Laminitis & Founder are both terms that refer to rotation of the coffin bone and/or swelling and inflammation of the hoof capsule. The common cause of this disease is excess sugar in the diet. Because horses are classified as non-ruminant herbivores, their digestive tract is adapted to digesting small, high fiber meals. The horse digests its food through continuous fermentation in the cecum and colon. Horses have no gall bladder to aid in digestion of food like humans. The gall bladder dumps digestive fluids into the stomach to help breakdown food faster. That means the horse may have difficulty completely and properly digesting large meals of hay and grains. When the digestive tract is overloaded and becomes out of naturally intended balance, that is when laminitis and other hoof ailments can occur.
So when the horse has too large a meal it could prevent the food from being digested completely. The undigested or poorly digested food can then become toxic. The toxins from poor digestion can then leach into the blood stream via the intestines and flow to the lowest circulatory point of the horse, the hoof. The toxins can then affect the MMP’s which are small gates that govern blood flow to the hoof. The MMP’s function is to regulate the temperature in the hoof, so that it does not become too hot or too cold. This situation will probably result in restricting blood flow and nutrients to the white line. As the white line atrophies it begins to cease holding the outer hoof to the hoof capsule. Now the horse begins to have a serious hoof and health problem.
To help understanding the digestion of a horse I would like to use the metaphor of making wine. Feeding a horse is like making a fine wine (Wine is made from fermenting grapes, horses ferment their food as part of the digestive process). Three things need to be in balance in the digestive system:
*Sugar
*pH level
*Enzymes
If any of those three get out of balance you get vinegar, or in this case, toxins. Of course the digestive system and nutritional needs of a horse are little more complex than that, but that is the mindset you need when you are feeding your horse. If you are in doubt or confused about feeding your horse properly consult your veterinarian.
A final thought on the mindset to feeding your horse. A horse in the wild will naturally take a bite of low quality grass and then takes several steps, traveling up to 20 miles a day. This is perfect for the horses digestion. A small
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