Spring and early summer are the worst times for this devastating condition. It can happen in any combination in the feet. The horse or pony will be reluctant to move, it will try to lean back to relieve the weight from its toes, it may be panting and sweating. Especially with ponies, its crest may be hard, there may also be an increase in the digital pulse. Generally, in the spring/summer it is because of excessive intake of lush grass, owners sometimes feel the need to keep the grass under control by grazing it off, so out goes the pony and overnight the pony has laminitis.

There is only one way to avoid this and that is to remove the cause - restrict the intake of this lush grass. I cannot emphasize enough how much restriction is needed. People say there is nothing on their field, and there is about three acres of lawn like grass. Take the pony off for a week and see how much it has grown, this will indicate the ponies intake.

Clearly there are other causes of Laminitis;
concussion, toxaemia, infection of the Uterus, pituitary tumours to name but a few. But this seasonal one is the most common.

So prevention is better than cure. If you know or suspect a problem could occur, don't wait until it is a little "footy" by this time it is already too late. Section off an area of your field, watch the animal's weight. If it gets hard in the crest or bobbly areas of fat appear it is obviously not starving, so restrict it some more. There are some feed additives, which are supposed to prevent these problems from occurring, they might work for your horse, but they might not.

Despite the cause of Laminitis, Fist Aid and treatments are the same.

ACUTE PHASE.

First Aid points

- Remove the cause.
- Give digital support, by taping a rolled up bandage under the frog to give subtle ground pressure to the frog.
- Call the Vet, he or she will administer the relevant pain relief and anti-inflammatory.
- Box rest on damp shavings. This gives solar pressure reducing pressure on the hoof wall.

Don't continue to ride or exercise the horse, when he feels like walking around he will. As for feeding, as I said earlier remove the cause, if it is feed that has created the condition stop all grass and hard feed consumption, and resume a maintenance diet of soaked hay and water. After the condition has subsided your pony can be allowed to walk as much as it wants to - in an area sectioned off outside the stable with the door open is ideal, this gives the choice of movement or rest on the shavings.

SHOEING

In the acute phase it may not be possible to shoe the horse, as its feet may be too painful to bear the nailing, or even standing on one foot. However, if the vet requires the horse to be shod, he/she will have taken a x-ray and will have determined whether the condition was a founder or sinker.

Without getting too technical this means the bone has rotated or the laminar bond between the wall and the bone has compromised completely.The horse may need to be sedated for shoeing obviously the liaison between the vet and farrier is essential.

Afterwards shoeing such as 'heart-bars' or 'wide webb seated out' shoes or 'rolled toe' or 'reverse' shoes, any combination of these could be advised by your vet.

Generally speaking during the acute phase the farrier and the owner take the advice of the vet.

CHRONIC LAMINITIS
This is the ongoing effects of laminits i.e. the slipper type toe and long heels, and diverging ridges around the hoof wall. This is caused by abnormal horn growth as a result of affected blood supply.

Infections and seedy toe are common with chronic laminitis because of the stretched white line. It becomes very porous and dirt can enter eventually causing infections in the sensitive laminae and also the solar corium.

SHOEING
Shoeing for the chronic laminitic is more to do with trimming. Abnormal growth of the horn makes the heels grow excessively and the bond at the toe is compromised, it is here that we get a hoof pastern axis deviation. This is corrected by trimming the heels down and removing the excess toe from the dorsal wall. This kind of trimming helps to re-establish correct hoof shape and also correct blood circulation and horn growth. Meanwhile shoeing with width and length at the heels ensures good support. Often there is a semi circular area at the toe at which the laminae are exposed, this is quite normal, and however sometimes we need to use quarter clips either side of this area to stabilize the shoe or leave the clip out completely and roll the toe.

Whilst I have tried to give a general outline of the condition and treatments, each and every case can be very different. It is for this reason that if you think that your horse/pony may be suffering from any of the above symptoms that you should consult either your vet or farrier.

Laminitis can be a serious and debilitating condition and should be attended to immediately.