Inquiry:

I need help for my horse. I adopted a 20+ year old Tennessee Walking Horse. He came from a rescue facility where he was kept with 50 horses on 20 acres - low in pecking order. He is my first horse. He was evaluated at least 200# underweight one year ago when I adopted him. He is a hard keeper, but by last month I would estimate he had gained about 150 pounds.

He was diagnosed with laminitis in the right front about 10 days ago. He limped for about a week prior.  Everyone thought an abscess, and we soaked. He looked worse to me, and I took him to the vet, who confirmed a slight rotation. About 5 months prior to developing the laminitis my horse had a reaction to vaccinations, loose poop for 6-8 weeks (I used a psyllium product, and wormed him over that time) At the time of the laminitis he was being fed a 12-8 feed 3 times/day, 1 flake of alfalfa most days, and on a chondroitin sulfate with hyaluronic acid product, also vitamin C and probiotics.

Can you help us? My horse is in pain. I love him with all that I am. This is not a show horse, trail rider, etc. I just want him happy - that is why I adopted him - to love him and give him a safe place.

Response:

Unfortunately laminitis usually results from the accumulation of effects from the unnatural stressors of captivity. These can include the boarding environment, use, diet, as well as horse-keeping choices like hoof care. It can be challenging to completely resolve, but if you're willing to put on your detective hat, I'll provide the best resources and ideas I have.

First, I'd like to recommend a set of 3 articles titled The Biology of Natural Horsemanship by Dr. Bruce Nock, Ph.D. In these articles Dr. Nock gives examples of the unnatural stressors placed on horses in captivity and explains their effect on physiology and health. He also offers ideas to reduce and protect horses against the effects of unnatural stressors. Another valuable resource for your situation is Jaime Jackson's book, Founder: Prevention and Cure the Natural Way.

There are several things that might be contributing to your situation, and these are commonly found in rescue situations, so don't feel alone. First, it sounds as though your horse is, or at least was, on a very rich diet. This is understandable, since you were trying to put weight on him. However, the cause of his weight loss might not be related to diet so much as stress. A stress-induced loss of muscle mass is often taken as a need for more nutrients. However, if the horse is stressed for one reason or another, those nutrients may be directed toward intra-abdominal fat, a risk factor for insulin resistance and laminitis.

Horse's digestive systems are really designed to do best on a lot of roughage, like mixed-grass hays and very little, if any, grain products. Alfalfa and other legume hays are very popular in the cattle industry, because they will quickly put weight on an animal, but these hays are not compatible with free-choice feeding, for which the digestive system of the horse is best suited. Reducing the unnatural stressors in your horse’s life will go much farther towards healthy weight gain. Your experience is fairly common among rescue facilities because adding calories is considered before reducing stress. When complications arise, like laminitis or founder, the stress caused by the pain gets added to the equation and the situation becomes more and more challenging.

My first recommendation would be to locate some mixed-grass hay and offer it on a free-choice basis. This means he should always have some available to him. Horse’s stomachs are small and can only hold 4 gallons of material at a time at most. They are designed for taking in small amounts of food throughout the day. Reduce the amount of grain based feed in stages. Making "cold-turkey" changes is both psychologically and physically stressful, so changing the diet is best done in stages, but do it as quickly as possible. Maintain the schedule but reduce by half as soon as you can provide free-choice hay. Then, in a few days, half the amount of grain-based feed again. He might turn up his nose to the mixed-grass hay at first, but trust me alfalfa hay and grain based products, especially sweet feeds, are known laminitis triggers. Is he on pasture in addition to the feeds and supplements?

At the same time, consider how he is boarded. Is he stalled, or turned out?  Opportunity for movement is important for circulation, muscle tone, and reduces many of the damaging effects of stress. However, I don't recommend forcing a horse in pain to move. Placing resources like hay, salt block, and water in different locations around a paddock will encourage movement. 

Does he have a companion? Isolation is stressful for horses. A compatible companion offers comfort through touch during grooming, security so he can get enough rest, and interest to reduce boredom. You might need to search for a nice gentle companion because being at the bottom of the pecking order is stressful in the long term (an issue that may have contributed to his low weight in the large herd.) A compatible companion will also encourage movement without constantly antagonizing your horse.

