I'll try to be as brief as possible. I listened to my downloaded version of Joe Camp's Diet and Nutrition workshop with you today. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it seems I have another new hero in you. My horses are being pasture boarded and hoof-rehabilitated in Central California this summer at a private ranch. One of my horses has a "club foot" and was diagnosed with Navicular three years ago. I pulled his shoes, and since then I have exclusively fed him Bermuda hay and Safe starch forage hay. He was doing ok, but my local barefoot trimmer wasn't doing the job to correct the feet. I found this place and absolutely support what the trimmer/owner is doing for his feet. However, they feed oat hay there when they can't find a forage hay (bermuda/teff) at a reasonable price for their boarders. They do throw it out everywhere between two adjacent pastures, which my horses (2 of them) have to themselves. They are walking and eating all the time, it seems, so far. When I showed concern for his recovery feeding a higher sugar hay, they said that only horses with a resistance to sugar should be off oat hay. She said that my horse's feet were a result of years of poor shoeing and trimming practices, (which I agree) not because of laminitis. Laminitic horses should not be fed oat hay, she said. I'm wondering if a diet high in sugar could CAUSE laminitis. Also while they've been gone I've been watering their old manure and old Bermuda hay and almost have my entire horse area growing bermuda grass now. If I bring them home, (to Las Vegas) could I have them graze on that; or only during the night and early morning hours? Can/should I have that tested at the site you suggested in the teleworkshop? I realize this is lengthy, so any response would be greatly appreciated whenever you can get to it. I will probably need to schedule a phone consultation. You're wonderful! Thank you!!! Margie

Where are you from? Las Vegas

How did you locate this forum? search after Joe Camp's teleworkshop

Hello Margie,

Please pardon my delay in getting to your questions -- they are very important and thank you for bringing up these issues.

First, you are correct -- oat hay is much too high in starch and therefore not appropriate for a horse that has suffered from laminitis that was caused by insulin resistance. There are other causes of laminitis -- many of them -- which I go into detail in my book. However, the main cause of laminitis is due to a hormonal disorder -- that where the cells are resistant to insulin and therefore, the blood insulin levels rise, leading to laminitis.

Can laminitis be caused by too much starch, you ask? Well, indirectly, yes. That is, if the horse is already insulin resistant, then too much starch causes blood insulin levels to rise still further, leading to problems with the feet. And too much starch, over time, can create obesity, and obese horses are all insulin resistant in varying degrees.

About the Bermuda grass. This grass tends to be lower in NSC but the only true way to know is to have it tested. I do recommend using Equi-Analytical Labs -- www.equi-analytical.com to test pasture as well as hay. Follow their pasture testing instructions and test at the most dangerous time of day -- that being late in the afternoon on a sunny day.

This time of year, you are likely to find that the pasture is acceptable for an insulin resistant horse and in my experience, it may be lower than most hays.

Thank you again for writing and for your very kinds words. It was a pleasure having you in the audience at the teleworkshop.

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Thanks, for responding Dr. Getty! That website seems like a great source to help me make my decision about how to feed my horses. Thanks, also for all the info on laminitic horses. Take care!!

Margie

Where are you from? Las Vegas, NV

How did you locate this forum? listened to the workshop with Joe Camp

Hi Margie,

It was my pleasure. Glad to help.

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO