Chronic laminitis is a debilitating, painful disorder that, according to a recent study, affects approximately one in every 200 horses, including pregnant mares. Although it might seem like the hoof is a long way from the placenta, one study’s results suggest the hoof and placenta could be more closely linked than we think.

“Mares with chronic laminitis develop potentially detrimental changes in the blood vessels supplying the uterus during pregnancy,” said Bruna Curcio, DVM, PhD, and colleagues from the ClinEq Group (Group of Education and Research in Clinical Equine Medicine) in the Department of Veterinary Clinics at Brazil’s Federal University of Pelotas.

During her presentation at the 2015 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, Curcio reminded attendees, “Mares with chronic laminitis that become pregnant develop signs of hypertensive syndrome, just like in pregnant women with high blood pressure (hypertension).”

According to Curcio’s research, hand-in-hand with system-wide hypertension comes shortened gestation length, lower placental weight, and changes in the size and shape of the blood vessels supplying the placenta