Description
Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a disorder wherein the horse has inappropriate blood insulin levels. In recent years, we have what seems to be an increase in EMS in our modern sport horses. This is a multifaceted issue, based on factors such as desired aesthetics for certain sports, genetics, modern horse keeping, and modern diets.
EMS is more widely acknowledged for resulting in weight management issues, and issues such as laminitis, but it has also been linked to manifesting in tendon and ligament issues, and the lowered propensity for your horse to heal from those injuries. We will spend time chatting about the normal presentation of EMS, but also some less common ways this metabolic disorder might manifest in your sport horse. The good news is that although EMS is becoming more common, it is also a disorder that is most times manageable, if not preventable all together.
