Just Horse Sense

21/01/2022

I recently had a day when I had an almost identical conversation with 2 different clients, one after the other. It got me thinking about why we keep our horses the way we do.

The gist of the conversation was this…

It started when I commented how pleased I was with how well their horses hooves had improved.
In both cases they said ‘I don’t know why. I’ve been away, I’ve hardly seen them never mind done anything with them’

But the thing was, in both cases we had made sure that we’d created an environment that promotes good health and strong hooves.

They had systems in place that meant the environment was doing a lot of the work for them, so it didn’t matter that they’d had some time off. The systems were still working.

Neither client had a track system or anything complicated or expensive like that. They’d just made sure they were doing the best they could with what they had.

🔹️ Like providing forage and nutrition that suited their horses and their yard.
🔹️ Making sure their horse’s were functioning as well as possible, so the hooves were being strengthened not weakened.
🔹️Removing any ‘blocks’ that were causing stress on the body rather than promoting health.

The horses needs were different and the facilities each yard had varied, but by monitoring the horse’s responses and making appropriate changes we were able to design a system that suited not only them, but the whole herd.

Once the right system was in place, it felt like ‘they were hardly doing anything’. It was just normal for them, so it was easy to forget that they were in fact working towards improving their horses. They were just working smarter, not harder.

If you’re interested in making your systems work for you, have a look at The Healthy Horse: Feeding and Nutrition mini course.

www.hoofgeek.com/fan-enroll

Hundreds of horse owners have benefited from this course over the last 2 years. The price is going up on 1st Feb, but right now you can still get it for just £22.

15/12/2021

It’s so EXCITING!! 🥳

The final checks have been made by Highfield Group and our Integrated Equine Podiatry course has been approved!! ⭐️

IEP is a professional course for training Equine Podiatrists that fits around your life, giving you the freedom to create a successful business doing what you love while empowering your clients to develop happy healthy horses from the hoof up.

If you’d like more details about the course, click here
areion.co.uk/iepsp

To celebrate the launch of this flagship Areion Academy course we want to give 1 person an incredible opportunity to change their life by training to become an equine podiatrist with all course costs fully funded!

This place is open to applications from anyone who is truly passionate about working with horses but genuinely couldn’t afford to fund the course themselves. This is an amazing opportunity so we are looking for someone with real drive and commitment to make a difference in the horse world.

If this is you, or someone you know, check out our prospectus now to find out how to apply. areion.co.uk/iepsp
(Terms and conditions apply)

12/11/2021

Protect Your Horse With This 6 Week Online Course

07/11/2021

I’ve seen quite a few articles recently about how to spot warning signs of laminitis. While I’m all for increasing awareness of laminitis, I find myself really frustrated that the signs listed in the articles are often quite advanced. They’re signs that a horse is already in trouble. Often they’re signs that rotation has already happened

There are so many EARLY warning signs. An early warning sign is one that tells you there’s inflammation, things you can see before rotation happens.

Laminitis is a term that is often used to refer to rotation, sink, founder ie. the laminae failing and the bone detaching from the hoof capsule. It’s also used (correctly) to refer to inflammation. The correct definition is ‘inflammation of the laminae’

When identifying, preventing and recovering from laminitis it’s really important to separate the inflammation and the rotation.

These are 2 different things, that while connected, require very different approaches.

Inflammation long term or in high levels can cause rotation. Spotting the signs of inflammation allows you to take action before rotation occurs, or recover your horse more quickly if rotation has already happened.

It’s commonly thought that the rotation of the pedal bone is the major cause of pain in the feet. Certainly it causes a lot of damage in the hoof, and the pedal bone is actively separating from the hoof wall is very painful, but it’s the inflammation that’s the real trouble maker.

Both before and after rotation has occurred the main cause of pain is usually the inflammation, so addressing that inflammation can increase their comfort dramatically.

