Dealing with Equine Metabolic Syndrome
By Dan Houdeshell
EMS is the horse world's cousin to fibromyalgia. When the problem with your horse can't be diagnosed for sure, and he exhibits any of the symptoms, he must have EMS. The problem that we have is that the allopathic minds give up right there because there is not a "drug" available to deal with it. Thankfully, some open minded vets will direct their clients to use the nutritional/exercise/trimming approach to combat the problem. We have a number of cases in the three western states where diet, exercise and proper hoof trimming have turned the horse completely around and they are all healthy and sound today. What we need to remember is that these disorders areman madeand are the direct result of the way that we house, feed and exercise our horses. So, what we havedonewe canundoif we go with the correct program. What is EMS and how is it typically treated?
"Equine Metabolic Syndrome typically affects horses aged 8 to 18-years-old. Pony breeds, domesticated Spanish Mustangs, Peruvian Pasos, Paso Finos, and some Warmblood breeds appear especially prone. A preliminary diagnosis is based on obesity, insulin resistance and insidious onset of laminitis. EMS horses typically have fat deposits in the crest of the neck, over the tail head, above the eyes, behind the shoulders, and in the sheath of male horses. Diagnosis is confirmed by measuring insulin and glucose levels in the blood. Unfortunately, there are no medications to treat EMS. At this time, experts recommend a low sugar/starch diet, exercise, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E to help manage the oxidative stress that comes with the syndrome.
Signs of equine Cushing's syndrome typically first appear in horses aged 18 to 23-years-old and include: hirsutism (long curly hair), weight loss and muscle atrophy, depression and poor performance, normal to increased appetite, laminitis, and fat deposits as described above. The best tests for Cushing's are the dexamethasone suppression test and the ACTH stimulation test. And while the disease cannot be cured, pergolide seems to help manage the disease better than cyproheptadine. Because some horses with Cushing's develop insulin resistance, they should also be fed a low sugar/starch diet, although some might need additional calories from fat. Antioxidants might be useful in this syndrome as well." 1
The first thing that horse owners are told is to "get them off of alfalfa and feed them grass hay and never feed grain to an EMS horse". As a result a new fad line of products of the "low carb" persuasion have poured onto the market. The manufacturers claim that they have the proper feed for the EMS horse because it is low in carbohydrates and sugar and that it is these two culprits that have caused the problem in the first place. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
To start with, alfalfa has far less sugar and non-structural carbohydrates (starch) than any of the grass hays unless they are completely mature and bleached of most of their nutritional value.2 some types of grass and oat hay can be extremely high in sugar and starch content. When starch is metabolized it is converted into simple sugars in the body. Something that we are trying to stay away from, right?
Next, as you read the label of these feeds you will see that they are mostly; wheat middlings, sun cured alfalfa meal, soy hulls, rice bran, hominy, cane molasses, and all kinds of vegetable fat and oil. Except for the alfalfa meal this formula is wrong for a couple of reasons:
- Wheat, corn, barley, rye, milo, and hominy all contain crystalline-structured starch which ferments. (that's why they can be fermented to make alcohol) These forms of non-structural carbohydrates are not digested by enzymes in the stomach and pass on to the cecum where they are fermented by microbes producing lactic acid and gas, major contributors to laminitis and colic.3,4
- Horses fed a high fat diet (corn oil, soybean oil, "vegetable oil") to replace energy that they would have received from the carb's must secrete more lipase enzyme to digest the fat putting a greater burden on the liver and pancreas. All of these fats are high in omega-6 and low in omega-3 damaging the immune system.5 The fat that is not digested starts to build up in the large intestine (colon) and putrefy releasing toxins into the animals system.
By now you are probably asking; "so what do I feed my horse that has these problems?" The answer is very simple and inexpensive.
Good Quality Haydoesn't always mean high protein hay. Look for hay that is more mature. Mature alfalfa hay will have flowers in it and mature grass hay will have well developed heads. Make sure that it is not dusty, moldy or have stems that break like a match stick. Your horse may look at you like you are crazy the first time that you present him with it but he will get used to the idea and will be a lot healthier for it. (kind of like your kids are with broccoli)
Whole Oatsis the perfect grain for feeding horses. We have compared oats to all of the other cereal grains in a previous article and shown how oats is the king of grains when feeding horses.3 Not rolled or crimped or clipped, just clean whole oats. They contain a non-amorphous starch that is easily digested and are high in digestible fiber both of which provide energy without any of the harmful side effects of feeding other grains.
Proper Supplementationis essential for the EMS horse to be able to cope with the numerous chemical situations going on in his body. All of the nutritional building blocks are necessary for the animal's body to regulate itself. Make sure that it isforage specific. A supplement that addsanycalcium to a horse fed an alfalfa based ration is like throwing gas on a fire to put it out. Horses fed grass hay need more of both calcium and phosphorus. Studies have shown that EMS horses benefit from feeding higher than normal levels of magnesium. This magnesium must be in a sulfate or chelated form. Magnesium oxide is useless to horses as it cannot be absorbed. Work is being done on chromium supplementation for EMS but has not been cleared by the FDA for feeding to horses.
There are other things to be considered such as your horse's spine. Have your local VOM (Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation) practitioner examine your horse to see it there are any spinal or nerve issues that need to be adjusted. Spinal subluxations can interfere with proper transmission of nerve impulses which in turn can cause a lot of different health problems including improper digestion of feed and elimination of waste. To find a VOM in your area go to: .
Another modality that we highly recommend is EQ Sonic™ therapeutic sound wave technology. Not to be mistaken forultrasound (has risks with minimal penetration), alpha waves are very low frequency sound waves (approx 8 – 14 Hz totally safe and does not heat tissue). By infusing the body with these well documented healing frequencies, the brain sends signals to the cells to halt trauma and begin the natural repair process. The technology is profoundly simple, yet the results are putting it mildly, SIMPLY PROFOUND. When applied to acupuncture points it works as "acoustic acupuncture" to heal and balance the meridians in the body, according to Ron Riegel, DVM. This noted author, speaker and researcher further states,"The goal of any physical therapy no matter what modality you use is to increase circulation and increase the elasticity and flexibility of the tissue. The (EQ Sonic™) absolutely increases circulation, and allows the body to heal itself. It is one of the most effective therapy tools available, and safe to use."Some of his books includeIllustrated Atlas of Clinical Equine Anatomy and Common Disorders of the Horse, Volume I and II; From Bones to Biscuits.Resources:
I have personally had great success with a number of horses using both of these modalities.
These are only a few of many factors in managing insulin resistant, laminitic and EMS horses, which includes exercise, prevention of mineral deficiency and appropriate hoof care, but we feel are the most important ones. If you have more questions or need help with a feeding program or forage testing please call us at: 800-580-6632 or email to srs@sierragoldhorses.com
- Lydia Gray, DVM – The Horse, February 19, 2007 Article #8963
- "But He Likes It" - ?id=20" ?id=20
- Oats, Rice Bran and Flax Meal in Performance Horse Diets - ?id=19" ?id=19
- Cereal Grains for Horses-Al Cirelli, Jr. Extension Horse Specialist, School of Veterinary, Medicine University of Nevada, Reno
- Gastrointestinal Function in the Non-Ruminant Herbivore.
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