How are the hooves now, gailmb?
I have rehabilitated my own Shetland gelding, Toffee, over the past 2 years. I rescued him with severely overgrown hooves and acute laminitis. No packing and bandaging required, just good trimming and a change of lifestyle. He went from only just able to walk to galloping, kicking his heels up within the first year and in the next 6 months he was healed enough to be ridden. I had no veterinary assistance after the rescue and the vet for the isles has been impressed with what I have done for the pony. So much so that I now trim another badly laminitic pony with overgrown hooves that the vet was happy to leave me working with.
Toffee's laminitis was so bad the vet wanted him put to sleep initially. I have researched equine podiatry for 5 years now and know that laminitis is not a death sentence for a horse so persuaded the vet to let me work with Toffee.
Farriers are trained to trim for shoeing, barefoot trimmers are trained to trim for a natural hoof.
Hoof care is only half the battle with laminitis. Nutrition is the other half. Low sugar and starch feeds are best. No carrots, apples, sugar beet, alfalfa, molasses, green grass, etc.. Plenty of hay, ad lib is ideal, and rough forage.