Inflammation causes swelling. Most of the body can cope with this, but there’s 2 areas that aren’t able to expand, the skull and the hoof. Not being able to expand, causes the inflammation to cause pressure. It’s that pressure that causes pain, and in the case of the hoof, damage to the laminae and rotation of the hoof capsule.

A laminitic hoof requires regular trimming to keep it in balance, but trimming does little to address the inflammation. Inflammation is most often caused by health issues in the body, environmental problems, or both.

Good hoof care is essential, but addressing inflammation is the key to preventing, managing and recovering from laminitis. The earlier you can spot a problem, the better!

For instance, we all know the rocked back stance is a sign of laminitis, it’s mentioned in all the warning signs articles, but when you see this in a horse, it’s very likely rotation has already occurred.

What isn’t so commonly known is that a V shaped ‘elephant on a drum’ stance is a sign of low grade laminitis. This is a sign that shows up before rotation has occurred. (Sometimes you only see the front legs behind the vertical.)

There are many early warning signs, and knowing how to spot them can help you build a picture of how your horse is doing.

I really want everyone to have the best chance of preventing laminitis so I created a series of videos to help you learn the 10 most common early warning signs. We cover 5 signs of current inflammation, and 5 signs that your horse has had inflammation in the past.

It’s completely free, no sign up needed. You can find it here https://learn.hoofgeek.com/lws-sneak-peek/

It’s a snippet from the Laminitis Warning Signs course where we cover all 35 early warning signs and look more deeply into how to prevent, manage and address laminitis and get the best results for your horse

05/11/2021

29/10/2021

OMG! I’m so excited I can finally tell you! My business besty Amy and I have been squirreled away all year working on Areion.

There’s going to be more super cool announcements, with new courses and events for equine professionals (or horse owners who want to dive a bit deeper).

It’s certainly been a challenge for me to not be shouting about this, but finally I can tell everyone! PHEW!

We’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of Highfield approved training centre Areion Academy!

Areion will be providing high quality courses for equine professionals and dedicated horse owners with a focus on horse health and species appropriate methods.

Our flagship course Integrated Equine Podiatry is being developed by EP’s Debs Crosoer of Hoof Geek and Amy Mitchell Heavenly Hooves Equine Podiatry to train professional EP’s who are keen to start a successful business rehabilitating horses with a whole horse approach to hoof care. We will be announcing the launch of this course very soon so watch this space for all the details!

The Essential Equine Nutrition qualification from independent Equine Nutritionist Nia Cooke is a science based, species appropriate online course for continuing professional development. This course is also suitable for any horse owner who really wants to understand the ins and outs of feeding their horse.

Follow our page to see helpful whole horse health posts, updates about upcoming courses, events, and industry developments.

08/07/2021

For years people have been looking for THE THING that causes laminitis, but I really don’t think it’s that simple. If it were, we’d have this all under control by now.

There is no ONE singular thing that causes laminitis. Laminitis refers to inflammation in the hoof, and most times that inflammation is through the rest of the horse as well. There are many causes of inflammation. Too much grass is a common cause but it is certainly not the only cause.

Cases where horses get laminitis from a single short term assault aren’t common. The majority of laminitis is a slow build up of multiple assaults.

This makes it difficult to pin down exactly what ‘the cause’ is. It simply isn’t just one thing that happened one time. It’s many things happening repeatedly.

The slow onset of symptoms can easily go ‘unnoticed’ until it’s too late. This is why many people describe laminitis as ‘coming out of nowhere’.

I put ‘unnoticed’ in inverted commas there as the symptoms often are actually noticed. They’re just not considered to be an early warning sign of laminitis, or they’re considered to be too subtle to be a cause for concern.

These subtle signs can build up until an acute attack happens.

Think of it like a glass of water. The glass can hold a certain amount of water, after which it will overflow. You can fit a number of 5ml increments in that glass of water without it overflowing.

If you keep drinking the water then maybe it will never overflow. But if for any reason you slow down your drinking, or the filling of the glass increases, then the glass will, at some point, spill over.

