by Julia Farmer

Created on: April 27, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

Laminitis can be the most horrific, expensive, and emotionally draining thing that could ever happen to your horse. The treatments are limited, experimental, vets and farriers have different ideas. The shoeing required to stabilize the foot can be very painful.

There are different causes of founder. Too much grain, grass, not being cooled out properly after a workout, emotional upset, and colic. The most common cause is a pony being turned out on lush spring pasture. In a little over a week the pony is walking funny. He is putting all his weight on his back legs, and not wanting to take a step. When forced to walk, he tries to walk back on his heels to keep the weight off his front toes. His front feet can actually feel warm to the touch. Owners were use to be instructed to stand their horse in a cold stream or hose the hooves with cold water to reduce the fever. It is now know that this further constricts the blood vessels in the hooves and causes more damage.

If the hooves are not trimmed, they take on the classic foundered look. They turn up at the toe like an elves shoe. The toe thickens until it can become almost impossible to trim. It is neglect and abuse to let a foundered horse or pony live out his life in the field because the owner does not care enough to make the decision to euthanize.

A good farrier that specializes in founder are hard to find. You will have to determine how much you want to spend trying to save your horse. He will have to be worked on approximately every 4 to 6 weeks with specialized trimming and shoeing. And there is no guarantee it will work. Especially if your horse's coffin bone has rotated through the bottom of his hoof.

When circulation to the hoof is impaired, the layers of the hoof actually die. Infection sets in between the layers. The infection travels the path of least resistance, that is it breaks out at the soft cornet band. This infection and hoof wall death causes the coffin bone to separate. This bone is the main support of the foot. Degree of separation and rotation is measured by x-rays. The coffin bone can actually be seen coming through at the bottom of the hoof in severe founder causes. This is extremely painful and has a very poor recovery record.

Prevention is the best cure for founder.

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