oops. didnt mean to make a poll out of this thread..

I recently purchased a mare without having a vet check (yes I know a big no no) I should have known better, but it was a quick on the moment thing. Anyway.. I took her to have her vaccinations and went ahead and had her scanned.  She has slight rotation in her front feet.. The vet reffered to it as Laminitis. My farrier has put pads on her feet and they are to be left on there for 6 weeks. I am also feeding her a supplement called integreter. My vet assured me that everything would be fine, that her case was very mild.

Just wondering if anyone else out there has ever dealt with this and if there was anything special that you did.

Laminitis is an inflamation in the lamini (the sensitive lining in the hoof).  If you have rotation then your horse has foundered.  Founder is the next stage.  The lining gets inflamed to the point that it causes intense heat and pain in the hoof.  The horse will rock back onto his heals and cause the tendon that runs down the back of the leg and attaches to the front of the bone in the hoof to get stressed and pull real hard on the bone in the hoof.  The lining tears away from the inside of the hoof wall and allows the bone in the hoof to rotate downward.  My gelding foundered in December.  What my farrier is to pad him with a couple of different pads depending on what stage we are at in the healing process and always sets the shoe on backwards.  He also sets the shoe back a little bit to give extra support to the tendon if he were to still try and rock back.  He cuts the toe off as much as possible and squares it off.  My gelding rotated slightly as well.  Two degree in one and three degree in the other.  The rotation was corrected in a matter of 4 weeks but then his capsules sunk.  Changed to a different - thicker pad to give added sole support.  Capsules were back to normal in about a 8 week period.  Last week when we reset him we finally got down to the bruising in the sole and was able to cut alot of that away.  He also had absesses due to the bruising.  I fed a supplement called Lamisaver.  I think it help tremendously and know others who feel the same.  

Does your horse show any signs of laminess?  I would contact the people you bought her from and ask some questions - like when this could of happened so you have an idea of how far into this the horse is.  My vet says it takes a year for all the damage that is caused from founder to grow out.  Your horse can be sound and usable before then in mild cases.  My horse is 16 weeks into this and we are just now starting hand led walks and having some turn out time into the larger lot.  Otherwise I keep him in a small pen that is bedded down with about 30 bags of sawdust to make it soft for him. 

Sorry this is so long.  I would be happy to answer any questions you have about what my horse has gone through.  Hope this has helped.

- Double Trouble

Thanks a million for the advice.. It does help. We have pads on her right now and she is on a supplement. I take her back to the vet this week. The pads have been on there for six weeks. Is there any special feed that you feed you gelding?

I tried to email the seller as well as call,but of course no returned phone call.

Depending on the severity of the rotation on whether or not they come back from it.  My gelding should make a complete recovery.  Horses that sustain a greater rotation will be less likely to be sound for competition but could be rode and some horses that have the tip of the bone start to push throught the bottom of the sole from rotating so much (around 14 to 16%) usually will not be rideable but can be breeding sound.  I can't say that it is "curable" seeing how I will now have to be very careful with my gelding.  He will never be able to be turned out on pasture.  He might be able to consume small amounts of green grass at a time but never be allowed to graze nonstop through out the day.  I will have to make sure that he is never over weight.  Theses are both things that can cause him to founder again.  My vet told me that once a horse founders he will founder that much easier so you have to be aware at all times of situations that increase the risk of this reoccuring.