Craig & Catherine Crosado - Shetland Pony breeders
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As a Shetland pony breeder I had read all there was to read about laminitis and founder and felt that none of it seemed to have the answer to this problem. When one of our mares Poppy foundered in May 2004 and when we were told Poppy had "winter founder", I began to wonder if founder could be caused by the colour of the bucket that I mixed up their feed in!
We were unable to find a satisfactory answer ot poppy prob so we took her to Strasser Hoof Care Professional Thorsten Kaiser. Poppy was in a very bad way when she arrived at Thorsten's, having been treated with anti-inflammatories, a restricted diet and no movement.
Eight weeks later, we had Poppy back at home. She had made huge progress and we continued her rehabilitation under Thorsten's guidance.
Since then, we have made major changes to the way we manage our Shetland Stud. Craig and I have both completed the three-day seminar and trim our ponies in consultation with Thorsten. Our Shetlands now live in a herd of 18 including mares with foals at foot and our colt has a paddock mate and room to move. We no longer lock up our ponies, but provide them with a varied diet that includes whole oats and most importantly they have lots of movement. The results are absolutely astounding. The crests, dull coats and potbellies have disappeared and we now have trim and fit ponies that are much happier both mentally and physically.
It is now ten months since Poppy's acute founder and she is well on the way to a sound future. We urge any one who owns Shetlands or any other equine to look at the information Dr Strasser has provided. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain from her research.
Craig & Catherine Crosado
Duncree Shetland Pony Stud