Incidence of laminitis and survey of dietary and management practices in pleasure horses and ponies in south-eastern Australia.

This study evaluates the incidence of laminitis among horses and ponies from 10 Pony Clubs in Victoria, Australia, and assesses their dietary and management practices. The findings of the study underscore the urgent need for owner education on appropriate feeding and management strategies.

Objective and Methodology

• The primary aims of this study were twofold: to report on the incidence of laminitis among a group of horses and ponies from various Pony Clubs in Victoria, Australia; and to collect and analyze data on the dietary and management practices adhered to by these animals’ owners.
• The research was conducted over a 10-month period, with visits made to ten different Pony Clubs.
• As part of the study, horse and pony owners were tasked with completing a questionnaire that sought to gather information on management and diet-related practices involving their animals.
• The questionnaire also included a section where owners could disclose any history of laminitis in their horses or ponies.

Findings

• The survey garnered responses covering a total of 233 horses and ponies. According to the results, 15% of these animals had suffered from at least one episode of laminitis.
• Of the animals that reported episodes of laminitis, over half had experienced multiple bouts of the condition.
• Although the majority of horses and ponies that had previously had laminitis did not experience a case within the past year, 14.2% had suffered an episode within a month of the survey.
• Ponies were found to be significantly more affected by laminitis, with 21.8% incidence as opposed to 4.4% for horses.
• The rate of laminitis incidence in the pony group was 6.5 cases per 100 pony years, while in horses this number was a much lower 0.55 cases per 100 horse years.

Conclusions and Implications

• This research provided important data on the incidence of laminitis in the population of pleasure horses and ponies in south-eastern Australia, as well as an overview of prevalent dietary and management practices among owners.
• The considerable incidence of laminitis in the researched population underlines the urgent need for educating owners about proper feeding and management strategies to lower the risk of the disease as it carries significant welfare implications for the animals.