Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is related to obesity, accumulations of fat in specific areas of the body, insulin resistance, inflammation and laminitis in horses.
Often it can be difficult to distinguish EMS from PPID (aka Cushing’s disease) because both share many similar symptoms. However, the two diseases do not necessarily correlate with each other.
The relationship between obesity, insulin resistance and EMS can be difficult to assess; not all obese horses are insulin resistant and develop EMS. There are also some horses who have EMS, but are not visibly obese or insulin resistant.
With this type of horse, the condition may show up when the horse is stressed; for example due to a sudden change in feed, caretaking or even trailering. Ongoing research is searching for the relationship between the genetics, environment and management of susceptible horses, both for prevention and management purposes.
In many cases, horses suffer acute and recurrent laminitis due to EMS. Early diagnosis and treatment, as well as continued management are key to successfully managing the condition. It has been found that nutritional therapies can also play a key role in the proper management of EMS.
The following steps are some of the nutritional therapies and management tools that can help with the management of a horse with EMS. Your equine veterinarian will likely review these and other strategies to properly care for your horse once a diagnosis has been established.
Weight Reduction
If your horse has been diagnosed with EMS (or is obese), it’s important to begin to reduce body weight. An effective weight-loss program includes how to control calories, reducing glucose and the insulin response when consuming a meal, and where possible, appropriate exercise.
Your veterinarian (and also a nutrition specialist) can determine the correct weight-loss strategy for your horse. A weight loss plan will take time, but initial results can often begin to be seen after 6-12 weeks.
It is important not to starve EMS horses and to provide complete nutrition with enough fiber to keep the digestive tract running smoothly.
Eliminate or greatly reduce pasture time
A leading cause of obesity in a horse’s diet is pasture. Factors such as type of grass, weather conditions and stage of maturity can affect the carbohydrate content of pasture. This leads to an elevated glucose and insulin concentration. Fructan sugar found in grasses has been indicated as a probable cause of pasture-associated laminitis. But it’s very important to note that the overall sugar (sucrose glucose) and starch content found in grasses does often result in higher insulin levels for grazing horses versus horses which are eating hay.
At-risk horses out only in the early-morning hours, on cloudy days, in well-managed, shady paddocks or the use of a grazing muzzle, are ways to help control carbohydrate intake. Until a metabolic horse loses weight and has normal insulin levels, turnout on dry lots is the usual recommendation.
Feed hay and recommended supplements
Horses with metabolic conditions which are not on pasture must have their daily roughage requirement met by feeding hay. Usually moderate-quality grass hay is recommended as legume hays, like alfalfa, tend to have higher calorie contents. The daily amount of hay should be divided into several feedings.
Hay can be offered through a mini-hole haynet, slow feeder or other feeding device designed to slow down consumption rate and extend eating time.
If a metabolic horse needs to gain weight, calories are obtained from fat and fiber in the diet, not from soluble carbohydrates. This can be done through increasing hay or a low sugar/starch concentrate feed.
For horses that can exercise, additional fat from oil is helpful, as it provides significant calories without increasing meal size or glycemic response.
Your equine veterinarian (and an equine nutritionist) can help work out the appropriate feed(s) and schedule. Always consult with them for changes in your horse’s condition as types of feed and/or amounts may need to be adjusted.
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