Avrils experience of dealing with Serenity’s very serious and what became a chronic laminitis situation highlights the physical and emotional stress that both horse and owner experience during this terrible situation.

This is
A horse lover all my life, I have owned my own horses for about 25 years. While I lived in the South of France my horses were on my own land, the dry mixed terrain with stones, tree copses
Then in 2017 Serenity started having breathing problems, she was always over weight and I watched her closely. The vet diagnosed COPD and gave me Ventipulmin and told me not to feed her hay but
May 2018: One evening I find Serenity lame and walking reluctantly and obviously
June 2018 – Serenity is still on 6kg of soaked hay in the dry lot with access to her shelter. We are still administering bute. After her
With the CalmHealthyHorses

July 2018
To help me keep going I join Treating Laminitis the Natural Way Facebook FB page. I get advice from Nick Hill and decide to have another trimmer look at Serenity’s hooves and Rachel Briffa Gemini
Rachel gives me some more support, having an experience
August 2018 Sometimes Serenity was just lying down outside the shelter which was very distressing but made examining and cleaning out her feet easier. Support and help from my friends
For all of you going through
September 2018 Slowly I make the dry lot bigger and when Serenity starts to feel a bit better take her out for tiny walks on the soft grass surface outside her dry lot. She is now on about 12 kilos of soaked hay a day and a handful of Thunderbrooks healthy herbal chaff in a bucket with Turmeric, salt, ultimate oil and Alleviate C. I cut a lot of nettles to dry and feed willow branches nearly every day as pain killers as I was worried that feeding bute long term can be very bad for their gut.
As the oppressive heat of summer gave way to cooler Autumn weather and rain Serenity was still in the small area with the shelter, so I put a rug on Oshe, she was 16 and had never worn a rug in her life so it took a little while until she accepted it. The abscesses in Serenity’s front hooves finally and painfully burst. Rachel warned me I must keep them clean and dirt free to avoid infection as the bones which have rotated are exposed and at risk of infection. This scares and worries me; while the actuality of covering her hooves and keeping them clean in the mud and waning light of the winter nearly overwhelms me.
Rachel is brilliant, at this point she is trimming Serenity every 3 weeks and she uncomplainingly dresses Serenity’s feet with clean baby’s nappies cloths and plastic sheets cut to size, then black bale tape is used to hold it all on. In between her




January 2019 Finally, after months of toiling in the wet and mud Serenity’s protective padding can come off for the last time. Suddenly it seemed she was walking completely sound and trotting around when I let her out into the restricted field for a few hours, then later and finally I could let her out of the dry lot completely.
July 2019 Both horses are on the Calm Healthy Horses products, Serenity remains on Grazezey and Alleviate C and Oshe has a small amount of Alleviate C, Both have Premium MVA. They both are calm and healthy. Even Oshe who is also much less spooky than before. She had suffered for years from Ovarian Cysts and I could not ride her when she was in season, but now I ride her every week. They are on some soaked hay and some
I know the ideal situation would be a track system but as I do not own the land I have to do as so many others do and cope with what I have. I manage the grass as best as I can, I feed plenty of good hay with a simple bucket where I can add their important vitamins and minerals. I have learned a lot though this terrible experience but now I am in a good position to manage my horses so that this doesn’t happen again. I hope this article can be of help and encouragement to all the other owners out there with horses that are struggling with Laminitis. Do not feel guilt, do not

My goodness, I’m so impressed with your battle, I’m just dealing with Archie 17.hh diagnosed with ems in June. I’m really struggling with the ups and downs of this awful condition. I heard about calm healthy horses and contacted Sue who advised me to use Allivate C and GrazEzy, I hope to see response soon.
If anyone wants to give me advise I would be very very grateful perhaps Sue could pass on my email, you’ve been very blessed to have so many helpers, it’s really hard on my own…and I don’t do Facebook
Hi LInda
I have a 14.2 Gypsy Cob who has ems and equine asthma. I am developing a track system and feeding soaked hay and Premium mva. I am on a small farm, used in the past for fattening livestock. I am debveloping my track around the headland of a field. It’s not easy as I have a lot of grass bit I feel the very wet weather may almost be helping. My Cob heaves and is on inhalers and herbal tinctures. His progress is up and down. He is losing weight slowly now and able to tolerate quite a lot of exercise, just gone barefoot too. My biggest difficulty is that I am not sure if he has constrictions in his oesophagus as he always coughs when eating soaked hay. I have tried everything, small hole nets, hay balls, feeding off the floor double netting, all manner of haynet, steamin.g. I think he has choked and as a result has a degree of copd. I am staring out on plain chaff, linseed, premium mva and some grass nut mash from Thunderbrook’s and will see how I go.
Hi Linda I have just seen your post and would like to offer my support if you would like to ask me any questions I am very happy to help you. I know how hard it can be and how deep you need to dig . Have you anyone helping you ?? Avril Serenity`s owner