieved by cutting calories and weight loss alone.”

The research is part of Spillers’ ongoing work via the Waltham Equine Studies Group to increase knowledge of equine obesity.

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Laminitis is as common as colic, and there is no time of year at which equines are not at risk, research has shown.

A study carried out by the Animal Health Trust (AHT), with the Royal Veterinary College and Rossdales Equine Hospital, and funded by World Horse Welfare, has found that one in 10 horses or ponies may suffer at least one laminitis episode each year, making it just as common as colic.

The AHT said the research, published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, “emphasised that laminitis needs to be considered an important year-round equine welfare concern in Great Britain”.

“Despite the long-standing belief that laminitis is a springtime disease, this study has identified that there is no ‘safe’ season, and laminitis remains a threat across England, Scotland and Wales regardless of the time of year,” a spokesman said.

“Owners must remain vigilant and not reduce preventive measures when they misconceive the ‘high-risk’ period has passed.”

The AHT said owners must understand the importance of recognising subtle signs of “potentially life-threatening episodes”.

“Most laminitic animals were reported by their owners to display non-specific and mild clinical signs, including difficulty in turning and a short or stilted gait (also referred to as ‘pottery’ gait) or lameness at walk – present in over 70% of laminitis episodes,” the spokesman said.

“However, less than a quarter of affected animals displayed the more classically recognised signs, such as the typical ‘rocked back on the heels’ laminitic stance and divergent hoof rings (rings that are wider at the heel than at the toe).

“A considerable proportion of owners did not assess the presence of a bounding digital pulse, a commonly reported clinical sign of laminitis by vets. This suggests owners may benefit from additional help with correctly locating and assessing the digital pulse, which could contribute to earlier detection of laminitis episodes in the future.”

The AHT said it was of concern that only half the 123 laminitis episodes reported in the 1,070 equines involved in the 29-month study were confirmed by veterinary diagnosis.

“Therefore, despite laminitis being considered a medical emergency by vets and expert researchers, many animals with laminitis are not receiving initial veterinary attention,” the spokesman said, adding that owners should be encouraged to call the vet if they suspect laminitis, or notice any of its associated signs, as by the time even subtle signs appear “the damage within the foot has already begun”.

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Q&A: Help! My pony has laminitis

Expert advice on identifying and treating laminitis

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“Early diagnosis and appropriate management is crucial in preventing long-term, often irreversible damage to structures within the laminitis-affected foot,” the spokesman said.

The next stage in the AHT’s research, thanks to support from the Margaret Giffen Charitable Trust and World Horse Welfare, will seek this year to identify which management and health factors were collectively associated with laminitis development in this population of animals. The results should be available this year.

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A one-eyed abandoned pony who could “barely walk” has been given a “second chance” and a permanent home.

Nelly, a Shetland cross believed to be 16, arrived at Redwings Horse Sanctuary’s Ada Cole visitor centre in Essex on 17 September after being rescued by the RSPCA and a vet from House and Jackson Veterinary Clinic.

Nelly, who only has one eye, was rescued from grassland at Mar Dyke on 31 August after a call from a member of the public. She was discovered to have laminitis and was taken to House and Jackson for treatment and was offered a new home with Redwings after no owner came forward to claim her.

Redwings’ senior field officer Jo Franklin said: “When I first went to visit Nelly at House and Jackson shortly after her rescue, she was in too much pain to move and was so scared that if you touched her she would go rigid and start to shake, showing how long she must have lived without human contact. Her missing eye also looks like it has been professionally removed so she was obviously cared for by someone in the past.

“Being partially sighted and with her feet needing specialist attention, it would be very difficult to find Nelly a home where she could receive all the lifelong care she requires, so we’re delighted to be able to give her a second chance at the sanctuary and provide her with that peaceful and safe forever home she’s been missing.”

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The charity said that while Nelly is still nervous, she has come on “leaps and bounds” since arriving at the sanctuary.

RSPCA inspector Jessica Dayes said: “Poor Nelly was in terrible pain when myself and colleague animal collection officer Joe White were called to help her. We believe she had just been abandoned and it was clear she was in desperate need of urgent veterinary care. She was nervous of being caught, and it took a lot of patience to get near her.

“Nelly is such a sweet girl and responded well to the veterinary treatment, I am so pleased that thanks to the efforts of everyone involved she has now been given a second chance and it’s wonderful that she can now enjoy her retirement in such a wonderful place as Redwings.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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New research has shown that supportive, thermoplastic glue-on horseshoes could make horses with laminitis more comfortable.

The study at Utrecht University measured the gait of 10 healthy and sound Shetland mares, some of which were a normal weight and some obese, and noted improvements in their movement three days after the shoes were fitted.

The foot forces of the Shetlands were recorded first barefoot and then shod as as they crossed a force and pressure platform which yielded data including breakover times and toe-heel balance.

Vet Janneke Sleutjens, who led the study, opted not to use the therapeutic shoes on ponies with acute laminitis as they considered that forcing them to walk across the testing equipment was unethical. Instead, they compared the results of the healthy ponies and obese ones that may have been exhibiting signs of sub-clinical laminitis.

