Thursday 29 May 2014

Caution it's Laminitis time of year . . .

This is more of a Caution Post to everyone to warn them of fresh flushes of grass and one of the most painful side effects from new grass growth - LAMINTIS. Yes, it's that time of year again, the sun, the rain, then the sudden growth of grass . .  . watch your horses and ponies . . watch their whole body movement, the speed they move, the way they move, the way they stand, whether they are rocking from leg to leg and check the temperature of each hoof daily. Of course if your horse is clearly lame make sure it is not a poisoned hoof first and get it checked by a specialist and treat accordingly.




If you have recently purchased a horse or pony, take a look, a close look at their hooves if there are marked rings half to an eighth of the way up your horses hooves then your horse or pony is likely to have suffered from Laminitis before.



If you find your horse or pony's movement changing, bring him/her/them in for part of the day but making sure that he/she has room to move around with a soft bed to lie down on. Some people say it's best to bring them in through the day and out in the evening, others say too much grass at any part of the day is negative for a laminitic pony or one that is prone to laminitis. Often horses and ponies hooves, who are prone to laminitis, grow much quicker at this time of year so make sure your ask your Blacksmith to visit  regularly to keep all hooves trimmed back and above all make sure you pick your horses hooves out on a regular basis.

If you are keeping them in, reduce the amount hay and feed they get and a handy hint or one way to reduce their intake of hay is to put two or three haynets inside each other and then fill the central hay net up and tie all hay nets together, which reduces the amount of hay strands that they can eat at a time, but it still gives them something to graze on.  

Remember a change of pastures can also trigger Laminitis  -  keep an eye open - 

More to follow . . .





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