The inclusion of fibre in the form of alfalfa and chaff ensures increased chewing time which is beneficial for horses or ponies on a restricted diet and can help to maintain a healthy digestive system.
Chaff for laminitis.
If your horse or pony is a little on the chubby side then you re not alone.
Laminitis good doer.
Feed chaff and hay that have a low sugar and starch level.
Laminitis can affect one or all feet but it is most often seen in the front feet concurrently.
Laminitis is an inflammatory disease of the leaflike laminae that suspend the coffin bone within the foot.
Getting your horse or pony s diet right with a case of laminitis is an essential part of their care and recovery.
Feed hays that are typically low in sugars mature or stemmy tropical grass hay e g.
Grass or pasture hay preferably older hay low sugar no clover or rye that is not mouldy.
Here s what you should be feeding.
1 5 2 bodyweight hay depending on whether weight loss is needed 1 5 or not 2 so 7 5 10 kg for a 500 kg horse 3 75 5 kg for a 250 kg pony soaked for at least 1 hour then drained to reduce sugars or analysed to show combined sugar starch no more than 10.
L mix is a chaff based feed that is suitable for those prone to laminitis with a combined starch and sugar level of only 5 25.
However founder usually refers to a chronic long term condition associated with rotation of the coffin bone whereas acute laminitis refers to symptoms associated with a sudden initial.
Wheaten chaff small amount of lucerne chaff or oaten chaff for flavour with no grain.
The national equine health survey has shown that around 20 of the equine population is overweight or obese and feedback from vets and nutritionists suggests this figure could be considerably higher.
The following points summarize the current advice regarding strategies for managing horses and ponies that are prone to laminitis.
In serious cases the laminae can fail and separate from the coffin bone and the hoof.
Emergency diet for a horse with endocrinopathic laminitis feed.
Chaff is an important part of a horses diet.
If you are concerned about sugar levels in hay soak the hay in warm water.
For laminitic horses and ponies it can be used with a balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement to make up a low calorie balanced diet and for older laminitic horses with dental problems as a forage replacement.
The terms laminitis and founder are used interchangeably.
Rhodes and teff and mature or stemmy lucerne hay.
