How to Successfully Pasture a Foundered Horse or Pony
Founder is extremely painful for equines. It is akin to ripping out your toenails and then walking tiptoe while carrying a 500kg (1100lbs) backpack.
Disclaimer
Founder is a serious issue and causes extreme pain to your animals. We put our foundered ponies on pasture after their acute symptoms were treated and their pain reduced and they were able to move about freely again. The tips suggested in this article are from personal experience and should in no way supersede the recommendations of a trained veterinarian.
Founder vs Laminitis
There is great debate amongst veterinarians and equestrians alike about what founder and laminitis actually mean. Some say founder refers to more severe cases، while others say laminitis is acute while founder is chronic. Others claim that founder only applies to the rotation or sinking of the coffin bone.
In this article، we follow the more common vernacular and use these terms interchangeably.
Causes of Laminitis and Founder
For most equines، founder is caused by eating grass at the wrong time of the year and at the wrong stage of the grass’s growth. This is called grass-induced founder، or pasture-associated founder.
Founder، or laminitis، can also be caused by:
- The horse overeating grain
- Overworking the horse or hoof concussion on hard surfaces
- When a hot horse drinks cold water (also called water founder)
- Uterine infections (called post-parturient laminitis)
- Unresolved hoof injuries، or improper trimming
- Septic infections
- Severe diarrhea، colic، or other intestinal diseases
There are also other more obscure causes، and founder has been reportedly caused by respiratory infections، certain drugs، and even eating too many beet greens.
Make sure to talk to your vet to know what kind of founder you are dealing with. In this article، we are talking about grazing ponies with grass-induced founder، and these suggestions could further exacerbate other types of laminitis.