What to Feed a Horse With Laminitis

 When a horse is diagnosed with laminitis—a very painful and dangerous inflammation of the tissues inside the hooves—managing their daily diet is the single most important thing you can do to help them recover and prevent future episodes.

Here is a detailed breakdown of how to manage a laminitic horse's diet safely:

• Control the Sugar and Starch (NSC): The most critical rule is keeping Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC), which combine sugar and starch, under 10% of their total dry matter intake. High sugar levels cause dangerous insulin spikes that directly damage the delicate laminae tissues in the hooves.

• Test or Soak Your Hay: You cannot tell if hay is safe just by looking at it. It is best to test forage through a specialized equine lab for accurate ESC and starch values. If testing isn't possible, soaking hay in warm water for 60 minutes (or cold water for 12 to 16 hours) will leach out 30% to 50% of the soluble sugars—just remember to discard the sugary water afterward.

• Eliminate High-Risk Feeds Completely: During recovery, you must completely remove cereal grains like oats, corn, and barley, as well as molasses-based sweet feeds and commercial high-energy performance mixes. You should also restrict access to lush pasture grass, which can secretly spike above 40% NSC during cold mornings or rapid growth periods.

• Provide Safe, Balanced Alternatives: To keep your horse healthy without adding sugar, rely on low-NSC grass hays (like timothy or teff), unmolassed soaked beet pulp for safe calories, and a proper low-calorie ration balancer to supply essential vitamins, minerals, and protein.

• Monitor Weight and Feeding Habits: Weigh hay with a scale instead of guessing by eye, split daily forage into four or more small meals to keep insulin levels stable, and keep a close eye on your horse's body condition score to prevent obesity, which heavily increases laminitis risk.