Emergency: Acute laminitis is extremely painful and constitutes a veterinary emergency. If you suspect your horse has laminitis, contact your vet immediately and restrict movement pending assessment.
What Is Laminitis?
Laminitis is inflammation of the sensitive laminae — the delicate tissue that suspends the pedal bone (coffin bone) within the hoof capsule. In severe cases, the pedal bone rotates or sinks within the hoof, causing chronic, irreversible pain and structural damage. It is one of the most painful conditions in equine medicine and a leading cause of euthanasia in horses and ponies.
Causes
Pasture-associated: Most common cause in the UK. High-sugar spring and autumn grass (rich in non-structural carbohydrates) triggers an endocrine-mediated inflammatory response. Ponies and horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) are particularly susceptible.
Endocrine: Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID/Cushing's disease) in older horses causes hyperinsulinaemia and associated laminitis. Highly prevalent condition in horses over 15.
Supporting limb: Horses carrying excessive weight on one limb (due to lameness in the opposite limb) can develop laminitis in the supporting foot.
Systemic disease: Severe infections, retained placenta, and other systemic diseases can trigger laminitis through endotoxaemia.
Recognition
Classic signs of acute laminitis: a "laminitic stance" with weight shifted back onto the heels to relieve the toes; reluctance to move; heat in the hooves; bounding digital pulse; pain on hoof testers applied to the toe region; and reluctance to pick up feet. Chronic laminitis produces characteristic hoof ring formation, a dished hoof profile, and white line disease.
Treatment
Immediate management of acute laminitis:
Box rest on deep, supportive bedding (shavings or sand) — movement worsens rotation
NSAID analgesia under veterinary prescription (phenylbutazone, meloxicam)
Dietary restriction: remove access to pasture; feed soaked hay only
Veterinary investigation of underlying cause (blood tests for insulin and PPID)
Corrective farriery: specialised shoeing or frog support reduces mechanical forces on the pedal bone
Prevention
Preventing recurrence is the key management goal. For pasture-associated laminitis: restrict grazing, particularly in spring and autumn; use strip grazing and grazing muzzles; avoid high-risk grazing periods (after frost, during fast growth phases). For endocrine cases: treat PPID with pergolide; manage EMS through diet and exercise.