Head Flicking & Laminitis

HEAD FLICKING & LAMINITIS

 

 

"PINTO BOY" 14YR 16.2HH 1/2 TB GELDING. ARRIVED OCTOBER.

This horse would be the fattest horse I have ever seen!

Symptoms before treatment

 

• Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS)
• Extremely overweight. 8 inch crest and thick fat over top half of body.
• Laminitic – dropped soles, white line separation, flare walls that never grew straight down.
• Very sore feet. Needs hoof boots in paddock to be comfortable.
• Never canters in paddock.
• Head-flicking.
• Very herd-bound.
• Terrible to float.
• Thick winded.
• Stiff and takes a lot to warm up when ridden.
• Difficult to handle. Naughty to ride.
• Note dropped sole. Very close to full blown laminitis.

 

Treatment

 

• Removed from pasture due to severity of symptoms of EMS and head-flicking. Calorie intake needed to be reduced.
• Salt 60g.
• Duwell Minerals and Vitamins powder, Duwell Magnesium Liquid.
• Oat chaff, ezibeet, ½ cup oats and ½ bale of hay per day.

• 4 months later – a gradual process of losing weight...
• Perfect behavior. A real gentleman.
• He now can be ridden on the road with no boots. Has developed toe calluses.
• Equine Metabolic Syndrome gone.
• Canters in the paddock.
• Free-moving and happy when ridden. Doesn’t need to warm up anymore.
• Clean winded and appears fit with very little work.
• No longer head flicks.
• Now ridden by a 12 year old girl.

 

HOOVES BEFORE

HOOVES 6 MONTHS LATER

• Approximately 10mm of concavity now present. This is the same foot as first photo.
• White line completely tight – no separation. Wall now grows down.

Pinto Boy is a great example of how the right diet can correct major health issues in horses. Correct hoof trimming also enables a horse’s feet correct over time.

Pinto Boy is now sounder than he has been for eight years.