laminitis.. a little confused

D

Daisy2

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 March 2010
Messages
537
Visit site
My guys are still strip grazed and muzzled. I would say they have a good covering layer and good to go into winter however I want to take the muzzles off 24/7 so that they have plenty to eat in order to be comfortable in the cold but I am worried about the old lammy. They live out unrugged on 13 acres, there is a lot of grass which is looking yellowish in places.. any thoughts please.
I did let them go free in Oct last year with no problems but am more paranoid this year:confused: I have owned them 5yrs with no incidence however they are your typical types to get it.

They currently have the run of the field with muzzles and stripped overnight
 
to be honest I wouldnt take a chance.. however... if the grass is very short and you have a frost id be leaning towards feeding some hay.
 
Its good that you can think that far ahead. Me personally, no, I wouldn't risk it. With the upcoming seasonal frosts, now is the worst time for a lammi prone horse to be on grass. The grass should be totally frost free for a good couple of hours before ponies are put on it.
 
Why are you more paranoid this year if they've never suffered from lami before? Are they particularly overweight?

I have never experienced problems with horses being out 24/7 on grass and it being frosty. Surely they are designed to eat grass like this?? If you are concerned then can you not restrict the acreage they are on? We have 5 horses currently on 12 acres as we open up both our fields for the winter as the grass is not as rich. They are fed hay twice a day and also some hard feed twice a day. I have one 14.2hh welsh x pony who really could live on fresh air but he still gets hay and some 'token' hard feed and in the 16years I have had him he has never ever had laminitis. I do keep an on him in the sumer months and we section the field into smaller paddocks and rotate them.

I would not consider muzzling him as I don't really see the benefit (I know others differ in opinions and i am not intending on starting a debate). I think sometimes we can worry too much. I would say if they were ok last year and have been ok for the last 5 years then I wouldn't change anything if i were you. I still would maybe supplement with hay though maybe unless you feel there really is enough grass? I assume you are not feeding them any hard feed?
 
I don't think its a bad thing to be paranoid. One of our ponies got it last year after three years of not getting it, and once its there its harder work to avoid..

With our pony, it was a new supply of haylage that was much richer than the stuff I'd fed before then.

If nothing is different, I'd take the muzzles off (I use them in summer, but don't like them on when its muddy as they get clogged up and awful). Keep them from having too much to graze (if you're still worried) by keeping the strip grazing.

Naturallly, these types are designed to live out with no rugs, so you're doing the right thing. Hillside ponies go into winter a bit fat naturally, and burn it off over the winter keeping warm, coming out of winter looking on the poorer side, and ready for the spring grass.

Just keep an eye out for them getting fatter, and make the strip smaller if need be.. Doesn't sound like you have much to worry about.
 
ladyt25 said:
Why are you more paranoid this year if they've never suffered from lami before? Are they particularly overweight?

I have never experienced problems with horses being out 24/7 on grass and it being frosty. Surely they are designed to eat grass like this?? If you are concerned then can you not restrict the acreage they are on? We have 5 horses currently on 12 acres as we open up both our fields for the winter as the grass is not as rich. They are fed hay twice a day and also some hard feed twice a day. I have one 14.2hh welsh x pony who really could live on fresh air but he still gets hay and some 'token' hard feed and in the 16years I have had him he has never ever had laminitis. I do keep an on him in the sumer months and we section the field into smaller paddocks and rotate them.

I would not consider muzzling him as I don't really see the benefit (I know others differ in opinions and i am not intending on starting a debate). I think sometimes we can worry too much. I would say if they were ok last year and have been ok for the last 5 years then I wouldn't change anything if i were you. I still would maybe supplement with hay though maybe unless you feel there really is enough grass? I assume you are not feeding them any hard feed?
Click to expand...

Paranoid this year because of autumn flushes being excessive, paranoid because they are real good doers, meaty and greedy, can't keep them on smaller paddocks 24/7 as the area gets poached (set aside field so needs to stay pretty if poss). The benefit for muzzling is because when they have access during the day to the whole field i worry that lammy might be triggered by sugar overload so I suppose the question is how much sugar is in grass at this time of year. They do get a small feed for vits and mins. But thanks for your reply its good to hear other peoples views on keeping them healthy and you are right I worry alot!
 
Sorry to butt in on your post, but since we are due a real cold snap in the next few days will it be ok to allow lammi prone horses proper turnout when its over? I'm just gradually reintroducing my old mare to grass at the moment (she's been bad with cushings induced laminitis since the 1st Sept and is now sound and getting 45 mins grazing a day....in hand and its chuffing cold!
 
Lots of horses get lami later in life having been ok when growing and working hard.

I am seeing a lot of TBs with stretched white lines.

It is a complex formula and it is unwise to generalise but some of things in the mix include but are not exclusive:

Pasture - type, variety of species, fertilised?, soil type/fertility/minerals
Horse - background, type, workload, previous health issues, diet
Sunshine - hours and whether cloudy or full on
Rainfall
Temperature

Frost is a problem because sugars accumulate in the grass leaves so over several days of frost quite a lot can accumulate - enough to tip a susceptible horse over the edge. But again this is species and environment dependent.

So what would be ok for one won't be ok for another - even in the same field, let alone different fields or different parts of the country.

So don't think you are being paranoid think instead that you are playing it safe. I wish more people did that then fewer horses would have to cope with the unfortunate consequences of lami.
 
LucyPriory said:
Lots of horses get lami later in life having been ok when growing and working hard.

I am seeing a lot of TBs with stretched white lines.

It is a complex formula and it is unwise to generalise but some of things in the mix include but are not exclusive:

Pasture - type, variety of species, fertilised?, soil type/fertility/minerals
Horse - background, type, workload, previous health issues, diet
Sunshine - hours and whether cloudy or full on
Rainfall
Temperature

Frost is a problem because sugars accumulate in the grass leaves so over several days of frost quite a lot can accumulate - enough to tip a susceptible horse over the edge. But again this is species and environment dependent.

So what would be ok for one won't be ok for another - even in the same field, let alone different fields or different parts of the country.

So don't think you are being paranoid think instead that you are playing it safe. I wish more people did that then fewer horses would have to cope with the unfortunate consequences of lami.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Also bear in mind hay is better than frosty grass. personally I would make sure when there is a frost you put some hay out.

I used to also make sure horses had a small lami safe feed so they didn't eat so much grass (yes it does work, especially when turning ponies out on grass!)
 
you could always trun out at night and bring in during day to avoid the frosts. REMEMBER plants photosynthesise ONLY during the day (hence the production of 'sugars' although thats not scientifically correct however it will do for this purpose). it safe to be careful especailly with animals prone to it or older ponies. xx
 
My horse is lami-prone. If there's been a frost, I always make sure I turn out with lots of hay to keep him busy until the frost has cleared. :)
 
mollylolly said:
you could always trun out at night and bring in during day to avoid the frosts. REMEMBER plants photosynthesise ONLY during the day (hence the production of 'sugars' although thats not scientifically correct however it will do for this purpose). it safe to be careful especailly with animals prone to it or older ponies. xx
Click to expand...

Um - you are right about not scientifically correct. When it is frosty grass retains sugars in the leaves. This is especially true at night. So when frosty night or day is a bit irrelevant.

However during mild weather (not frosty) turning out at night is an option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top