Hello there,

I've got a 8 yo Welsh SecA, which had severe Laminitis last year. Fortunately, we were able to save him and I'm trying to avoid the same thing happening again this year. He is on 24/7 turnout at the moment, but come end of Feb I will stable him for 16hrs and turn out for8.

I've also bought some Hilton Herbs Reflex, which I want to give him as of the end of this month. My question is: What would be a good carrier feed for the herbs? I usually mix the feed for the big horses
out of flaked oats, maize and barley, and Alfa-A pellets and some bran.

Which one of those do you think would be safe to give to the pony as a carrier feed for the herbs, as he doesn't normally get any food otherthan grass, hay and a few carrots?

Kind regards,
Christiane Dorrell

Hello Christiane,

You’ll want to avoid grains from now on, since they can significantly contribute toward a recurrence of laminitis. So, I would not use the oats, maize, or barley. However, the Alfa-A pellets and bran would be a fine carrier feed, in addition to being an excellent overall feeding regimen for him (with the addition of grass hay).

If he doesn’t have to be stalled for so many hours, that would be best for him, as well. The more he is allowed to graze freely and eat throughout the day, the better it is for his digestive tract and the minimization of laminitis attacks.

I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

All the best,

Dr. Getty