This is why management is so important when it comes to preventing and recovering from laminitis.

I’ve had so many conversations with people who notice an early warning sign of laminitis and consider it perfectly normal for their horse ‘it’s always been like that’ or sometimes 'but every horse on the yard has that’.

I’m not saying we should overreact or be paranoid, and it’s very possible that one singular symptom isn’t anything to be worried about. Maybe it’s just 5ml of water in a 100ml glass. But I do think we should recognise it as a symptom and monitor it, so we can determine if or when action needs to be taken. Those 5ml increments can add up if you're not looking.

That’s why I put together a course to make it easy for horse owners to recognise, monitor and manage these early warning signs of laminitis.

It’s a 6 week course, that we work through as a group. You get access to the content at the beginning of the week, and we have a group discussion on Zoom at the end of the week. You have lifetime access, and can join in with future classes, if you want to.

We’ve built an awesome community of knowledgeable, supportive and non-judgemental horse owners. Why not sign up and come and join us.

https://learn.hoofgeek.com/lws-enroll/

05/07/2021

Free Talk

12/03/2021

No guts no glory definitely applies when it comes to horse health!

Do you want to understand more about how gut problems affect the whole horse and cause hoof problems?

Come to The Healthy Horse: Gut for Glory Presentation on Thursday 25th March

It’s the first in a series of 6 presentations

To find out more click the link below

https://learn.hoofgeek.com/thh-presentations-sign-up/

12/03/2021

Good Morning! Today is the day!

Please take the time to listen to my very first podcast and let me know what you think. The link below is to Spotify but it is also currently available on both "Pocket Casts" and "Anchor" - search for The Healthy Happy Horse Podcast on either platform.

This first episode is an interview with fabulous independent nutritionist Nikki Meggison where we explore her journey to where she is now from a childhood in Scotland to helping owners really improve their horses health and well being through nutrition.

It's a great listen! If you enjoy it, then please rate it in the app and give it a share :-)

https://open.spotify.com/show/7k4IpbaCX3WRunDFAuZpPX

19/02/2021

⏳ There’s still time to join the Spring intake of the Laminitis Warning Signs course! ⏳

Imagine if you could recognise 35 EARLY warning signs of laminitis; Signs that show up in the horse and the hoof, long before the rocked back stance, the pedal bone rotates and things get really serious.

But we don’t just talk about warning signs.

The course has been specifically designed to give you the understanding and support you need to help your horse.

We take it step by step, in bite sized pieces so you don’t get overwhelmed. After all, laminitis is stressful enough already!

By the end of the course you’ll know how to get ahead of laminitis early on so you can limit the severity while it’s more easily manageable.

What you’ll learn:

✅ Anatomy and hoof function, because that’s the foundation of understanding
✅ What a healthy hoof should look like, so you know what you’re aiming for
✅ How laminitis affects the hooves, so you finally understand those niggley problems
✅ What’s going on in the rest of the horse, because it’s not just the hooves that are affected
✅ How to recognise mild vs chronic laminitis, so you don’t panic too early ;)
✅ Quick and simple ways to assess your horse, so you can fit it into your routine
✅ How to find and address the real cause, so you can meet your horse’s individual needs
✅ Practical ways to manage your horse even if you’re on a livery yard
✅ How to address foot soreness, so your horse is comfortable
✅ Nutrition for maximum health, because that’s what we all want!
✅ Emergency interventions for laminitis, because sometimes the worst can still happen

Our supportive and knowledgeable community takes a whole horse approach to solving hoof problems.

Enrollment for this 6 week guided course is open until Saturday 20th February.

👇 Get Lifetime Access TODAY 👇
https://learn.hoofgeek.com/lws-enroll/

24/01/2021

❄️⛄️❄️4 Ways Snow Helps A Barefoot Horse and 1 Way Being Barefoot Helps With Snow ❄️⛄️❄️

I love it when it snows and not just because it’s pretty. Snow (within reason of course) has lots of benefits for hooves.

