Nutrition and Lameness

Most of the non injury related lameness in horses is associated with overfeeding diets which contain high levels of sugar and starch (>12% non structural carbohydrates, NSC). Severe lameness is exhibited as laminitis, which in most cases results in the death of the horse.

Laminitis is now the major cause of death in horses worldwide, and is caused in most cases by obesity, and insulin resistance.

High NSC feeds have been associated with the following lameness conditions

Selecting feeds to avoid lameness

Select feeds with a balanced supply of energy from NSC (sugar and starch) and non NSC (digestible fibre and oil) sources.

The Stance Equine Feeding System outlines several feeds suitable for feeding to lame horses, or feeding to avoid lameness. These include

CoolFibre contains a low NSC (7%), high level of digestible fibre, and MCT for gut health

CoolStance contains <12% NSC, which reduces the amount of fermentable sugars that can cause an increase in blood glucose and insulin, and cause insulin resistance.

CoolStance and PowerStance contain MCT in the coconut oil, which are thought to control excessive growth of intestinal organisms causing Dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is thought to increase glucose absorption, increase cortisol levels, and hence increase insulin resistance.

Types of Lameness in Horses

Equine lameness refers to any number of conditions which affects the horse so that it cannot move in a sound manner in one or all four feet.

Lameness can be caused by a number of conditions such as;

Injury induced by compensation for strain or pain in other parts of the body, such as the back

Laminitis or other diseases of the hoof (white line or navicular disease)

Injury to bone, muscle, tendons or ligaments.

Inflammation or stocking up of the legs related to overwork

Swelling and inflammation linked to infection, such as cellulitis.

Hoof problems, including injury such as stone bruises, disease and poor farrier work

Diseases affecting connective tissue in the muscles, such as Equine Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (tying up)

Conformation defect leading to injury, such as cow-hocked conformation.

Neurological disorders, such as Wobblers syndrome

The severity of equine lameness is graded on a scale of 1 to 5. A lameness grade of 1 suggest minor affect on the horses gait and is barely noticeable, whereas grade 5 is otherwise known as "non-weight" bearing lameness where the horse suspends the hoof in the air to avoid pain through concussion or contact.

Finding the cause of lameness is usually a process of elimination. Checking for external causes such as cuts and swelling is the first step and then flexion tests can be performed and then checking the hooves for evidence of injury such as bruising or perforation of the sole. If the cause can still not be found then a vet must be called to perform nerve blocks and possibly take an ultrasound.

Treatment of lameness varies according to the diagnoses but for the most case it is recommended that the diet be changed to reduce the NSC intake, along with rest and appropriate medications.