Understanding How Diet Composition Influences Insulin Response in Horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a growing problem in horses. The disease is a leading cause of laminitis, a painful and devastating inflammatory condition of the hoof. Insulin dysregulation (ID), a condition where insulin levels fluctuate abnormally in response to feeding, is a component of EMS. There is a lack of informative studies on the nutritional management of ID and EMS. Researchers plan to analyze data on EMS horses fed five different forage diets to better understand insulin response. This new information will be used to help improve dietary management of EMS-ID horses.