The goal: a full pony on a lean ration
A laminitis-prone pony needs two things that seem to pull against each other: enough forage to keep his gut working and his mind occupied, and strictly limited sugar and starch, because it is the sugar load in rich grass and inappropriate feed that endangers his feet. Everything in his management is a version of that bargain — volume without richness — and the keepers who succeed think in terms of what he chews all day, not what is in a bucket twice a day.
Weigh the hay, then soak it
Guesswork is the enemy. Weigh his hay so the ration is a known quantity rather than a flake of optimism, and soak it in clean water before feeding: soaking draws out a useful share of the hay's water-soluble sugars, and the soaked hay should be drained and fed promptly, with the soak water poured away where he cannot drink it. Serve it in small-holed nets or spread across several stations on his track or dry lot so a modest ration takes him hours to finish, because a pony that eats his day's hay in forty minutes spends the rest of the day hungry and plotting.
Managing grass down to the hour
For many laminitis-prone ponies, unrestricted grazing is simply off the menu, and turnout becomes a measured ingredient instead. A grazing muzzle on short, supervised outings lets him move, socialize and nibble without gorging — check the muzzle fits, that he can drink through it, and that he has actually learned to graze in it before leaving him to it. Timing matters: grass sugars build through sunny afternoons and spike in stressed, frosty growth, so the safest grazing is limited and deliberate, and a dry lot or surfaced track with soaked hay is the honest default for a high-risk pony.
The bucket feed question
He still needs his vitamins and minerals, which a restricted forage ration may not supply in full — that is the job of a small, low-sugar balancer or supplement feed, measured by the mugful rather than the scoop. Beyond that, his bucket should stay boring: no sweet mixes, no molasses-heavy chaff, no handfuls of treats from well-meaning visitors, and carrots and apples count as sugar, however traditional they feel. Put a polite note on his door if other people use the yard; ponies acquire secret feeders everywhere.
Movement and monitoring
Movement helps him use what he eats, and a pony that is sound and signed off by his vet benefits from regular gentle exercise — but never work a pony through foot pain, and never let enthusiasm outrun his feet. Weigh-tape him weekly and write it down, feel for the digital pulse in his fetlocks as part of your routine so you know his normal, and watch for the early choreography of trouble: reluctance to turn, pottery steps on hard ground, more time lying down.
Act on the first sign
With this pony, speed is everything: a stronger-than-usual digital pulse, warmth in the feet, shifting weight from foot to foot or any new reluctance to move means your veterinarian hears about it the same day, before grazing or breakfast, not after the weekend.
Keeping all of it straight is exactly what KinsLe's Pet Passport is for — the pony's weight log, soaking routine, muzzle schedule and vet notes travel together in one packet, so anyone caring for him works from the same careful page.