Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Just a thought Amy,

I had a gelding who, like yours, could handle light work, but came up  
sore after any sort of normal outing.  At first the problem  
manifested in pulled shoes--he'd pull a shoe almost every time out.   
Then he became really sore in his whole hind area, basically like  
gradual tying up; the soreness would work itself out over a couple of  
days to a week, but it always came right back if we were out more  
than 5 or 6 miles.  After 2 years of farrier work, saddle trials,  
lameness exams, x-rays, and careful conditioning programs, my  
constantly sore-bottomed horse turned out to have EPSM, a metabolic  
disorder that lots of heavily muscled horses suffer (including an  
increasing number of Arabs).  Because affected horses can't  
metabolize glucose properly, their muscles are starving.  Ironically  
they often pile on fat (easy keepers)--perhaps because the fuel  
they're getting can't be utilized properly and has nowhere to go, or  
perhaps because their muscles keep calling out for more food?  At any  
rate, after putting him on a special diet of Ultium (no high carb  
sweet feeds, as little grain product as possible) dressed with 2 cups  
of oil, a.m. and p.m., he came back nearly 100% for his new owners.   
Apparently these horses utilize fat as doing so skips whatever  
metabolic step their muscles can't handle.

If Dr. Beth Valentine at Oregon State is an expert on the disorder  
and was tremendously helpful on the phone and through e-mails.  She  
charged zero but said I could donate to the draft horse group she's  
part of, so I did so.

Good luck to you.  I was horrified at first, then relieved to  
discover my horse's health problem.  Finally the mystery was gone....

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