Laminitis is one of the most painful and debilitating conditions in horses. Nutritional management — especially controlling access to high-sugar grass — is the most important preventive welfare intervention for at-risk animals.
Laminitis causes extreme pain — horses with acute laminitis cannot bear weight normally and are in constant distress. The potential for permanent structural damage to the hoof means that even one severe episode can cause lifelong welfare compromise. Prevention is far more effective than treatment. High-risk animals — native ponies, horses with PPID or EMS, previously laminitic horses — require proactive management including grazing restriction, soaked hay, track systems, and blood testing to identify metabolic risk factors before disease occurs.