Laminitis | Prevention & Management

Monitor your horse’s weight closely and react to any changes. Use a weigh tape and get hands-on by fat scoring (body condition scoring). 

Restrict grazing - Grass is a major contributor of calories in a horse’s diet. Grazing can be restricted by using electric fencing to strip graze, setting up an alternative grazing system for example a track system, or by using a grazing muzzle. 

Don’t keep an overweight horse unnecessarily rugged through winter as this time of year can be used as an advantage to help the horse lose weight. Instead of un-used calories being laid down as excess fat, the horse can use the calories to keep warm. Remember, weight gain more than doubles the risk of laminitis¹.  

Using enrichment helps to reduce the rate of consumption, whilst making feeding interesting, for example consider using trickle feeders or hay balls.  This will also provide some additional movement for the horse.

Watch out for any subtle signs of laminitis – the earlier an attack is noticed, the greater the chance of aiding recovery.