EMS, laminitis & dietary risk

Yards managing native breeds, good-doers, and previously laminitic horses.

• ◆Test and interpret insulin and glucose results
• ◆Build a low-NSC forage strategy
• ◆Plan safe turnout windows
• ◆Communicate risk to owners clearly

1. 01.

   EMS vs. PPID vs. both

   Diagnostic pathway and overlap.

   • ·Clinical features that point to EMS, PPID, or both
   • ·Resting insulin, OST and TRH stimulation — when each is used
   • ·Interpreting results across season and feeding state
   • ·Working through three real case files with the tutor
2. 02.

   Forage analysis

   How to commission a hay test and what to do with the results.

   • ·Sampling protocol — core sampler, sample size, lab choice
   • ·Reading WSC, ESC, starch and the 10–12% NSC rule
   • ·Soaking hay: time, temperature, what actually changes
   • ·Steaming, hay nets, slow-feeders — combining tools
3. 03.

   Turnout protocols

   Track systems, grazing muzzles, restricted access.

   • ·Designing a track on a small acreage
   • ·Grazing muzzle fitting, fitness checks, rotation
   • ·Strip grazing and back-fencing without overgrazing
   • ·Spring and autumn sugar spikes — the dawn/dusk turnout rule

Send a hay sample to the recommended lab two weeks before the session; we'll interpret your own results live.

Build a 7-day feeding plan for a named EMS resident on your yard; reviewed by the tutor.

• §Durham et al., 'ECEIM Consensus Statement on Equine Metabolic Syndrome' (J Vet Intern Med, 2019)
• §Argo et al., 'Feeding practices and the management of laminitis' (Vet Clin Equine, 2020)
• §RCVS Knowledge 'Acute Laminitis' clinical guidelines