Turnout for a laminitic and keeping enough weight on - ideas?

[mystiandsunny]

Basically, have a very very lami prone TB, who would (obviously) like to go out as much as possible with her friends. That bit is sorted as they're all ponies who need restricted grazing anyway, so she goes out with them with her muzzle on and all is good - you'd think.

Problem is, that she would like to be out 24/7 (and in principle that's fine), however she needs to eat a fair bit each day and there needs to be time for that too!!! Currently she's out during the day and in at night where she gets 2 slices of horsehage, her dinner and an extra bowl of speedibeet with oil in it which she picks at during the night (always gone by morning). That just about keeps her weight on, give that she also eats a slice of hay through her muzzle when the ponies get theirs, and any grass she can get during the day. Is there any way she could be out more and still get all that food down her?

 

[Lotty]

I'm not sure, hopefully others can be more helpful.

I turn my lami prone mare out in a muzzle for 6hours max every day. She also gets exercised then is in the stable at night with soaked hay. I would love to turn her out for longer but I'm paranoid so will watch this post.

 

[dilbert]

Are you able to turn out at night and bring in during the day? When in during the day you could increase her horsehage/speedi beet / add a large bucket of fast fibre?

You could maybe separate her from her friends using electric fencing and feed her more hay?

My cob is a good doer so he's in during the day then out from late afternoon muzzled.

 

[Puppy]

You could maybe separate her from her friends using electric fencing and feed her more hay?

That's what I'd do. I have a large, poor doer, who has cushings, so she has to be fed so as to prevent lami. She has her own paddock with very little grass, but ab lib haylage. Also, have you looked at simple systems feeds? I have recently started using their lucie cubes which are perfect for horses with metabolic disorders

 

[mystiandsunny]

Thanks for the ideas . I might think about having her in a separate bit with a pony pal at night (there's one other who could do with more hay than the fatties, and is lower in the pecking order than her so wouldn't steal her food), then with everyone else during the day when she's muzzled. She can't be unmuzzled during daylight as even with next to no grass she gets ill if it rains then bright sunlight and I work so have to prepare for all eventualities.