First Pony - Laminitis

[hayleyjane83]

Hiya,
I was hoping from some advice.
We are looking to buy my daughter her first pony, she is 7 and has cerebral palsy so its been challenging finding the right one.
One has come up and he seems perfect, he has experience with RDA , great gentle temperament etc...however he had 1 bout of laminitis last year, its the only bout he's had, and the owner said its because he over indulged on the lush grass.
Its our first pony so we aren't very experienced however we have a 1 acre paddock at our home where he will be so do you think it will be hard for us to manage?
Th current owner said she easily manages it now with a grazing muzzle and she stables him at night in the spring. We also have stables, Any advice would be greatly appreciates.
Thanks so much

 

[Jessey]

Having dealt with it more than once, I wouldn't choose to take on a horse/pony with lami, especially not for a child as it can be soul destroying to deal with and kids just don't understand. In a recent study lami was the number 1 killer, above even colic You have to consider that if you were hoping to keep the pony alone you could also increase the chances of more issues as horses are herd animals and can become very stressed without company of their own kind.

 

[Huggy]

It's really tough to walk away, but laminitis rarely happens just once. I've never had to deal with it, but I know people who have, and it can be really distressing. Having said that, if you're prepared to be on red alert, and really keep a handle on it, you might get away with it. Personally, I'd keep looking - he/She's out there somewhere.

 

[Kite_Rider]

I have a horse prone to laminitis and can confirm it is a bit of a nightmare! It is manageable, BUT, you need to be constantly on guard, restricted gazing, be that muzzle or strip grazing, or taking off the grass completely, soaked hay (no fun in winter at all) checking for pulses and heat in feet (something I do daily now as habit) no hard feed, lots of exercise, watching the weather for frost alerts, spring and autumn flushes of grass, or like this year every other bloomin week flushes of grass!
That's all just management of said pony, not to mention the horror of full on laminitis which can be catastrophic.
I would never knowingly buy a horse or pony knowing it had suffered in the past, having said that, now I've got her I wouldn't swap her for the world.
Oh and I would certainly be looking for a companion for your new pony if you do decide to buy, stress can also have an impact on a laminitc, besides it's not really fair on any pony/horse to keep them alone.
Good luck though, it's hard enough trying to buy a horse for yourself, never mind your own child.

 

[carthorse]

I'm afraid I agree with all of the above. Yes you can get a one off bout, but more and more the research is showing that laminitis is linked to metabolic problems & these often worsen with age so while it may be his first bout that doesn't mean it will be his last. Metabolic problems take a lot of managing and that's time consuming, can be expensive and is sometimes disheartening. I've dealt with it for years now with two different horses and two different causes, I can't recommend strongly enough that you walk away and find something else.

 

[Trewsers]

Having dealt with it more than once, I wouldn't choose to take on a horse/pony with lami, especially not for a child as it can be soul destroying to deal with and kids just don't understand. In a recent study lami was the number 1 killer, above even colic You have to consider that if you were hoping to keep the pony alone you could also increase the chances of more issues as horses are herd animals and can become very stressed without company of their own kind.

Yes, keeping alone isn't ideal, I would worry that he / she would be very stressed. I actually don't think it's fair at all. I do feel they need their own kind.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

I agree with everyone. My pony died of laminitis this spring, and I managed him as carefully as anyone could. I would never knowingly buy another laminitic pony.