Laminitis

Laminitis is a painful disease that affects a pony’s hooves. Some breeds are more prone to getting it than others but it can affect any type of pony. With the right management, you can help prevent yours from getting it.

Trigger point

All horses and ponies are at risk of getting laminitis, but it’s most likely to occur when…

• a pony’s overweight
• his diet’s too high in sugar and starch
• there’s a lot of concussion on his hooves from fast work on very hard ground
• he has underlying health issues that could trigger it, like Cushing’s disease (PPID)
• he’s feeling very stressed due to a change in his environment, such as moving yards, or travelling for a long period

Inside info

Your pony has tissues inside his hoof called laminae. The laminae are what attach his pedal bone (the bone inside his hoof) to the hoof wall.

When laminitis is triggered, the blood flow to the laminae is affected, which makes them become inflamed. This is really painful because of the increased pressure on your pony’s hoof – it’s a bit like having a bruise under your toe nail, but much worse!

Find out more about laminitis, and what to watch out for in April PONY, on sale 10 March 2021.