As lush summer grass grows, unfortunately so does your horse’s risk for laminitis, in which damage to the lamellae that attach the coffin bone to the hoof capsule causes instability within the foot, leading to compression of the soft tissue and the blood supply. Affected horses might have bounding pulses and heat within the foot, be reluctant to move or turn, and walk as if their front feet sting.

Pasture-associated laminitis can have a sneaky, slow onset. Owners often don’t realize their horse has laminitis; they assume "he’s a little sore on hard ground" or "stiff." Horses with insulin resistance or equine Cushing’s disease are particularly at risk, as are horses that have suffered from laminitis previously. Consider the following suggestions to minimize your horse’s pasture-associated laminitis risk:

Overweight horses are at risk for laminitis

• Restrict pasture intake to help your horse lose weight. Limit turnout to two hours per day, but realize that horses can still consume a large volume of grass during that time. If your horse is turned out in a drylot, provide low-nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC <10%) hay at 1-1.2% of his body weight daily. Remove all grain, and use a low-calorie ration balancer for protein, minerals, and vitamins.
• Turn your horse out in a grazing muzzle attached to a breakaway halter. Horses can still interact with the herd and exercise, but grass intake is limited.
• Grass accumulates sugar (fructans) during cold, sunny days. Short, stressed grass also has a higher fructan concentration. Turn at-risk horses out on taller pasture for a limited amount of time in the morning. Avoid turnout after a frost

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