The mild weather and rains of spring are a welcome sign that winter has ended, but unfortunately it is the ideal time for flying insect breeding.  This time of year, many stables are starting to get hit by flies, but action taken now, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach, can avoid a crisis situation later.

Spring is the time when horses are most likely to founder. Founder, also known as laminitis, is a very painful and debilitating hoof condition in horses. It can have a handful of different causes, but the most common is pasture-caused founder which occurs when a horse consumes too much rich grass in a short amount of time. A second cause can be overwhelming the horses system with vaccinations, worming, etc. all at the same time.