I hope these suggestions and prompts set you and your horse on the road to recovery. I’ll try to locate an AANHCP Certified Natural Hoof Care Practitioner that services your area.

Best wishes to you,

Ann

Dear Ann,

I need help with two cases of laminitic horses that I am trimming. I have been trying to maintain the healing angle, but the hooves are deforming more and more instead of getting better. In one case the owner is doing everything to change the diet and make sure the horse wears a grazing muzzle but his hooves do not look better. There is always a divergent angle. One good point, the horse is always comfortable after the trim and "runs around and kicks up his heels" according to the owner. Why is the divergent angle continuing to occur?

In another case a horse that had been diagnosed as laminitic for years was stable, not changing for the better or worse for about a year, then it began to "sink". I mentioned that they should watch the diet more closely. They got ex-rays and now the vet is involved. I will talk to the vet and explain my trimming method. I will also ask the vet to help me with the diet suggestions. 

Signed,

I Need Help

Ann’s Reply

Dear I Need Help,

Thanks for your inquiry. I can offer a few things for you to think about.

First Case

With regard to the trim, double check the healing angle toe length to be certain the hoof capsule has been reduced to its optimal length. You should be able to shorten the healing angle toe length to 3 3/4 inches, or less, from coronary band to the ground (i.e., within the range of toe lengths Jaime Jackson observed in the sample of 1000 hooves of free-roaming horses and has been confirmed by dissection of hundreds of cadaver hooves). It is critical to use the healing angle toe length to make sure you don't over-trim the hoof. The Official Trim Guidelines of the AANHCP and Jaime Jackson’s narrated PowerPoint presentation, Putting Healing Angle in the Crosshairs: Understanding the Healing Angle in Natural Hoof Care, available from Jaime Jackson’s online bookstore, are good resources for detailed explanations of healing angle, healing angle toe length, and their uses in guiding your trimming. Please let me know if you have any questions about these measurements and concepts.

Also, check for persistent wall flare each time you trim. If you consistently find this, consider whether the trim interval (time between trims) is short enough. Normally, four weeks is an optimal trimming interval. However, if you consistently encounter wall flare try shortening the time between trims. This will allow you to remove excess length before it contributes to the perpetuation of the distortions you’re seeing.

In addition to working toward optimal hoof length, the healing angle, that is the angle of hoof wall growth immediately below the coronary band, must be preserved. When this angle is altered through trimming the horse has to re-adjust the angle of growth, back to this optimal healing angle, to maintain proper alignment of internal and external structures. In fact changing this angle will actually perpetuate divergent angles. That means you must measure the angle before you begin removing hoof wall and again after you trim to make sure the angle hasn’t been changed.

Next, consider the possibility that the distortions you’re seeing are caused by issues outside your control. Some possible concerns that are not directly related to trimming include environment, opportunity for movement, social interactions, training, riding, diet, and so forth. The interactions between the horse and his environment are crucial to encouraging the hoof toward the optimal form (see Form Follows Function: Characteristics of the Natural Hoof, available free at Liberated Horsemanship). Satisfying the horse's needs for movement, companionship, and interesting activities are critical to successful natural hoof care. What happens at the hoof is a reflection of the physical and psychological health of the biodynamic whole.

For example, you said one horse wears a grazing muzzle. It’s likely that placing a horse in grass, but restricting its ability to eat, is stressful to the animal. In addition, the muzzle can rub and aggravate the horse, and it interferes with self-grooming, like biting at an itch for example. Normal social interactions, like mutual grooming, are also hampered. In fact the stress and frustration caused by the muzzle may add to the very problem you are trying to resolve.

Isolation from other horses is stressful. Do the horses enjoy companionship? A compatible companion offers comfort through touch during grooming, security so he can get enough rest, and interest to reduce boredom. Most importantly it allows species typical interactions that are crucial for psychological health.

