HI Rita,

Congratulations to both of them on their new horses.

You can't change their basic metabolism but you CAN prevent the negative consequences of ignoring those genetics. Mineral balanced diets are the best thing you can do for all horses. For ones that are prone to other issues, it's even more important. EMS/IR is a genetic programming to be extremely efficient in utilization of calories - it's a survival tactic that works very well in the wild. In domestication, those same genetics get a horse in trouble because we provide too much of everything except exercise.

Manage these horses properly right from the start so they don't get into trouble because they are so thrifty: keep their BCS at 4.5 to 5; only feed them what they need of tested, mineral balanced hay, not what they want, as many of them don't have an "off switch" when it comes to food; exercise is their best friend.

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Lavinia, George Too, Calvin (PPID) and Dinky (PPID/IR)
Nappi, George and Dante Over the Bridge
Jan 05, RI
Moderator ECIR