Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services

Received some beautiful flowers from a very thoughtful client today 💐❤️ Unfortunately, Flash was under the impression they were a snack delivery. 😂🐴

The best time to manage laminitis is before the horse is lame.

While I’ve dedicated the better part of the past five years to researching the efficacy of medications used to TREAT laminitis, my focus is now shifting to something even more important: preventing it from happening in the first place.

We now have a growing range of newer tools to help identify horses at high risk of laminitis, alongside novel, cost-effective medications that can be used selectively in these horses to help prevent the enormous pain and suffering associated with this condition.

This pony is a great example of why we need to change the way we think about laminitis risk.

Before she had ever experienced a laminitic episode, her very astute owner recognised there were already important clues in front of us. Her genetics and body condition placed her at increased risk of insulin dysregulation and laminitis, not to mention the other health consequences associated with obesity. With a dedicated owner and a strategic management plan in place, this pony never had to suffer through the immense pain brought on by laminitis.

My focus is not simply on treating laminitis once a horse is sore. It is on educating owners and equine professionals to recognise risk before pain becomes the trigger for action.

One of the problems with our traditional approach is the tendency to reduce insulin dysregulation to a yes or no diagnosis based on a single blood test.

Biology rarely works in absolutes.

Insulin dysregulation and laminitis risk exist on a sliding scale. That risk is influenced by genetics, body condition, diet and management, season, age, previous laminitis and the magnitude and duration of hyperinsulinaemia, amongst other factors.

A blood test gives us valuable information, but it is a snapshot in time. It needs to be planned and interpreted in the context of the whole horse and, where appropriate, followed over time as that horse’s risk changes.

This is the strategic approach to laminitis prevention that I have become increasingly passionate about: identify risk earlier, measure what matters, intervene appropriately and adapt the plan as risk changes.

Success in laminitis management shouldn’t only be measured by how well we treat the painful horse.

It should also be measured by how many high-risk horses never become laminitic in the first place.

If you’d like advice on managing your horse or pony, or to explore whether your horse might be a candidate for some of these newer tools, please get in touch.

📞 0427 072 095
🛜 https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

Nothing like winding down at the end of a long day 🐾

A common question we hear is whether a horse’s behaviour problem is pain or behaviour.

The reality is that this is rarely an either–or situation.

Pain and emotional state are closely linked. Pain creates stress, and stress changes how the horse perceives and reacts to its body and environment. At the same time, poor emotional health can amplify how strongly a horse responds to even mild physical discomfort.

Pain increases stress, stress alters emotional state, and emotional state changes how a horse reacts to its body and environment. A calm horse may tolerate low-grade discomfort without obvious signs. An anxious horse may react strongly to the same stimulus.

This is why behaviour change should always prompt us to think more broadly. Physical discomfort, learned fear, emotional stress, and handling history often overlap. Addressing only one piece of the puzzle rarely solves the problem.

Importantly, behaviour itself can mask pain. Some horses become quiet and withdrawn; others become reactive and defensive. Both responses are valid from the horse’s perspective.

This interaction matters because behaviour is often the first sign that something isn’t right either physically, emotionally, or both.

But addressing behaviour also requires honesty about preparation. Horses do not magically learn coping skills at the exact moment a procedure is required. Expecting calm behaviour for injections, dentistry, or farriery without prior training places the horse and the professionals involved at unnecessary risk.

Owners play a critical role here. Practising calm handling, leg lifting, head control, and basic restraint outside of high-stakes situations is essential. Waiting until something must be done urgently is not setting anyone up for success.

📬 Subscribe now for more free advice. Veterinary-led. Evidence-based. Practical.

👉 https://avonridgeequine.aweb.page/understanding-equine-behaviour

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

🌱 Quiz time!

When is sugar usually lowest in pasture? ☀️🐴

👍 5am–11am
❤️ 11am–6pm
😂 6pm–midnight

Cast your vote by reacting below!

Check the comments tomorrow for the answer and why the time of day may matter for horses with insulin dysregulation and laminitis risk. 👀

“Hi, my horse is colicking… I think he just needs a drench.”

As equine vets, we hear this all the time. And while passing a stomach tube and administering fluids (“drenching”) is a common procedure performed in colic cases, the reality is that not every colic should automatically receive fluids down the tube.

One of the most important reasons we pass a nasogastric tube in a colicking horse is actually diagnostic. We want to know whether fluid is building up in the stomach. Horses cannot vomit, so when there is small intestinal obstruction, severe small intestinal inflammation, or impaired intestinal motility, fluid can rapidly accumulate within the stomach and upper intestines.

This is called gastric reflux.

In these cases, the stomach can become dangerously distended. Passing a tube allows us to decompress the stomach and remove this fluid and gas, helping relieve pain and, most importantly, helping prevent gastric rupture - a catastrophic and usually fatal complication. 

If a horse has significant reflux and additional fluids are administered into the stomach, those fluids often cannot move forward through the gastrointestinal tract normally. Instead, they simply add further volume and pressure to an already distended stomach and small intestine.

