Of all the ailments a horse can suffer, laminitis is the one that unfailingly strikes fear into the heart of an owner. Nothing else has as devastating an effect because while laminitis is not always fatal, it promises weeks or months of agony for the horse, endless nursing care for the owner, and multiple veterinary and farrier bills, all with no guarantee that the horse will ever regain useful soundness.

Although we recognize many of the triggers for laminitis—gorging on grain or lush spring grass, prolonged pounding on a hard road, the after-effects of a severe illness, or a retained placenta in a foaling mare, the hormonal imbalance caused by a condition like Cushing’s disease—there’s still much that’s mysterious.

In the case of Pokey (a 29-year old gelding of mine who foundered), who was used only for light trail riding and the occasional child’s riding lesson, there was nothing I could pinpoint as having set the damage in motion.

Some causes aren’t known. This was the case with Pokey, my 29-year old gelding. He was used for light trail riding and occasional lessons, and there was nothing I could pinpoint as the trigger of his laminitis