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07.01.2022 *** BEWARE LAMINITIS *** The change of season is upon us where the days are bright and sunny but the nights cool to cold and sometimes still below freezing. Thi...s is PERFECT conditions for pasture plants to accumulate starch and sugars making the risk of laminitis HIGH at this time of year. Here are four things you can do to be prepared! 1. Limit access to green pasture by strip grazing or using grazing muzzles. When access is limited, intake of starch and sugar is limited, which then limits insulin insult to the hooves! 2. Only provide access to grazing in the early hours of the morning for high risk horses and ponies. Plants are LOWEST in starch and sugars really early in the morning, so for horses or ponies you are worried about, only let them graze during the period a few hours before sunrise (ha! I know, mine don’ get to graze then, just saying!) until a few hours after sunrise. TIP: If you are strip grazing, move your fence in the early morning! 3. Watch those digital pulses like a hawk! Make it habit that you check your horse’s digital pulse every day, first thing in the morning. Remember to use only light pressure and if you are coordinated enough, try not to use your thumb. If you start to feel a regular pulse that’s your early warning signal to get them off the pasture! 4. Have low starch, low sugar hay at the ready! I keep a few weeks supply of suitable hay handy for my lot. We must be 6 years + now without laminitis, BUT I am always ready to get them off my pastures and onto hay in a hurry if I think they are showing me they aren’t handling the pasture! If you don’t have safe hay nearby, it’s really hard to take the swift action you need to take to stop laminitis taking hold. So even if it is just a bale to get you by in the very short term, have something on hand so you can act fast if you need to! 5. Read our E-Book on laminitis. It is free and gives you a Crisis Action plan as well as medium- and longer-term recovery plans. It’s easy to read and honestly will be a life-saver for your horse or pony! And a sanity saver for you!! You can access the E-Book here: https://bit.ly/3uaNVdN A little bit of planning and a whole lot of vigilance goes a long way in saving horses from laminitis becoming life-threatening!