So, I have two horses that live outside 24/7.  Part of their pasture is corraled off to let the grass grow, so they live on the part that's pretty eaten down.  They get hay in the morning, and I put them out into the taller grass in the afternoon/evening for a few hours.  I gradually built them up to that, but sometimes I'll bring them back out and their hooves will be slightly warm.  Not hot, just slightly warm.  They don't seem ouchy on them or anything. Sometimes I'll give them a little bute to bring down any inflammation because I'm worried they may have a slight bout of laminitis. Most of the time, they are fine in the morning, hooves aren't warm.  If they are the least bit warm, they don't go out to graze that day. Also, I give them probiotics which the vet said was a good idea when I'm switching their diet in any which way or form. 

So I guess my question is, if their hooves are warm at all, does that absolutely mean they are having a small bout of laminitis? 

Is giving bute to bring down inflammation okay? 

Is there anything else I could do? (hosing with cold water? Walk them to increase circulation?)

Should they be even more limited to how much pasture they eat each day?  They've been built up to the hours I have them in there, but maybe I need to bump it back down and build it up again. 

Thanks!
Megan

If their feet are warm in the afternoon/evening but feel normal in the morning, you may be trying to medicate against the heating effects of the sun. Especially if their hooves are black; just like wearing a black shirt in the blazing sun will make you hotter than a white one.

Grass colic is more likely to occur after feeding hay all winter and then turning them out onto fresh spring grass. If they've already been on grass for a while and the only difference is the AMOUNT they have access to in the afternoon, the amount of gut microbes they already have should be sufficient to digest it. But I certainly don't disagree with you erring on the side of caution by limiting the turnout time or adding probiotics to their diet.

If you can buy or borrow a laser (infrared) thermometer, see if the hooves are all within a degree or two of each other. If there's a white hoof in the mix, that temperature may be cooler than the others by several degrees. If they are all consistently cooler in morning, I'd suggest it's the afternoon sun that's warming their feet. But if you even just SUSPECT the possibility of laminitis, you should have the farrier or vet check for it immediately. Bute is no effective treatment or preventative. ~FH

It's also possible that the increased warmth you are noticing is from the increased circulation from moving around all day. When you or a horse stand/sit still, your extremities don't have as much circulation as would be there after walking around.

In the abscence of lameness or growth rings showing up, and the fact that this seems to be on a cycle, I'm going to say it's just the exercise. (and an intresting note, barefoot horses tend to have warmer feet and more noticable digital pulse than shod horses, as shoes do restrict some blood flow, and it's NORMAL).

I would not continue givng bute so freely. Besides the side effects it can have on the digestive system, it's wasting your money and you don't want to discourage healthy circulation and it could mask another issue if it came up (pulled muscle/tendon) that you would want to be aware of instead of overworking your horse because you didn't notice. 

It's good to pay attention to your horse, but sometimes watching too closely can cause more panic than peace of mind. If your horses are acting tender, that's cause for checking the heat/pulse.