Horse Laminitis Prevention and Management

Laminitis is one of the most painful and debilitating conditions in horses, causing severe suffering that is largely preventable through careful dietary and management practices.

Key Facts

Laminitis involves inflammation of the sensitive laminar tissue within the hoof, causing severe pain and potential rotation of the pedal bone.
Dietary causes including grass fructan overload in spring and autumn are the most common triggers in leisure horses.
Equine metabolic syndrome and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction are significant predisposing conditions requiring management.
The Obel grading scale for laminitis lameness provides a standardized assessment of severity for treatment planning.
Once a horse has suffered laminitis, the risk of recurrence is significantly elevated — prevention becomes lifelong management.

Welfare Considerations

Laminitis causes pain that is so severe that affected horses refuse to move, stand in characteristic postures to shift weight from their front feet, and may be unable to lie down and rise without assistance. The welfare emergency of acute laminitis is clear; the welfare problem of chronic laminitis that causes persistent, variable pain over years is equally real but less visible. Prevention through dietary management, body condition control, and monitoring for predisposing conditions dramatically reduces individual suffering.

What You Can Do

Manage access to lush spring and autumn pasture for any horse that is overweight or has a history of laminitis.
Learn the early signs of laminitis including increased digital pulse, reluctance to move, and shifting weight.
Test overweight horses or those with unexplained laminitis for EMS and PPID with your vet.
Implement a body condition scoring programme to keep susceptible horses in lean body condition throughout the year.