28/05/2026
# **I WASN’T STANDING LIKE THAT TO BE STUBBORN.
MY FEET WERE BURNING FROM THE INSIDE.**
You might see me in the field and think I am refusing to move.
A pony standing strangely.
Front feet pushed forward.
Weight rocked back.
Head low.
Small steps, careful turns, a body trying not to put too much pain in one place.
And the human story can sound simple.
**He’s lazy.**
**He’s overweight.**
**He doesn’t want to walk.**
**He’s just being difficult.**
But I was not being difficult.
I was trying to stand on feet that hurt.
Laminitis does not always look dramatic at first.
It can begin inside the hoof, where you cannot see the pain.
The sensitive tissues that hold the bone inside my foot become inflamed.
The pressure builds.
Every step becomes sharper.
The ground feels too hard.
Turning hurts.
Walking hurts.
Even standing can become a negotiation with pain.
So I lean back.
Not because I am stubborn.
Because my front feet feel like they are carrying fire.
Grass can look harmless.
Spring and summer fields can look kind.
A round pony can look well kept.
But too much rich grass, weight, metabolic problems, stress, illness, or previous laminitis can turn an ordinary field into the beginning of an emergency.
Please do not wait to “see how he is tomorrow”.
If a horse or pony is reluctant to move, shifting weight, leaning back, lame, stiff when turning, has hot hooves, or a strong digital pulse, call a vet quickly.
Bring them off rich grass if advised.
Keep movement restricted.
Provide a deep soft bed.
Do not force them to walk.
Because I wasn’t standing like that to be stubborn.
**I was trying to hold my whole body above feet that were already hurting where no one could see.**
