How to Manage a Laminitis Prone Horse
Have your horse's hooves regularly trimmed by a fully qualified farrier or trimmer., Keep your horse at a healthy weight., Keep to the basic rules of feeding., Restrict fructan in grazing., Restrict or avoid grazing., Restrict fructan in feeding...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Have your horse's hooves regularly trimmed by a fully qualified farrier or trimmer.
Obesity has been links to Laminitis, as well as other conditions.
By monitoring your horse's weight every 2 weeks and plotting the results on a graph, minor weight changes can be seen early.
To monitor your horse's weight you can use condition scoring, a weigh tape or a weight bridge. , Feed little and often. (No more than 2kg per feed for a 500kg horse.
No longer than 4 hours without feed/forage.) Make all dietary changes slowly over 1 or 2 weeks.
Make sure feed rooms and feed bins are horse proof, to prevent a horse from breaking in and gorging themselves. , Fructan is a type of sugar found in grass and hay.
Certain types of grass have more than others.
Timothy and cocks foot have less than Italian rye grass.
Change grazing, or re-seed if possible. , This is especially important when the grass is stressed, (after it's been cut for hay or during a frost) during the day when it's it full sun, or during times of high growth (spring and possibly autumn after a dry summer).
Grazing can be restricted by strip grazing or using a grazing muzzle. , Mature, timothy and meadow hay are lower then early cut rye grass.
Oat straw is even lower. , Both have been connected to Laminitis.
Avoid high starch feeds like cereals and high sugar feeds like molasses.
Replace these feeds with fiber and oil based feeds, including unmolassed sugar beet, chaffs, alfalfa and neat oil. , Laminitis is thought to be linked to insulin resistance (similar to diabetes in humans).
Certain supplements have been known to aid this condition, including cinnamon and magnesium. , Though care needs to be taken, as many herbs cannot go hand-in-hand as they counteract each other and others can cause severe problems.
As a rule, the only 3 herbs that should be used together unless otherwise stated by a veterinarian or equine herbalist are rosehips, chamomile, and garlic.
For a horse that has Laminitis or has actually foundered, rosehip is the best herb.
It promotes hoof growth and repair and help to calm the horse to a certain degree.
It is also good for their coat.
It can be added directly into their feed, and as a rule of dosages.
Ponies: 1 teaspoon, Galloways: 1 to 2 teaspoons, Hacks: 2 teaspoons, and 3 teaspoons if the horse is a warmblood or heavy draft. -
Step 2: Keep your horse at a healthy weight.
-
Step 3: Keep to the basic rules of feeding.
-
Step 4: Restrict fructan in grazing.
-
Step 5: Restrict or avoid grazing.
-
Step 6: Restrict fructan in feeding.
-
Step 7: Restrict starch and sugar in the feed.
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Step 8: Feed supplements to aid insulin resistance.
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Step 9: Herbs are a good additive to any feed.
Detailed Guide
Obesity has been links to Laminitis, as well as other conditions.
By monitoring your horse's weight every 2 weeks and plotting the results on a graph, minor weight changes can be seen early.
To monitor your horse's weight you can use condition scoring, a weigh tape or a weight bridge. , Feed little and often. (No more than 2kg per feed for a 500kg horse.
No longer than 4 hours without feed/forage.) Make all dietary changes slowly over 1 or 2 weeks.
Make sure feed rooms and feed bins are horse proof, to prevent a horse from breaking in and gorging themselves. , Fructan is a type of sugar found in grass and hay.
Certain types of grass have more than others.
Timothy and cocks foot have less than Italian rye grass.
Change grazing, or re-seed if possible. , This is especially important when the grass is stressed, (after it's been cut for hay or during a frost) during the day when it's it full sun, or during times of high growth (spring and possibly autumn after a dry summer).
Grazing can be restricted by strip grazing or using a grazing muzzle. , Mature, timothy and meadow hay are lower then early cut rye grass.
Oat straw is even lower. , Both have been connected to Laminitis.
Avoid high starch feeds like cereals and high sugar feeds like molasses.
Replace these feeds with fiber and oil based feeds, including unmolassed sugar beet, chaffs, alfalfa and neat oil. , Laminitis is thought to be linked to insulin resistance (similar to diabetes in humans).
Certain supplements have been known to aid this condition, including cinnamon and magnesium. , Though care needs to be taken, as many herbs cannot go hand-in-hand as they counteract each other and others can cause severe problems.
As a rule, the only 3 herbs that should be used together unless otherwise stated by a veterinarian or equine herbalist are rosehips, chamomile, and garlic.
For a horse that has Laminitis or has actually foundered, rosehip is the best herb.
It promotes hoof growth and repair and help to calm the horse to a certain degree.
It is also good for their coat.
It can be added directly into their feed, and as a rule of dosages.
Ponies: 1 teaspoon, Galloways: 1 to 2 teaspoons, Hacks: 2 teaspoons, and 3 teaspoons if the horse is a warmblood or heavy draft.
About the Author
Christina Gordon
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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