Some advice on regimes for laminitic pony please.

[wodger_woo]

Ok I have 'acquired' a fantastic 12 hh welshie (Polly) for my 2 year old son. She should wear a halo as she is just about the most perfect pony ever

Her only problem is that she is prone to laminitus.
My field is 4 acres with what appears to be a lot of grass on. It is used by my horse (a TB) and another TB mare. My horse is currently out 24/7 the mare comes in at night.

For the past week Polly has been coming in at 5.30 am the day, she has been having a handful of 'happy hoof' and a measure of Baileys lo-cal as a feed. She has a slice of hay in a haylage net to nibble on through the day. In the evening she is fussed, groomed and ridden (well its more a toddle around the farm with 2 year old on board) She has then been going out at about 6pm with my horse.
I have been getting used to feeling her feet and there has been no heat or pulse.
I have tried her in a muzzle but she hated it and got very distressed so I quickly took it off.
I have fenced off a very small area in the field as a 'polly' paddock and last night instead of going in the whole field I popped her in there. I have left her in there today as well. She has horses all around her and seems fairly happy.
Would it be ok to have Polly in the fenced off bit during the day and out in the whole field at night. Maybe using the Polly paddock full time if she got a bit fat/pottery/the autumn flush comes on the grass. Or would I be better off to continue bringing her in during the day.

Where I got her from she was out 24/7 on very sparse grazing supplemented with hay and a small feed. She is certainly not fat and you can see her ribs although she has a bit of a pot belly. She was wormed last week.

Please could you tell me how you keep your laminitus prone horses.....I'm so used to dealing with TB's this is new territory for me

 

[Tiggy1]

I have 2 laminitic ponies and they are on a similar routine to what your pony was on beofre you got her.
I like them to stay out as it keeps them mobile.

Mine you can't see ribs but they err on the lighter side which is good.

Trial and error and whatever works best for you but sounds like you have too much grass for a laminitic pony.

I would section of an area for the welshie and strip graze that but be carefull of the lenght of time on the grass if it is rich

 

[angiebaby]

Please don't let your pony on the big field, day or night. My three ponies are on three quarters of an acre 24/7 with nothing but 2 feeds of healthy hoof and baileys lo-cal (with the weather we are having the grass is growing all the time). 2 are lami's and look very healthy. Your pony will eat far too much without a muzzle. Stick with it if you need to let her out into the bigger field.

 

[wodger_woo]

Thanks for your advice. I'm going to gradually increase the size of her little paddock until it is a little larger and then she can stay on there full time.
Thanks again both of you

 

[kerilli]

i'd keep her in the little paddock all the time, with soaked hay and the additives you're giving her already. maybe a handful of hi-fi lite or something too.
prevention's much better than cure. even though the fructans in the grass are lower overnight, if she stuffs her face all night, i dread to think what might happen. maybe make her tiny paddock a little bit bigger (but get one of your horses to 'hoover' off all the extra grass first in the new bit.) basically, i'd stick to the regime she was on when you got her. or, if you do turn her out in the big paddock, and her ribs start disappearing, panic!