Founder & Laminitis
WHAT WE LEARN, WE SHARE.
Educational Note: This resource shares lessons learned through animal care and rescue experience. It is not veterinary, nutritional, or farrier advice and is not a substitute for an examination or individualized recommendations from qualified professionals. Every animal is different. If an animal is painful, ill, suddenly changes behavior, or you are concerned, contact your veterinarian.
Why This Matters
Founder is a term commonly used for laminitis severe enough to affect the structures inside the hoof. Laminitis is inflammation and failure of the sensitive tissues that help suspend the coffin bone within the hoof. It can become an emergency quickly, and an animal does not have to be completely unable to walk for the problem to be serious.
Signs Worth Paying Attention To
- Moving slowly, reluctantly, or with a shortened or careful stride.
- Spending more time lying down or appearing reluctant to turn.
- Shifting weight from foot to foot or standing with the front feet stretched forward.
- Warm feet or a stronger-than-usual digital pulse.
- New hoof tenderness, especially after pasture access, a feed change, illness, or another stressful event.
- Changes in the hoof wall, stretched white line, rings, or other signs that deserve evaluation by a knowledgeable farrier and veterinarian.
Grass Isn't Always Harmless
Pasture can be a major source of nonstructural carbohydrates (sugars and starches). The amount changes with plant type, weather, season, growth stage, and stress. Short or stressed grass is not automatically low in sugar. For animals with laminitis risk or metabolic concerns, pasture access may need to be limited or eliminated based on veterinary guidance.
Recent Intake
A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words
We knew she was foundered when we took her in. That was one of the reasons she needed us.
These are her real hooves — and we're sharing them because sometimes seeing the signs makes them easier to recognize later.
The rings, changes in hoof growth, and differences from one foot to another can help tell a story about what a horse has been through. They don't replace a veterinary diagnosis or radiographs, but they can teach us what to look for and when to ask questions.
Founder and laminitis can be painful and life-changing, but knowledge gives us the opportunity to recognize problems sooner and act sooner.
That's why we share the good, the hard, and the lessons we learn along the way.
Know your animal's normal. Notice the changes. Ask questions. And when something doesn't feel right, trust your gut.
Shared for education and awareness — always work with your veterinarian and farrier when laminitis is suspected.
