Strip the grass — all of it
The whole point of a dry lot is that the pony cannot graze, and ponies are world-class at finding the three blades you left. Choose the area carefully — near the yard so daily feeding and checking are easy, on ground that drains rather than ponds — then remove the grass completely: skim it off, cover it with a membrane and surface, or fence a yard or hard-standing area that never had grass. Check the edges weekly, because green shoots creep under fences and a laminitic pony will stretch a remarkable distance for them. Fencing must be pony-proof rather than merely horse-proof; small, determined animals test gates and low rails that bigger horses ignore.
Choose a surface his feet can live on
Bare baked earth and deep winter mud are both miserable for sore feet, so give the lot a surface with some give and some drainage. Sand and fine pea gravel are popular choices because they support the foot and let the pony choose where to stand; a bedded shelter area gives him somewhere soft to lie and to stand off the ground in wet weather. Avoid fresh deep gravel with sharp edges, and keep the surface raked and picked out — a dry lot concentrates droppings in a small space, so muck it out daily or the surface turns sour under him.
Feed forage without the sugar
A dry lot pony still needs forage through the day — long gaps with an empty stomach bring their own problems — so hay becomes the whole diet and deserves care. Soaking hay in clean water before feeding leaches out some of its sugars and is standard practice for laminitic ponies; feed it in a slow-feeder net or double-netted so a small ration lasts, and weigh the hay rather than guessing by the armful, because 'just one more slice' is how dry lot ponies quietly gain weight. Split the ration into as many small feeds as the day allows. Keep treats out entirely — no carrots, no handfuls of mix from well-meaning visitors — and put a sign on the gate if other people pass his lot.
Shelter, company and the daily hands-on check
A pony on a dry lot still needs shelter from wind, rain and fierce sun, constant clean water, and equine company within sight and ideally within touching distance over a safe fence — total isolation stresses a herd animal and a stressed pony will pace the fence line, which his feet do not need. Build a daily check into your routine: watch him walk a few steps, note whether he is shifting weight from foot to foot, lying down more than usual, or reluctant to move, feel for heat in the feet, and keep a regular weight-tape record so slow changes show up. If he becomes reluctant to walk, rocks back onto his heels, or seems suddenly more uncomfortable, call the vet promptly rather than waiting to see — with laminitis, early help is everything.
His management is a long game shared between you, your vet and your farrier, so keep the whole picture in KinsLe's Pet Passport — weight-tape readings, trim dates, the vet's advice and the current hay ration in one portable packet that any of you can open at the yard instead of relying on memory and old messages.