Founder is a severe case of flaring. The horse loses all white line integrity, and the hoof wall detaches from the coffin bone. The result is severe pain and lameness.
Although a simple flare can lead to mechanical founder, this is more common among shod horses. It’s laminitis that founders a horse with very little warning. You’ll often see the two conditions mentioned in the same sentence.
Laminitis is an inflammation of the laminae. The white line is weakened, right the way through. For the wild horse on low quality pastures, laminitis is little more than a painful interruption. He’ll soak his hooves in water and keep moving (as he’s forced to do each day). Unable to roam wild, your horse relies on your fast action.
When faced with a foundered horse, your first thought shouldn’t be to pick up the rasp. Instead, encourage as much movement as possible and take strict control of your horse’s diet.
24-hour turnout on a dirt pasture halts the feeding of lush, green grass that is high in sugar. Give your horse 24-hour access to grass hay and fresh water. And stick with it – No grass, no grain and no legumes during rehabilitation.
Of course, force walking a lame horse is cruel, and you mustn’t panic if your patient is lying down. He is, after all, under a lot of strain. But you can encourage your horse to move around by placing his food, water and shelter far apart in the paddock. If possible, turn your horse out with a second horse. This is another good way to keep his feet moving.
Your task with a foundered horse is simple and straightforward. You must grow strong, new hoof material around the coffin bone, just as any barefoot horse owner strives for each day. Though similar, in this case the trim is designed to bring relief to the horse’s feet.
Back up the foundered toes, using a vertical cut from the edge of the white line at the bottom of the hoof. Then trim the heels, following the sole’s guidelines at the seat of corn. As with the maintenance trim, the sole is your map to knowing where the coffin bone is, and where it wants new hoof growth.
A healthy horse bears most of his weight on the front legs. At founder he’ll lean back to relieve the pain. This is called ‘founder stance’.
Founder stance puts unnatural strain on the muscles and ligaments in the hind legs. It causes the hind toes to grow out long, and the heels to move forwards. Avoid this by backing up the hind toes to the white line.
This is not a complete ‘do it yourself’ guide to founder rehabilitation. The subject itself demands an entire book. Luckily, someone has written it – and very well, too. Jaime Jackson wrote the excellent book ‘Founder’. You should read it, no matter what the health of your horse.
You can also turn to the advice of vets and barefoot professionals. A vet’s painkillers don’t cure the problem, but do help keep your horse moving. This is a most important part of founder rehabilitation.
That\’s a great question, buseace pasture conditions the type of plants, the time of day, and the time of year absolutely DO play an important role in managing your horse\’s diet. However, it\’s also a fairly complicated set of factors to try to get a concrete handle on, which, I imagine, is why Dr. Walsh has not attempted to include a higher level of approximation in the grazing time caloric calculations. In his article, Dr. Walsh makes the following comments about pasture conditions and grazing -If the horse is allowed out on grass, the amount of time they are out is recorded. The pasture should be examined to judge the amount of grass that is available for consumption and the types of grasses that are in the pasture .Weight loss diets based on pasture (forage) and hay require vitamin and mineral supplementation to protect against deficiencies. If the horse or pony has laminitis it is removed from grass until insulin levels are normal. Then, limited exposure to grass using strip or cell grazing or a grazing muzzle can be attempted, but the animal is carefully observed and checked for any signs of foot soreness or elevated insulin levels. Grazing is not allowed during the spring and fall when stresses pasture may accumulate dangerously high levels of nonstructural carbohydrates Dr. Walsh and I also advocate checking out the many resources available at with respect to diet. Kathryn Watts\’ research has been, and continues to be, an important piece in the search to understand and control laminitis.Hope that helps.