Founder in horses is a problem with the feet. The problem generally occurs in those horses who have a tendency to be overweight such as ponies. When they eat too much rich, green grass, especially the new grass of the season or if they overeat anything, founder can occur. Veterinary treatment for this is not successful. But if you adopt a natural horses health care regime, you can resolve the tendency completely.
Normally only the front feet are affected.
Some sturdy horses, and most ponies, have evolved to live on little, scavenging on scare vegetation in various regions of the world. These are normally mountainous or in areas of extreme weather conditions. These equines are not dissimilar to mountain goats. They tend to be sure footed and don’t need lush grass to survive.
This is at the heart of founder in horses. So you need to know what sort of equine you have. Then feed them accordingly, or limit their access to rich new grass or hard feed. This way you can prevent founder from occurring.
However, sometimes it’s too late and your horse has already foundered. Normal veterinary treatment can take many weeks to work and then is often unsatisfactory, with future bouts becoming more common.
The common symptoms of founder, also known as laminitis, are:
- very warm or hot front feet
- the feet are sore, so your horse stands in the typical founder gait, with
- the front legs pushed out in front, balancing more weight on the rear legs
- the pain in the feet makes moving about difficult
A system of natural horses health care can successfully treat the founder within a few days. And the tendency will reduce. This system should include the feeding according to the horse’s type. Mostly that means limiting access to lush grass, limit hay and eliminate hard feed. Make sure you don’t overdo this. Some people are so zealous in their efforts to prevent founder that the ponies end up too thin.
The other important part of natural horses health is the type of health care you use. Homeopathy has an excellent track record of successfully treating founder in horses. In my own experience, the horses are back to normal within one to two days, cantering around as if nothing was amiss.
Think outside the square. Use a logical system of natural health care that treats the cause of the problem.
Seek the services of a professional homeopath for best results.
