Laminitis is one of the most painful and life-limiting conditions in horses, yet the majority of cases are preventable through evidence-based management.
Laminitis causes suffering that is both acute and prolonged — severe pain in the initial episode followed by potentially years of chronic discomfort for horses that recover incompletely. Many horses are euthanized because their pain cannot be managed to an acceptable quality of life standard. The welfare cost of laminitis is compounded by the fact that the majority of cases are preventable: identifying horses at risk through insulin testing, managing grazing to avoid peak-sugar grass conditions, and controlling diet appropriately are all achievable interventions. The persistence of preventable laminitis in the horse population reflects a gap between evidence-based prevention and the management practices common in general horse keeping.