A sudden hit

A HEALTHY horse can be turned out as normal in the morning and have severe laminitis by midday. Some horses will never fully recover and a few might even require euthanasia. But there are simple things that all horse owners can do to reduce the risk of their horses becoming victim to this terrible affliction.

In addition to the most common cause, which is access to lush green pasture, too much sugar, excessive work on hard ground and frozen pasture can all be inciting causes.

Many horses in the UK are grossly overweight, and as a consequence have an abnormal insulin metabolism. This is