Results showed the obese ponies were moving more “carefully” — loading the heel region more than the toe and with breakover times at walk significantly slower than the “normal” group, despite the fact there was no marked difference in speed.

“The combination of these findings could indicate that the obese ponies experienced some degree of discomfort or pain in their toe region, possibly because they were in a subclinical stage of laminitis, given that obesity and hyperinsulinaemia are risk factors for the development of laminitis,” the study said.

The ponies were re-assessed immediately after the glue-on shoes were fitted and then again 72 hours later. While initial results did not show significant changes, three days later the vertical impulse and peak vertical force were found to have “increased significantly” in the obese ponies. The toe-heel balance curves — which had initially shown a significant difference between the two groups — had also become “more comparable” after the application of the shoes.

“The frog-supportive shoes tested in the current study have been developed to support the feet in patients with acute laminitis. The proposed theory behind the shoe is that, owing to the heart bar shape, the palmar structures of the hoof contribute to the weight-bearing surface and the rolled toe should ease breakover,” the study said.

“This study demonstrated that several variables of hoof kinetics, mainly the stance duration toe–heel index and the hoof balance curves, became more similar between normal and obese ponies after the application of the frog-supportive shoes.”

The shoes used in the study were supplied by Andrew Poynton of Imprint Shoes and are completely mouldable and nail-less. Several other varieties are also commercially available.

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Janneke said that while the shoes could help ponies suffering from the early stages of the condition, prevention was still the most important measure owners could take.

“First of all, laminitis needs to be prevented by eliminating the risk factors, therefore, it is important for ponies to lose weight. But in addition to that, owners could consider using the special thermoplastic shoes,” she concluded.

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While a laminitis diagnosis often signals the end of the road for a show horse, one Welsh section D has well and truly come back from the brink, putting the condition behind him to qualify for the SEIB Search for a Star amateur ridden finals.

Taking top spot in the Mountain and Moorland class at Bury Farm’s 2018 SEIB Search for a Star qualifier (10 June) was Hanna Garner with Margaret Burrows’ Welsh cob Winwood Tigers Eye (Tigger).

The pair will compete in the first ever final, which is to be held at Your Horse Live in November.

Despite this victory, in 2015, the 11-year-old gelding was struck down with a bout of severe laminitis.

Hanna, who works for Margaret at Sandridge Bury riding school and livery yard, was thrilled with the victory.

“It means so much to us all,” said Hanna of the bay. “He was nearly put down in early 2015 as his laminitis was so severe. The vet said to feed him 15kg of hay a day, I misunderstood and soaked the hay before weighing it so Tigger was being fed really very little — the vet then said it was this that saved his life.”

Tigger is now going from strength to strength but is maintained on a strict daily routine. He lives in at night, also being exercised in the morning. He then goes out for three hours in the afternoon with a muzzle on.

Hanna added: “Our feed manufacturers have been brilliant when it comes to Tigger’s feed — any problems and we ring them straight away.

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“We basically treat him like a diabetic. We feed him stuff that will give him energy but that is completely sugar-free. He has the biggest personality in the world and there is already a plan in place to hire a coach for all the supporters from the yard to come down to Stoneleigh to watch him at the final.”

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In this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, out on 28 June, is a full report from the Hickstead Derby meeting, a six-page report from Royal Ascot, a feature on the much-discussed whip rules and, in this week’s ‘vet clinic’, find out how to spot the signs of sand colic.

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Q: “I’m worried that my boy might be developing a bit of laminitis. He’s 19 and never suffered before but yesterday when I asked for trot he was slightly lame. I could feel a slight pulse in his left fore. I’ve never had to deal with laminitis before. He did seem a bit tentative to pick up his feet when I got off to check for any stones lodged from the walk up to the ménage but he is sound in walk.I have my farrier coming out this afternoon to have a look before I call out a vet but I’ve left him in on a deep bed with half a slice of soaked hay. He’s grazed on a smaller paddock to control his weight anyway as he gets fat off thin air. He has also been coming back into work since I’ve come home from university so it’s not like he’s been left with no work. It’s all come on so suddenly. Is there anything else I can do to control this? Or how to continue to prevent it? How long does he have to be out of work for and when will I know if it has cleared up?”

A: Laminitis is a huge topic, however I will try and break it up into three sections:

1. Causal factors of laminitis

2. Prevention

3. Management of the laminitic horse/pony

1. Causal factors

Every horse owner knows that, if you feed too much, your horse can get fat and subsequently get laminitis. In addition, concussion-based bouts of laminitis, or even toxic laminitis, are frequently reported. However, as you have already alluded to, a huge amount of clients are presented with laminitis in horses that ‘live on fresh air’. So what’s going on?

