How to Feed a Post-Laminitic Horse: Essential Diet Tips

Feeding a post-laminitic horse or pony is both a challenge and a rewarding experience that helps restore their comfort and mobility. Laminitis affects many horses and ponies, not just those that are overweight, and can be difficult to diagnose without thorough veterinary examination. Recognising signs such as ridges on hooves may suggest past laminitis.

Understanding Dietary Management for Post-Laminitic Horses

Managing your horse's diet is crucial to prevent recurrence of laminitis and improve their wellbeing. Horses recovering from laminitis often have reduced tolerance to sugars and starches, specifically non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), which can trigger symptoms. A carefully controlled diet low in NSCs and tailored to your horse’s body condition and workload is essential.

Your post-laminitic horse's diet should prioritise forage, ideally making up 80-100% of their daily intake, sourced from low sugar hay or soaked hay to reduce soluble carbohydrate levels. Avoid grain-based feeds and sugary treats that can cause blood sugar spikes.

Choosing the Best Forages

Alfalfa hay, surprisingly, is often lower in NSCs than typical grass hay, making it a suitable option for post-laminitic horses. However, the quantity must be adjusted according to the horse’s size and body condition. Where possible, soaking hay for at least 12 hours before feeding helps further reduce sugar content safely.

Timothy grass pellets or hay cubes can provide safe variety as they are low in NSCs but must be fed in strict quantities corresponding to your horse’s current condition and activity level.

Grass and Pasture Considerations

It is generally advised that post-laminitic horses avoid unrestricted pasture access due to the high sugar levels in grass which vary with season and time of day. If turnout is necessary for exercise or mental wellbeing, restrict it to short periods (such as half an hour) and use a grazing muzzle certified to prevent grazing.

Practical Feeding Tips for Owners

• Feed dry matter amounting to roughly 1.5-2.5% of your horse's body weight daily, adjusted for weight loss or maintenance goals.
• Always soak hay thoroughly for at least 30 minutes to 12 hours depending on the hay type to reduce NSC load.
• Use a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure your horse receives necessary nutrients, especially on a forage-only diet.
• Ensure that calories consumed do not exceed those expended to prevent weight gain.
• Weigh all feed to provide accurate, consistent rationing.
• Avoid rugs on post-laminitic horses as they expend energy keeping warm, and rugs reduce this calorie use.
• Do not starve your horse; weight loss should be gradual to prevent hyperlipaemia, a dangerous condition of high blood fat.
• Offer multiple small meals throughout the day rather than fewer large feeds to maintain stable glucose and insulin levels.

Monitoring and Long-Term Care

Maintaining a good body condition and careful monitoring are vital. Post-laminitic care is a lifelong commitment involving regular veterinary check-ups to monitor for equine metabolic syndrome or Cushing’s disease, which can increase laminitis risks.

By adhering to these evidence-based feeding strategies and working closely with your vet or an equine nutritionist, you can significantly improve your horse’s comfort and quality of life.

Conclusion

Feeding a horse recovering from laminitis demands careful attention to diet, exercise, and monitoring. There is no quick fix, but with patience and precision in managing sugars, forage types, and feeding routines, you can support your post-laminitic horse's full recovery and return to comfortable work.