❄️❄️4 Ways Snow Helps❄️❄️

1. It kills off hoof infection.

Infection loves warmth (so do I if I’m honest!) I. If you’re having any problems with manky frogs from all the mud, you’ll find they’re looking much happier after some time in the snow. Cos it’s… y’know… cold!

2. It exfoliates the sole

Often horses don’t get enough abrasive work in winter, but the fluffy snow like we’ve had today can exfoliate the sole out really nicely making it look clean and concave

3. It’s comfortable to walk on and can strengthen the sole!

If your horse is transitioning, the frozen ground can be a challenge if the soles are thin - particularly if the field is poached and lumpy before it’s frozen. A good covering of snow gives a nicely giving surface, that also puts healthy pressure on the sole stimulating good healthy growth.

4. They can’t eat the grass!

If your horse is grass sensitive then this can be a very easy few days - as long as you put enough hay out for them!

❄️❄️1 Way being barefoot helps❄️❄️

One of the great things about having a barefoot horse, is the snow doesn’t pack into the hoof like it can when they’re shod. This means you can still turn your horse out, or ride if the conditions allow it. I wouldn’t recommend riding if it’s icy or the snow is really deep but the kind of snow we’ve had today isn’t a problem for most barefoot horses.

This is, of course, all relative. Where I live, we only get a few days of moderate snow. I’m sure if you get harsher winters than we do in the South of England you’ll have a different experience of snow, and a whole different set up to manage it.

For us though, a bit of turn out or a bracing walk does wonders for the hooves :)

Let’s see your pics of your beasties in the snow…. I know you took some!

17/12/2020

Get a FREE copy of ‘Infection Free Hooves’ with any course or online consultation.

OOOF! It’s been a year hasn’t it?! 😱

🤩We’re coming up to a very exciting time…. 21st Dec! The shortest day of the year. Dark though it is, it’s going to get a little lighter every day from there on! YAY!

🥳In celebration of this amazing event and to cheer us all up a little I’m giving away a free copy of my book Infection Free Hooves with any purchase of a course or consultation until the end of the year.

👩‍🎓Find out more about courses here
https://learn.hoofgeek.com/courses/

There’s 3 courses available

🍏The Healthy Horse: Feeding and Nutrition £22 learn how to make your environment work for you to get maximum herd health for minimum effort

🐴Hoof Health Laid Bare £149 (other payment options available) A deep dive into how whole horse health creates great hoof health

❗️Laminitis Warning Signs £79 (other payment options available) Learn how to spot the early signs of laminitis and what to do about it. Enrollment is open now so you can take advantage of the special offer. The course starts 15th February 2021.

💻Or an Online Consultation £45 get a full assessment and advice tailored to your horse
https://learn.hoofgeek.com/consultation/

24/10/2020

Halloween Horse Fancy Dress Party Photo Contest - NOW OPEN

Post your spooky photos below for your chance to win a Hoof Geek course. :)

***Details
Contest open 24th - 31st October 2020
Prize: Win 1 of 3 Hoof Geek Academy courses (winners choice)
How to win: Get the top 3 most reactions (like, love etc) on your photo

***How to enter:
*Post your photos as a comment below
*Top 3 Photos with the most reactions (like, love etc) wins a Hoof Geek Academy course of their choice (see terms).
*Winners will be announced on the page on Nov 1st

***Terms and Conditions***

***Prizes:
*Choose any Hoof Geek Academy course you like.
*Hoof Health Laid Bare,
https://learn.hoofgeek.com/hhlb-enroll/
and The Healthy Horse: Feeding and Nutrition
https://learn.hoofgeek.com/fan-enroll/
have instant access, if you choose the Laminitis Warning Signs course,
https://learn.hoofgeek.com/lws-enroll/
you’ll be added to the next enrollment which is planned for Feb ‘21
*Winners will be bound by the course t&c's when claiming their course.

