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

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to (1) report the incidence of laminitis among a population of horses and ponies attending Pony Clubs in Victoria, Australia, and (2) describe the dietary and management practices of the sample population.

METHODS

Researchers visited 10 Pony Clubs over a 10-month period. Horse and pony owners completed a questionnaire to provide information on management relating to diet and exercise. Owners were also asked to report their animal's history of laminitis, if any.

RESULTS

From a survey population of 233 horses and ponies, 15.0% of animals (35 individuals) were reported to have suffered from at least one episode of laminitis. Of the animals that had suffered from laminitis, more than half had experienced multiple episodes. The majority of previously laminitic horses and ponies (71.4%) had not experienced an episode of laminitis within the past 12 months; however, 14.2% had experienced an incident within the past month. The proportion of ponies affected by laminitis (31/142; 21.8%) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than the proportion of horses affected by laminitis (4/91; 4.4%). The incidence of laminitis within the pony group sampled was 6.5 cases per 100 pony years, while the incidence in horses was 0.55 cases per 100 horse years.

CONCLUSION

This study provided information on the incidence of laminitis in the general population of pleasure horses and ponies in south-eastern Australia. It also provided an overview of dietary and management practices. Given the high incidence of animals that had been affected by laminitis (and the associated welfare implications), this study highlights the importance of owner education regarding appropriate feeding and management strategies to reduce the risk of laminitis.