clockwork.satan
Active Member
Hi all,
I don't post here very often, but have had a look around for posts from owners that might be in a similar solution to me and can't seem to find anything... So here goes. I've got a 15.1hh 6 year old barefoot Highland Pony gelding who suffered a major laminitis attack at the end of last year, which luckily didn't result in any pedal bone rotation or damage. My partner & I had him on an ex-dairy farmer's land at the time and have since moved him to a much more suitable private yard for native ponies and thought that we'd cracked the art of managing him well by monitoring his feet for any heat/pulses and rigorously controlling his diet. However, just over a week ago he was feeling his feet in his field so we thought we'd get the vet out to get him looked at - and it turns out that he is once again suffering from laminitis, probably due to the sugary spring grass coming through, which has left us totally devastated and means that he's now on box rest for possibly a few weeks. There's a small mercy in the fact that it appears to be a very mild attack, but laminitis is laminitis and we need to absolutely ensure that he never gets it again.
We've not had Einar (that's his name) tested for EMS/insulin resistance yet and will get him tested once he's been given the all-clear. He doesn't get fat pads and the cresty neck that EMS horses get, so we suspect that he's insulin resistant and it will be interesting to find out if that's the case or not.
Do any of you have insulin resistant/laminitis-prone horses - and if so, how do you deal with it? Einar's currently not in work yet as EVERY time we get him to the point of doing any work, he suffers a setback (a tendon injury, umpteen colics, a pulled sternum and now a double-whammy of laminitis) so we're nearing the end of our wits as we know that, much like diabetic humans, the best solution is exercise but we just can['t seem to get him to that point.
I'm beginning to think that the only solution we've got left is to get him completely away from grass throughout spring, summer and autumn. Thankfully, our yard owner is very open to suggestions and I've been looking into making him a grass-free summer turnout area into which we can give him ad-lib hay. The question is, what sort of surface would be the best for him? I've read a few things about 10-20mm pea gravel being good for barefoot horses but have been pricing it up and it's seriously expensive to make a 40x40ft paddock with 6" deep gravel - are there any good alternatives?
Thanks in advance of any suggestions!
I don't post here very often, but have had a look around for posts from owners that might be in a similar solution to me and can't seem to find anything... So here goes. I've got a 15.1hh 6 year old barefoot Highland Pony gelding who suffered a major laminitis attack at the end of last year, which luckily didn't result in any pedal bone rotation or damage. My partner & I had him on an ex-dairy farmer's land at the time and have since moved him to a much more suitable private yard for native ponies and thought that we'd cracked the art of managing him well by monitoring his feet for any heat/pulses and rigorously controlling his diet. However, just over a week ago he was feeling his feet in his field so we thought we'd get the vet out to get him looked at - and it turns out that he is once again suffering from laminitis, probably due to the sugary spring grass coming through, which has left us totally devastated and means that he's now on box rest for possibly a few weeks. There's a small mercy in the fact that it appears to be a very mild attack, but laminitis is laminitis and we need to absolutely ensure that he never gets it again.
We've not had Einar (that's his name) tested for EMS/insulin resistance yet and will get him tested once he's been given the all-clear. He doesn't get fat pads and the cresty neck that EMS horses get, so we suspect that he's insulin resistant and it will be interesting to find out if that's the case or not.
Do any of you have insulin resistant/laminitis-prone horses - and if so, how do you deal with it? Einar's currently not in work yet as EVERY time we get him to the point of doing any work, he suffers a setback (a tendon injury, umpteen colics, a pulled sternum and now a double-whammy of laminitis) so we're nearing the end of our wits as we know that, much like diabetic humans, the best solution is exercise but we just can['t seem to get him to that point.
I'm beginning to think that the only solution we've got left is to get him completely away from grass throughout spring, summer and autumn. Thankfully, our yard owner is very open to suggestions and I've been looking into making him a grass-free summer turnout area into which we can give him ad-lib hay. The question is, what sort of surface would be the best for him? I've read a few things about 10-20mm pea gravel being good for barefoot horses but have been pricing it up and it's seriously expensive to make a 40x40ft paddock with 6" deep gravel - are there any good alternatives?
Thanks in advance of any suggestions!