Articles
When you see your horse every day it is easy to just get used to their condition and stop seeing them objectively.
Assess and palpate each area of your horse (outlined in the second image), and see where they fall into the scale. Whichever section they get the most points in, is their condition score.
Thush is so commonly over looked as major cause of lameness in horses. In fact thrush is so common it is often just considered “normal”. Many horse owners do not recognise thrush - when I point out that a horse has thrush owners will exclaim “Oh! He’s never had that before!” I can guarantee you that your horse has had thrush before, and most likely has thrush right now.
Act quickly if you suspect your horse may have laminitis - it can make all the difference to the outcome. Don’t hesitate! If it’s not laminitis no harm done.
Laminitis is one of the most catastrophic things that can happen to our horses. Not only is it extremely painful, it also causes long term damage and makes your horse more prone to future lamintic problems. Acute laminitis is sudden onset of extreme pain and inflammation in the hooves.
Any horse can get laminitis. Not just the fat ponies, but any horse, of any age or breed. If you have ever accidentally hit your thumb with a hammer you will know that throbbing pain. Imagine having your fingernails ripped off, very slowly, except that your fingernails are your feet and you are standing on them 24/7. It is excruciating.
When we consider how to feed our equines we need to look at how to mirror their natural environment and diet.
Horses evolved as a plains dwelling animal living in the grasslands, they are designed to roam long distances, graze and browse low-quality forage (about 16 hours per day spent foraging).
Donkeys descend from the African wild ass where their natural habitat was dry, rocky, steep and sparse, donkeys have an ability well beyond horses to cope with high temperatures, limited water and poor pastures.