Hormone/metabolic instability can be a significant contributing factor in all cases. These can be split into two main categories:

a) Cushing’s Syndrome: It is well documented that horses suffering from Cushing’s are more predisposed to bouts of laminitis; this is easily diagnosed and monitored by measuring a hormone called adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and managed with medication known as Prascend (active ingredient Pergolide). I would strongly recommend any animal suffering from even a suspicious episode of laminitis is tested for Cushing’s Syndrome.

b) Metabolic Syndrome: Obesity and insulin dysregulation is another huge causal factor. Commonly described as ‘metabolic syndrome’, our understanding of how a large number of inflammatory mediators and hormones affect fat deposition, utilisation and subsequent sugar metabolism, which then impact on the laminae within the horse’s feet, is ever evolving. At present, we only measure insulin, or hormones such as adiponectin, which we know are part of the metabolic process but this just tells us there is a dysregulation of the normal process of fat metabolism.

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2. Prevention

Eliminating or controlling the predisposing factors such as Cushing’s and/or Metabolic Syndrome is essential in the prevention of laminitis. However, dietary control, weight management and exercise remain the cornerstones of laminitis prevention.

3. Management

In response to your question, I always advise 7 days’ box rest for every day an animal is acutely lame. I combine this with a careful evaluation of the horse’s nutritional intake. High fibre, low sugar diets are the mainstay dietary therapy for all laminitics. In addition, I insist patients are kept on box rest with a deep bed (which is extended up to the door). Acute laminitics may also benefit from additional solar (foot) support in the form of pads or Imprint shoes. All patients with the condition need adequate pain relief; furthermore some vasodilating drugs may also be beneficial in the very early stages. I always feel it is beneficial to have radiographs of the feet; this enables us to help with giving a prognosis, in addition to being essential for your farrier in the subsequent management of the condition.

I never advise returning to normal turnout or work until the horse is no longer painful to the application of hoof testers, can comfortably walk on a tight ‘figure of eight’ circle and the predisposing factors have been investigated.

Laminitis can be a very debilitating condition and our understanding and management has not changed significantly in the last few years. However, some of the latest research may be changing the way we think about laminitis.

In people there are known links between obesity and type II diabetes. As I stated earlier, horses do not get the classical type II diabetes like people, however insulin dysregulation is apparent. There is now increasing evidence in people to suggest that gut bacteria may also play a role in obesity and insulin control. With horses being heavily reliant on their gut bacteria this is an avenue we are pursuing within our practice to see if stabilisation of the gut bacteria can help with obesity and the direct link between metabolic syndrome and laminitis.

If ever you are suspicious of laminitis in your horse, call your vet; early diagnosis and treatment can make a significant difference to the horse’s outcome.

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The Horse Trust is urging owners to think before they take on a companion pony after the charity came to the aid of a Shetland with “crippling” laminitis and an emaciated filly.

Fifteen-year-old Walter arrived into the Horse Trust’s isolation unit earlier this month in a poor state.

“His feet show years of horrific bruising, his owner has obviously been struggling to meet his needs properly for some time,” said Horse Trust chief executive Jeanette Allen.

“Ultimately, he had to be signed over to the RSPCA and put into our care before this year’s spring grass really comes through. A farrier can’t have checked Walter’s feet for some time, or otherwise the laminitic changes would have been obviously apparent.”

Walter was suffering from other signs of neglect including a lice infestation, worms and a coat matted with urine.

“He required significant pain relief for his first few days just to get over the journey to us,” said Ms Allen. “With a multitude of other problems on top of his laminitis, he will need very careful management for the rest of his life.

“There is no doubt that extremely friendly Walter will be a long-term project, first getting him comfortable and most importantly keeping him that way. X-rays show he has some pedal bone rotation in two feet and this looks old so he has had this excruciatingly painful problem for some significant amount of time.

“Now that we have his pain under control, he is far brighter and happier as a result and he is on a strict regime to get on top of his laminitis.”

Dizzy, a two-year-old filly cob is also in the charity’s isolation unit. She arrived from a different owner who was also not coping with caring for her properly.

Her body condition score of one out of five puts her at risk of developing re-feeding syndrome, a potentially fatal condition that can occur when severely malnourished horses are given access to food again, so she is also on a carefully controlled diet.

“Walter and Dizzy have become firm friends as Dizzy slowly gains weight and Walter slowly loses it,” added Ms Allen.

“Neither owner set out to intentionally neglect their ponies, they lacked either the knowledge or resources, to meet their needs properly. When advice was given it wasn’t or couldn’t be acted upon enough and in the end, both had to be signed over.”

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No equine is low maintenance

Ms Allen urged owners to think carefully before taking on a companion horse or pony.

“There is a common assumption that a Shetland pony would make a good, low maintenance companion for a thoroughbred or competition horse,” she said. “This is simply not the case unless managed very carefully. Different breeds have different needs.

“Over feeding a Shetland pony is very easy to do, they evolved for the Shetland climate, not lush pastures and warmer weather. Owners must meet the needs of all their equines as individuals and must never place the needs of one, say the one they compete with, over its companion.

“While over feeding and over rugging are common problems with Shetland Ponies causing them to become overweight and potentially leading to joint problems and of course, laminitis; we have admitted numerous Shetlands and Miniature Shetlands that have been so neglected they have become emaciated, dehydrated and infested with parasites whilst the owners competition horse is given far greater care. No equine is low maintenance.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now