03/06/2026
LAMINITIS- avoiding myths, cults and taking steps to stop the disease in its tracks…
Tanya Mason BSc BVSc MRCVS is one of our equine vets with over 20 years of experience and she wanted to talk a bit about laminitis, and hoof trimming groups and certain track livery establishments as she has been asked about them by some of our clients with laminitic cases. A lot of these groups are reputable but some show extreme views and cult like behaviour, and are very persuasive to owners desperate for a cure. She believes that this approach if followed with laminitic cases can cause suffering. She has found the following link which is worth thinking about when you read very persuasive ideology online:
Common Patterns in Cults:
1. Develop a compelling ideology or belief system that appeals to followers’ hopes, fears, or desires. (Owners are desperate to fix their horse’s feet!)
2. Form a loyal inner circle to help manage the group and enforce rules.
3. Target vulnerable individuals seeking purpose, community, or guidance.
4. Use psychological techniques such as persuasion, social pressure, and control over information to maintain influence.
Cult leaders employ fear and intimidation, portraying the outside world as dangerous or corrupt or lacking in knowledge. Their way is the only way and they are hostile about beliefs that contradict their own (even from well respected experts in the field with more credentials and scientifically backed experience) rather than curious to learn more.
Behavioral Patterns:
Cult leaders frequently project certainty and intellectual dominance, presenting themselves as the ultimate authority or source of truth.
Are you in any hoof groups that exhibit these behaviours? If so, it’s time to step back and reevaluate for the safety and health of your equine.
LAMINITIS
We have seen a lot of laminitis cases this spring due to typical spring weather patterns causing a flush in the grass. A lot of laminitis at this time of year are overweight coming into spring, and/ or have EMS or Cushings (PPID) disease underlying the condition. The sugars in the grass then act as the straw that breaks the camel’s back and active and inflamed laminitis occurs. This active phase is very important to manage correctly, by box rest, blood tests, appropriate medication, and radiographs when your vet advises this. Proper frog support and trimming to help prevent excessive sinking and rotation is also key. We work a lot with highly experienced farriers to try and achieve this support and the best outcome. Drugs to treat EMS have come a long way and are now widely used.
When you have a horse prone to laminitis but NOT in the active phase, then track systems can be really beneficial. Some track liveries are brilliant for these cases, however some (alongside a few hoof trimming groups which are very vehement in their incorrect beliefs) have gained a lot of traction online, and seem focused on discrediting professionals. Laminitis can be very difficult to treat if a lot of damage has been done by the time we see the horse, as it is a reperfusion injury, meaning that we see it in the inflammatory phase when the laminae may have been without blood flow for a varying amount of time before clinical signs are noticed. We can’t always prevent this phase being very damaging, but lot of the time we can use rest and pharmaceuticals, farriery support and diagnostics to limit progression and the effects of the disease and get the horse/ pony back to full function. There are some great laminitis apps which give you an accurate prediction of sugars in grass in your area if dietary management is key (for example in EMS cases and fatter horses with laminitis) with recent weather patterns. It can take a long time to rehab a horse, and a very short time for a laminitic case to get worse. Please call us as soon as you notice signs and we can give you further advice.
01902 424725 or email [email protected]