Boredom can also be reduced by enriching the horse’s environment. One way to improve interest and encourage movement is to spread resources around the paddock. For example, spread hay out in different areas away from shelters and water; place salt and mineral blocks in another area; dump a pile of sand in the paddock for rolling; and so forth. This adds interest while encouraging movement. It also helps to reduce stress and protect the horse from its damaging consequences.

Riding is another way to encourage movement and can add interest to a horse’s routine.  But, it’s important that it matches the fitness level of the horse. Exercise that is physically or psychologically difficult for the horse is stressful. Moderation should be a part of every riding session. In addition, the rider’s ability to laterally and longitudinally balance the horse plays a huge role in the ease with which the horse carries the rider. Horses that are regularly ridden out of lateral and longitudinal balance will experience uneven wear and concussion that distorts the shape of the hooves.

Second Case

If I understand the second case correctly, the horse has been chronically laminitic for over a year without improvement, then the hooves began to deteriorate further in the recent "sinking" episode. You mentioned that the veterinarian took radiographs. One important benefit of radiographs in cases of chronic laminitis is that the veterinarian can see if the coffin bone is badly distorted or eroded. This is not uncommon in chronic cases, when the horse has endured extended periods of discomfort and stress. We already know the hoof wall and coffin bone have lost proper connection, that’s the clinical definition of laminitis. But, if the coffin bone is grossly distorted or a large portion is missing, the likelihood of the horse ever producing an optimally shaped hoof is diminished. Unfortunately, it is thought that bone loss in the coffin bone cannot be recovered (Fischer & Fischer: Bone remodeling of the equine distal limb. The Horse’s Hoof. Issue 26, 2007:6 – 8). That’s why veterinarians use signs of coffin bone loss as a prognostic tool. That’s not to say that a natural trim won’t provide the best chance for comfort, but the hoof may never recover optimal form. So, radiographs can help you set reasonable expectations for yourself and the horse owner.

You describe this horse’s condition as “not changing for the better or worse for about a year”. In my opinion, if a laminitic horse isn’t getting better, it's getting worse. A healthy body works to repair itself. When this doesn't occur, there's a problem. Because chronic laminitis is often brought on by, or at least perpetuated by, persistent exposure to an unnatural environment or events, it can be challenging to completely resolve. It requires identifying and reducing unnatural stressors in the horse's environment and life way when possible, and/or providing ways for the horse to cope with the unnatural stressors that can’t be eliminated.

Knowledge of the natural environment and behaviors of free-roaming horses can help to identify sources of stress for domesticated horses. You mentioned that you’ve already spoken with the horse owner about diet. Unfortunately, changing the diet may not be enough to break the cycle of chronic laminitis. Look for persistent sources of stress like confinement in a stall or small paddock, isolation from other horses, stressful social dynamics (like being confined in close quarters with belligerent herd mates), and the pain associated with laminitis and founder (sinking). Some things may not be immediately apparent, but once the horse owner begins to reduce, eliminate, or help the horse cope with sources of persistent stress, improvement in the horse’s comfort and the condition of his hooves should follow. It might surprise you but small changes in a horse’s life way can profoundly improve hoof and overall horse health.

There are some valuable resources to help you and the horse owner through this process. I’m sure you’re familiar with Jaime Jackson’s book, Founder: Prevention and Cure the Natural Way, which provides excellent guidance for helping laminitic horses. Another important resource to help you and the horse owner examine the horse’s environment for unnatural stressors is a series of three articles by Dr. Bruce Nock, Ph.D., published under the title The Biology of Natural Horsemanship. In these articles Dr. Nock gives examples of the unnatural stresses placed on horses in captivity and explains the effects on physiology and health. He also offers ideas to reduce and protect horses against the effects of chronic or frequent stress. The articles can be ordered from Liberated Horsemanship.

Another invaluable resource, especially in chronic cases like these, is an on-site consultation with Dr. Nock. He will evaluate the horse's environment and life way and offer suggestions to reduce the effects of stress. The costs include a consultation fee and travel expenses. Any of your clients wishing to take advantage of Dr. Nock's expertise can contact him at brucenock@mac.com. I am also available for onsite consultation regarding the trimming, if you feel that would be helpful.

I hope this information is useful. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Ann