Preventing laminitis through horse feed and diet.

This is when a horse's digestive tract is too overwhelmed to process an excessive amount of sugary equine feeds, grain or high sugar load grasses, correctly. This can spur a sudden imbalance in bacteria & PH levels, leading to a toxic reaction that compromises circulation and blood pressure to the horse's extremities, especially to his feet. And, this can be a precursor to laminitis. Laminitis is one of the most serious horse health issues known and horse owners should endeavor to prevent it.

While inferior horse nutrition is responsible for most cases of laminitis, there are, of course, many other causes. The 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, shattered his leg during a false start at that year's Preakness. As so often happens with injured horses, Barbaro ultimately fell victim to laminitis. Horses are well designed for their role as prey animals. They spend most of their time standing, so as to be able to run off at the first sign of danger. A horse with an injured limb will still try to spend as much time standing as possible, compensating for the injury by trying to shift more weight onto its other limbs. This strategy is usually successful for only so long, given that horses already place 60% of their weight onto their front legs. The additional weight ultimately stresses the hoof's laminae, spearheading a laminitis attack. If the laminitis isn't treated by a vet almost immediately, it will, in many cases progress to the crippling condition known as founder.

By adjusting your horse feed, you can dramatically improve your horse's chances of avoiding laminitis. Pasture lands with especially sugar rich grasses should be avoided. These high soluble carbohydrate grasses tend to grow mostly in Spring and Autumn. And, never let a horse gain access to the feed-bins or tack rooms where your grains, horse treats and specialty feeds are stored.

An unlocked grain room is the equivalent of nirvana to horses and they will eat everything in sight, left to their own devices. This could spell disaster for a horse's health, so it's critical that your feed room is never left unlocked and that your horses can't escape their stalls or corrals. Another big issue is the temperature of your horse's water. Overly warm or freezing cold water will discourage a horse from proper liquid intake in the short term. Then, compelled by overwhelming thirst, the horse may inhale a great deal of unusually cold or hot water, potentially triggering a bout of equine colic or laminitis, so keep your horse's water at the right temperatures.

While we all want our horses to be fat and happy, it's important not to let them cross the line into becoming obese. Obese horses experience more stress on their feet, making them more vulnerable to laminitis. Should your horse get chubby, discuss the best combination of hay, horse grains and horse supplements for your horse's slimming campaign. Stick to the horse products your vet recommends and get your horse back down to her fighting weight.

Peritonitis, a condition of the abdominal wall, metritis, an inflammation of the uterine lining and diarrhea in horses can all upset a horse's system and set off a cascade of toxins spilling into the horse's bloodstream. This can be a precursor for laminitis. Call your vet whenever any of these conditions surface.

Cart and driving horses are particularly prone to laminitis, given the amount of shock they experience being trotted and cantered on pavement and hard trails. Restrict any gait above a walk to a ring with good footing, consider specialty pads and be careful never to let your horse's feet grow too long.

Not surprisingly, stress can trigger an episode of equine laminitis. If your horse seems out of sorts, you may want to call your vet for a consult.

Horse people are so good at persuading an uncooperative horse, they sometimes forget to consider the source of the horse's resistance. If your horse hates being loaded onto a horse trailer, it could be because he gets stressed out during the actual ride. Is the trailer's ride fairly quiet and comfortable, or is it loud and shocking? Inspect your trailer's flooring. Is it cushioned? Now, with no horses nearby, jump up and down inside the trailer. Is it noisy? That's what your horse hears as it's hauled. You may want to compare the trailer being used to haul your horse to other brands; to see if there's a better designed solution, available.

Another stressful issue for horses is fly control. Mosquitoes, house & biting stable flies (among others) can all contribute to your horse's stress levels and to laminitis, if the horse spends too much time stomping. Deal with pest control aggressively.

Proper Care & Feeding Of Horses Who've Suffered Through Laminitis.

One of the most common wives tales regarding diet and equine laminitis, is that the horse should be kept on a virtual starvation diet, to help bring the laminitis under control. Nothing could be further from the truth. Understanding feed for horses, post laminitis is something you should undertake carefully, first consulting with your horse's vet, of course. While you might want to add a bit of Straw Chaff or Alfalfa Hay to enhance calcium levels, for the most part, a carefully balanced diet comprised of high fiber feeds, vitamins & minerals, should do the trick.

All horse owners should discuss which high-fiber, low carbohydrate, equine supplement combination of horse products will best suit their horse, with their horse's primary care practitioner. Your vet may also recommend senior horse feeds for your older horse as well as specialty horse treats or supplements for horses. When it comes to horse health, you can never be too vigilant about feeding your horse correctly.