(you can of course join the Academy for free resources and guides while you wait to see if you've won https://learn.hoofgeek.com/ )

*The welfare of the horses is paramount. Be safe and sensible, don’t disrespect or stress your horse for the sake of a costume or photo.
*Post your photo in the comments on this post between 24th and 31st October 2020.
*The 3 photos with the most reactions (likes, loves etc) will win
*Winners will be announced on the page on Sun 1st November 2020
*Only post photos of your own work (ie you were responsible for the fancy dress costume, and are the horse owner/loaner, or have permission from the horse owner to enter the horse and photo)
*Only post photos if you have the permission of the humans in the photo - or blur them out.
*Any entry breaching these terms will be removed.
*The judges decision is final.

17/09/2020

We all know the signs to look out for; Bounding pulse, horse rocking back on it’s heels, difficulty walking and turning.

Those are the signs of acute laminitis. In most cases, by that point, the damage has already been done. The pedal bone is tearing away from the hoof capsule.

So what about EARLY warning signs? These can tell you your horse has low grade laminitis.

This gives you time to step in and make changes before acute laminitis develops.

There’s quite a few early warning signs you can look out for. At least 35 of them.

Knowing a just few of these signs is a great start but it can make life more worrying.

If you know 1 or 2 early warning signs and you see them in your horse, it’s easy to think the worst. But if you see just 1 or 2 out of 35 signs then you know there’s something a little off but it’s not 😱😱😱

If you see 10 or 15 signs then you have a much clearer picture of what’s happening in your horse and know you need to take action.

Laminitis is caused by inflammation, and can happen in any horse in varying degrees of severity for a multitude of reasons. It’s not just about fat ponies getting too much grass.

If you want to fully understand the early warning signs and what can be causing your horse’s hoof problems maybe the Laminitis Warning Signs course is for you.

We’ve already made a start, but there’s still time to join us. Enrollment closes Saturday 11pm.

https://learn.hoofgeek.com/lws-enroll/

10/09/2020

09/09/2020

It’s a conversation I have far too often. It breaks my heart a little bit more each time.

Variations on the theme of ‘The Laminitis came out of nowhere’ or ‘I was so surprised’ or ‘There was no warning’

Then I take the history of the horse, and it’s littered with early warning signs of laminitis. I look at the hooves and there’s multiple laminitis signs. I look at the horse and there’s plenty of inflammatory signs.

All of those signs that were screaming out - but only if you knew what they meant.

Sometimes it can still be tough to believe. I hear ‘but he’s always been like that’ or ‘That’s normal, that’s just the way he is’ or ‘all the horses on this yard are like that’

A warning sign being present for years, sadly, doesn’t preclude it from being a problem. It just means it was there for a long time. I’m glad it hasn’t yet developed into something more serious, but that doesn’t stop it from being a warning.

A warning sign being present in every horse in a herd, doesn’t stop it from being a warning sign, it just suggests that the whole herd have a similar environmental problem.

When you know what to look out for, seeing these things can be easy. But, when you don’t know what you don’t know… well… then, you don’t know.

Laminitis is so debilitating for the horse. It can be hellishly painful. It’s almost as painful for us, as an owner, to see your horse going through it. It’s not just the cost of care - the vets, the extra bedding, the remedial hoof care and nutrition.

There’s also the cost of time (and sanity) in giving care, soaking nets, box rest, field management and fighting with fencing (and other well meaning people on the yard). Knowing that they may never be ridden again, but you just want them pain free.

It’s the agonising over every detail, trying to make sure your horse is getting what they need, even though you’re getting conflicting advice every day. The stress can be overwhelming!

It really can happen to any horse.

Laminitis happens when there is inflammation in the body which affects the hooves. There are so many causes of inflammation. It’s not just too much grass. Low levels of inflammation can happen for all sorts of reasons.

Low levels of inflammation can grumble along until suddenly, ‘out of nowhere’ they build up to an acute laminitic attack.

