Horse Folks... Question

[SourRoses]

Another Horse related question for you guys.

Someone was talking to me about their horse, and I was curious. I know I probably sound dumb... but I haven't been involved in any cases of severe problems (Thank God!) and I have little education on them.

Their horse had foundered in the past due to excess weight with a previous owner. A foot specialist has been trimming her regularly and she has been doing very well. This mare is 10 and has not been ridden in a long time, but now they are planning on sending her in for refresher training.

So what can you tell me about horses recovering/recovered from founder? Is it something that will keep cropping up? If they keep the weight off, what are the prospects for this horse being used as a trail mount and other such things?

Thanks guys

 

[livenwpeeps]

I owned a pony once that would founder at the drop of a hat. She had to stay in a dry lot and only have hay. Once a horse founders, the chances of it foundering again are very high. In between the foundering, she was 100% sound and we showed her and trail rode on her. Vet ok'd it. It all depends on how far the bone rotation is in the hoof or hooves. When we bought the pony, the owners just said she was an easy keeper and would get "chunky" real fast. Nothing was said about her foundering but I should have guessed it. She was rail thin when we bought her. Didn't get a vet check because we only spent $500 on her. Put her in the dry lot at first because she wasn't used to the grass figuring we would let her out on pasture a little at a time to get her use to the grass. But she foundered the very first time and the vet was called in. The vet told us she had foundered several times in the past. We had that pony for a long time. After I out grew her, she became my niece's who showed her hunter until she out grew her. Then she went to a younger cousin who also showed her. She was a great little hunter pony. Always in the ribbons. Sadly she eventually had to be put down due to a very bad founder.

 

[WIChookchick]

Quote:
Actually when a horse "founders", unless there is rotation in the coffin bone.. a tiny bone at the very tip of the horses foot, it is Laminitis.

You are correct in saying once a horse founders, IE gets laminitis, they can get it again very easily.
A horse or pony that does founder, needs to be watched, fed a good regimen of quality feed, but only enough to keep them at a good body weight.
A few things to look for, if the horse gets a "cresty" neck...I don't know how familiar you are with horses= Livinwpeeps, but under the horse's mane, if they get a lovely
crest there with LOTS of fat, and you can get a big hand full of neck AT the top of the ridge where the mane grows from....
Here are some links for examples
http://www.cals.vt.edu/news/pubs/innovations/jan2008/horses.php
http://www.poulingrain.com/Resources.php?pgsid=695acd6s39b96libp2ldau2kr1
(last horse, lower right hand corner)

The other way to monitor a horse is to watch for a crease or inverted ridge on their hind end.
Along the back, from the tail to where the back of the saddle would go, IF they are an overweight horse...
You need to monitor them for a fat cresty neck and a ridge developing on their hind end.. It gets large enough to roll an egg down ...
The fat gets deposited there, and it swells along the top of the hind end.
http://www.equisearch.com/uncategorized/tying-and-azoturia-metabolic-muscle-disorders-horse/
(this link is just to show you where to look on the horse, the article involved is nice but nothing to do with what I am writing about)


IF a horse has a flare up, you need to hose down their legs, give them bute or banamin (as prescribed by a vet), they can recommend using
blue or pink insulation foam that comes in the hard sheets, and duct taping it to the their hooves. To cushion the hooves and help with the pain.

IF a horse gets rotation of the coffin bone, there are shoes such as an egg bar or rocker shoe that can help them to "break over" when they walk to ease any pain.

IF the coffin bone rotates too much, the horse is a pasture pet and really can't be ridden, as it is super painful for the horse.

I had a belgian draft horse I saved at an auction, I took him to a boarding place that specialized in drafts, and they fed him too much grain too soon as he was
400 lbs under weight. He "foundered" IE got laminitis, we took him to a great vet who recommended the insulation foam/duct tape, hosing with cool water, dry lot and
bute/banamin for pain.
6-8 weeks later he fully recovered.
I have two ponies now that have had laminitis many times, you can see the ridges in their hooves, they get a small flake of hay 2x daily, and are in a large paddock with minimal grass.

Hope this helps
carol

 

[livenwpeeps]

My little mare, pony, had a cresty neck all the time. No matter how thin she was, you could grab the top of her neck and move it back and fourth. In fact, a lot of people thought she was a stallion because of the cresty neck. I guess they didn't look at the plumping before asking. As with Carol's ponies, my pony just got a small amount of hay. She could not be put on grass at all.