APRIL (Set up trim 9/10/6. Latest pictures and text added 11/6/8)
AGE. 7 Years
BREED. Arab X Welsh
ACTIVITIES. Hacking / Schooling
HOOF CARE / HISTORY. April started a program of natural hoof care in October 2006 when she was around five years old. She had been barefoot without shoes for twelve months and had been shod previous to this for an unspecified period.
April had always been a sound happy horse since been with her owner. HOWEVER this changed in July 2007 ...

April gets exceptionally well looked after. Her owner John provides the best of everything including supplements we know give good results, sympathetic training, the best tack etc. She has a really enriched lifestyle living within a structured herd. When we took on April’s hoof care we thought she had about average hoof condition compared with all the other horses in our client base. There were very subtle growth rings occasionally on her walls which were noted.

 One day In July 2007 we got a call saying she was foot sore and laminitis was suspected. Sure enough April had a clinical laminitic episode. These pictures show the results. It was a serious attack.

The reason the attack happened was down to one factor - grass - or EPGS (evil poisonous green stuff).
Horses on large green fields can come down with clinical laminitis at any time. The fluctuations in sugar levels alongside mineral imbalances can come to a head when least expected. It is comparable to Russian roulette. At some point someone’s horse will get the coffee cream centered Revel ! urrrr !
April got better very quickly after the attack. After a few days on box rest she was turned out on an area that was ideal - pictures below - Grass was eliminated. She was fed an ad-lib hay based diet with the supplements as before and put back into work using hoof boots and pads on the fronts when necessary. This enabled the very strong healing angle to grow all the way down ground level. Easy peasy !!