Having a good understanding of whole horse hoof health, and knowing what the early warning signs of laminitis are can mean you can get ahead of the issue. If you know how to spot and address small problems, the big problems are much less likely to come out of nowhere!

Did you know there’s 35 early warning signs of laminitis?

Do you know what to do about them?

Join us on the Laminitis Warning Signs Course. It’s a 6 module online course. You have lifetime access to the material.

You’ll develop a good understanding of what laminitis is, what causes it, how to spot it early, how to tell how advanced it is and what to do about it.

Find out more here.
https://hf-gk.com/lws-enroll

06/09/2020

It's always worth a quick refresher on this...

SPRING IS HERE!

16/04/2020

It’s a conversation I have far too often. It breaks my heart a little bit more each time.

Variations on the theme of ‘The Laminitis came out of nowhere’ or ‘I was so surprised’ or ‘There was no warning’

Then I take the history of the horse, and it’s littered with early warning signs of laminitis. I look at the hooves and there’s multiple laminitis signs. I look at the horse and there’s plenty of inflammatory signs.

All of those signs that were screaming out - but only if you knew what they meant.

Sometimes it can still be tough to believe. I hear ‘but he’s always been like that’ or ‘That’s normal, that’s just the way he is’ or ‘all the horses on this yard are like that’

A warning sign being present for years, sadly, doesn’t preclude it from being a problem. It just means it was there for a long time. I’m glad it hasn’t yet developed into something more serious, but that doesn’t stop it from being a warning.

A warning sign being present in every horse in a herd, doesn’t stop it from being a warning sign, it just suggests that the whole herd have a similar environmental problem.

When you know what to look out for, seeing these things can be easy. But, when you don’t know what you don’t know… well… then, you don’t know.

Laminitis is so debilitating for the horse. It can be hellishly painful. It’s almost as painful, as an owner, to see your horse going through it. It’s not just the cost of care - the vets, the extra bedding, the remedial hoof care and nutrition.

There’s also the cost of time (and sanity) in giving care, soaking nets, box rest, field management and fighting with fencing (and other well meaning people on the yard). Knowing that they may never be ridden again, but you just want them pain free.

It’s the agonising over every detail, trying to make sure your horse is getting what they need, even though you’re getting conflicting advice every day. The stress can be overwhelming!

It really can happen to any horse.

Laminitis happens when there is inflammation in the body which affects the hooves. There are so many causes of inflammation. It’s not just too much grass. Low levels of inflammation can happen for all sorts of reasons.

Low levels of inflammation can grumble along until suddenly, ‘out of nowhere’ they build up to an acute laminitic attack.

Having a good understanding of whole horse hoof health, and knowing what the early warning signs of laminitis are can mean you can get ahead of the issue. If you know how to spot and address small problems, the big problems are much less likely to come out of nowhere!

Did you know there’s 35 early warning signs of laminitis?

Do you know what to do about them?

There’s still time to join us on the Laminitis Warning Signs Course. It’s a 6 module online course. You have lifetime access to the material.

You’ll develop a good understanding of what laminitis is, what causes it, how to spot it early, how to tell how advanced it is and what to do about it.

Find out more here. Enrollment closes Saturday 25th April
https://hf-gk.com/lws-enroll

12/04/2020

How to use your environment to best suit your horse's needs

02/04/2020

SPRING IS HERE!

29/03/2020

Is it just me or was this the longest winter ever!?!

01/03/2020

21/02/2020

‘My horse is sore because the ground’s so wet. When will the mud end!’

It’s a complaint I see often at this time of year. I can understand why people think that, we’re all struggling with the mud right now, but if it were true that mud causes the hooves to go soft to the point a horse is sore, they never would have survived as a species. There are plenty of horses who aren’t getting sore feet who live in muddy conditions.

While the mud is horrible, it doesn’t make healthy hoof horn soft and cause lameness (soreness) in horses.

The key point here is HEALTHY hoof horn doesn’t go too soft in wet conditions.

