11. Clover and alfalfa are dangerous for horses who are susceptible to laminitis.
True. Clover and alfalfa contain relatively high levels of sugars and starch, both in pasture and as part of hay. These nutrients can start the chain of events that leads to digestive laminitis. Avoid giving clover or alfalfa to horses who are at an increased risk of laminitis, and check your fields periodically to make sure these plants have not appeared as volunteers.
12. Horses who have foundered are at an increased risk of another episode of laminitis.
True. A horse who has recovered from a bout of laminitis eventually grows new laminae that reattach the coffin bone to the hoof wall. However, those attachments are not as strong as the originals, and the horse will forever be at increased risk of foundering again. Also, many "new" cases of founder are simply an exacerbation of an earlier episode, which may have occurred unnoticed or when the horse had a different owner.
This article originally appeared in the April 2006 issue of EQUUS magazine.
