Dr. Judith L. Mulholland

A 20-year-old gelding taken to a show jumping day in very hot weather was reluctant to go out for the second round of jumping. The rider forced him on, and after completion retired the horse for the day; he was foot sore. The ground was described as "like rock". That night the horse appeared lame. The next morning it was lying in the stable with acute laminitis, unwilling to get up, shivering and miserable. The contributing factors were hard ground, age, heat, travel, stress, being unfit for the exercise and the lack of early treatment when the lameness was first noticed.

A horse escaped from the paddock and went galloping up and down the bitumen road until its feet were so worn that they were bleeding. When the excitement was over the horse was so footsore and the laminae so traumatised that road founder was diagnosed.

Some endurance horses will work so hard and fast that each competitive ride traumatises the coronary band and causes a break in the wall which grows down with the feet.

Concussion, lack of fitness, riding too fast or too far, combined with poor shoeing, can cause road founder, "MAN MADE" laminitis.