There’s a similar complaint frequently heard in summer ‘My horse is sore because the ground is so dry. When will we get some rain’

It’s the basic job of the hoof, to enable the horse to move about comfortably... All year round… Whatever the weather.

Healthy hooves don’t break down just because of the weather. They don’t fail at their most basic task because the ground is wet, or dry.

It’s not the ground that’s the problem.

If your horse is struggling over certain surfaces, it’s not the fault of the surface. It’s a sign that there is something wrong with the health of the horse, that is affecting the hooves.

Many health issues or imbalances cause inflammation in the body. This inflammation can cause low grade laminitis in the hoof capsule which affects both the soundness and the growth of the hoof.

Spotting the signs of low levels of inflammation and laminitis early, enables you to get ahead of the problem and get it sorted while it’s more easily manageable

Did you know there’s 35 early warning signs that your horse is suffering with inflammation (low grade laminitis)?

Do you know what to do about them?

There’s still time to join us on the Laminitis Warning Signs Course, but be quick, we’ve already started and the doors close tomorrow.

It’s a 6 module online course. You have lifetime access to the material.

You’ll develop a good understanding of what laminitis is (low grade, acute and chronic), what causes it, how to spot it early, how to tell how advanced it is and what to do about it.

Find out more here. Sale closes this Saturday (22nd)
https://hf-gk.com/lws

19/02/2020

It’s a conversation I have far too often. It breaks my heart a little bit more each time.

Variations on the theme of ‘The Laminitis came out of nowhere’ or ‘I was so surprised’ or ‘There was no warning’

Then I take the history of the horse, and it’s littered with early warning signs of laminitis. I look at the hooves and there’s multiple laminitis signs. I look at the horse and there’s plenty of inflammatory signs.

All of those signs that were screaming out - but only if you knew what they meant.

Sometimes it can still be tough to believe. I hear ‘but he’s always been like that’ or ‘That’s normal, that’s just the way he is’ or ‘all the horses on this yard are like that’

A warning sign being present for years, sadly, doesn’t preclude it from being a problem. It just means it was there for a long time. I’m glad it hasn’t yet developed into something more serious, but that doesn’t stop it from being a warning.

A warning sign being present in every horse in a herd, doesn’t stop it from being a warning sign, it just suggests that the whole herd have a similar environmental problem.

When you know what to look out for, seeing these things can be easy. But, when you don’t know what you don’t know… well… then, you don’t know.

Laminitis is so debilitating for the horse. It can be hellishly painful. It’s almost as painful, as an owner, to see your horse going through it. It’s not just the cost of care - the vets, the extra bedding, the remedial hoof care and nutrition.

There’s also the cost of time (and sanity) in giving care, soaking nets, box rest, field management and fighting with fencing (and other well meaning people on the yard). Knowing that they may never be ridden again, but you just want them pain free.

It’s the agonising over every detail, trying to make sure your horse is getting what they need, even though you’re getting conflicting advice every day. The stress can be overwhelming!

It really can happen to any horse.

Laminitis happens when there is inflammation in the body which affects the hooves. There are so many causes of inflammation. It’s not just too much grass. Low levels of inflammation can happen for all sorts of reasons.

Low levels of inflammation can grumble along until suddenly, ‘out of nowhere’ they build up to an acute laminitic attack.

Having a good understanding of whole horse hoof health, and knowing what the early warning signs of laminitis are can mean you can get ahead of the issue. If you know how to spot and address small problems, the big problems are much less likely to come out of nowhere!

Did you know there’s 35 early warning signs of laminitis?

Do you know what to do about them?

There’s still time to join us on the Laminitis Warning Signs Course. It’s a 6 module online course. You have lifetime access to the material.

You’ll develop a good understanding of what laminitis is, what causes it, how to spot it early, how to tell how advanced it is and what to do about it.

Find out more here. Sale closes this Saturday (22nd)
https://hf-gk.com/lws-enroll