Laminitis: the very word coming out of a veterinarian’s mouth is scary. The equine health community has, for years, been studying the ailment yet much about it remains mysterious.

The International Laminitis Conference has one goal: To conquer laminitis. It’s holding meetings throughout the country with Dr. James A. Orsini, a veterinarian and surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania, who is also the Director of the International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot (ILC), which spawned the Laminitis West Seminar. The ILC is held in West Palm Beach, FL, every other year. The fifth edition will be held next year on November 6-8, 2009, according to a news release.

 "The meeting, by all measures, was a resounding success," said Orsini in a press release. The inaugural Laminitis West Seminar, was held November 1, 2008, at the Monterey Convention Center in Monterey, CA. "We had expected approximately 100 attendees and exceeded that number, which tells me that the topic is viewed as being very important to veterinarians, farriers, and students, our future veterinarians, especially in a down economy."

One of Dr. Orsini’s goals was to have veterinarians and farriers come to the meeting as a team—since treating a laminitic horse requires both parties to work together. “When I polled the audience, my estimate was that there were 10 to 12 combinations of veterinarians and farriers that registered together,” said Orsini.

This premiere Laminitis West Seminar hosted 141 attendees, including 55 veterinarians, 37 farriers, 21 students, 19 sponsors/exhibitors, and nine staff members. “For the long term, this partnership encourages the 'Team Laminitis' approach to managing horses with laminitis," Orsini said.

The Laminitis West Seminar Program Agenda featured a Welcome address followed by nearly nine hours of educational presentations. The point of the seminar was to exchange information and improve the prevention, care and treatment of horses at risk for or with laminitis.