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In addition to biting at your horse’s nose, Jack Frost has an affinity for some horses’ toes!

Horse owners are well aware of the dangers spring grass causes certain horses, but the potential for winter laminitis can be problematic for horses with endocrine problems.

“Horses and ponies with insulin resistance can founder in the winter months with seemingly no identifiable predisposing factor,” shared Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research.

Those horses with cold-induced laminitis present similarly as horses with pasture- and endocrine-associated laminitis, adopting a classic sawhorse stance and showing a reluctance to move due to severe pain. Interestingly, there is the lack of heat in the foot, and sinking and rotation of the coffin bone rarely occurs.

While little research has been done on winter laminitis, some scientists suggest that horses with insulin sensitivity or metabolic syndrome have an increased risk of developing this condition due to physiology of the foot. The shunts between the arterial and venous blood vessels in the foot abnormally contract in cold weather, decreasing blood supply to the foot. This would not be expected in healthy horses with normal sensitivity to insulin. In healthy horses, the blood vessels dilate to maintain circulation to the sensitive lamellae in the foot.

“This paradoxical response to cold is believed to be due, at least in part, to the failure of endothelin-1 receptors in the walls of blood vessels to dilate,” Crandell said.

Further, insulin levels appear to rise in the winter and even become erratic in cold weather, potentially contributing to abnormal circulation in the feet and predisposing horses to winter laminitis.

“In terms of treatment, horses with winter laminitis typically do not respond to anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone, known as bute. In fact, experts in this field report that winter laminitis doesn’t respond to many traditional treatments,” relayed Crandell.

Corrective trimming and dietary management (e.g., diets low in nonstructural carbohydrates) help, but keeping the feet and lower limbs warm must also occur in susceptible horses. This can be easily achieved using lined hoof boots, not plain rubber boots, or even just shipping wraps.

“To promote overall hoof health year-round, offer a supplement containing biotin, methionine, iodine, and zinc. Research shows that these ingredients speed hoof growth and support normal development, particularly after a bout of laminitis,” Crandell recommended.

Horse owners should look for a well-formulated hoof supplement that contains the aforementioned nutrients necessary to support hoof integrity.

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