What is laminitis, and how can the physiological barefoot trim help my laminitic horse?
Laminitis is, simply put, an inflammation of the sensitive and insensitive laminae of the hoof. (The laminae are the “velcro” that hold the boney column up inside the hoof capsule, and attach the hoof wall to the inner structures.) The inflammation, if left unchecked, or if sudden and severe, can result in tissue death, destroying the laminae. Once the laminae are destroyed, or even just damaged, the boney column literally slides down within the hoof capsule. In its most severe form, the coffin bone (the distal phalanx, or P3) actually penetrates the sole of the foot. Even in its less severe forms, laminitis is acutely painful. The causes of laminitis are largely metabolic. In other words…be very aware of what you are feeding your horse! Excess sugar and non-structural cabohydrates in the horse’s diet are the most common triggers; both cause disturbances to the gut flora . Insulin resistance in horses exacerbates this problem, and IR horses should be on a strict diet low in sugar/non
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- What is laminitis, and how can the physiological barefoot trim help my laminitic horse?