This can dramatically increase the risk of gastric rupture.

That’s why, before administering large volumes of enteral fluids, we first check carefully for reflux. Horses with high heart rates, significant pain, small intestinal distension on re**al examination, or ultrasound evidence of gastric enlargement are cases where we are particularly cautious. 

This is also why I commonly perform in-field diagnostics such as abdominal ultrasound using my wireless mobile scanner. This allows me to assess the position and size of the stomach to ensure it is not distended, and evaluate the small intestine for distended loops or abnormal motility patterns. These findings are extremely important and help guide clinical decision making in colic cases.

It is also why owners should never try to force fluids into a horse’s mouth when they are colicky. If the stomach is already distended or the horse has impaired gastrointestinal outflow, administering oral fluids without assessment can potentially make the situation significantly worse.

On the other hand, many horses with simple impactions or mild large colon disease may absolutely benefit from enteral fluids administered via stomach tube. In these horses, the fluid helps soften intestinal contents, improve hydration within the gut and increase motility.

The important point is this: “drenching” is not a one-size-fits-all treatment for colic. The decision to administer fluids via stomach tube should be based on the horse’s examination findings and what type of colic we suspect is occurring.

If your horse is showing signs of colic, they need a veterinary examination to determine the best course of action.

📞 For equine veterinary emergencies 24/7, please call 0427 072 095.

🌧️ Apparently metabolic consults are now an all-weather service. Nobody pictured here was particularly happy about this development. 🤣

🚨 Attention hoof-nerd owners… save the date! 🐴🦶

❗️SAT OCT 24 2026 - I’ll be presenting “Rethinking Laminitis: A New Strategy for an Old Problem”

Managing laminitis isn’t just about reaching for drugs when the horse is sore, changing the shoeing once the damage is done, or taking a random blood sample to “check the insulin”. It’s about having a strategy to prevent the damage in the first place.

I’ll be sharing real case examples, showing how the latest research can translate into real life success stories, what to do when horses don’t follow the playbook, and why individualised management plans matter.

We’ll explore my “5 Pillars of Laminitis Prevention”, the critical role of the farrier, and how better vet and farrier collaboration can help us get ahead of the disease rather than simply managing the consequences.

If laminitis, hooves and science are your thing, this one’s for you!

📞 Contact Tania Broad to reserve your place: 0417 916 934

🐴 Cast your vote and tell us what you think!

Should you move your horse into a new paddock straight after deworming? 🤔

👍 YES
❤️ NO
😂 NOT SURE

Check the comments tomorrow to find out the answer and why current recommendations might be different to what you think. 👀🐴

Why We Use the TRH Stimulation Test for PPID Detection …. And Why This Matters

Recurrent or unexplained laminitis especially in older horses is usually a red flag for an underlying endocrine disorder. While Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a well-known cause of insulin dysregulation and laminitis, another common culprit in ageing horses is Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID).

Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID): often still mistakenly referred to as “Cushing’s Disease” is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting older horses and ponies. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, true “Cushing’s disease” (seen in humans and dogs) is a very different condition. In horses, PPID is caused by degeneration of specific neurons in the brain that normally regulate the pituitary gland. This leads to overproduction of hormones, including ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), and results in a range of clinical signs including abnormal coat shedding, loss of muscle over the topline, lethargy, increased drinking and urination, susceptibility to infections, and an increased risk of laminitis.

At this time of year we often recommend the TRH stimulation test in selected horses. This test is more sensitive than a baseline ACTH test, particularly for detecting early or subtle cases of PPID. It involves measuring the ACTH response following administration of a hormone (TRH) that stimulates the pituitary. It can help confirm PPID in horses that don’t show the classic signs, but might be failing to respond to appropriate EMS management.

Careful case selection and timing of the test is essential. We do not recommend testing horses for PPID when they are actively laminitic or in severe pain. Pain and stress (and even transport to a clinic!) can falsely elevate ACTH levels, leading to inaccurate results and unnecessary treatment. Testing should be delayed until the horse is clinically stable.

It’s also important to understand that while hyperinsulinemia (high blood insulin) in EMS horses is a common cause of laminitis in younger horses and ponies, older horses with recurrent laminitis episodes despite correct EMS management should be assessed for underlying PPID. In these cases, persistent or worsening laminitis may be the result of an undiagnosed or poorly managed pituitary disorder, rather than insulin dysregulation alone.

PPID and EMS often overlap, and managing one without recognising the presence of the other can lead to treatment failure or recurrence of laminitis.

****The choice of test AND interpretation of results MUST be guided by a veterinarian experienced in both EMS and PPID.

****Misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment and management recommendations may delay recovery and increase the risk of long-term complications.

If your horse is older and struggling with unexplained laminitis, get in touch to discuss whether TRH stimulation testing may be appropriate. Early and accurate diagnosis is key to improving quality of life and reducing the risk of further episodes.

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/