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EPSM diet; Oh Tarragon -- I have another question!
Topic Started: Oct 12 2009, 11:35 AM (183 Views)
tarragon Oct 22 2009, 06:52 PM Post #16
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Is the meadow on fire?
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 Tara dropped weight prior to being diagnosed, but we thought it was a combination of no grass/low quality hay and working harder- she showed 2nd and 3rd level dressage at 3 big shows in the 1 1/2 months before she crashed and was diagnosed with EPSM. When we started her on the diet she put on weight, mainly in the form of topline and hindquarter muscling pretty quickly. The really interesting thin about Tara is that I've battled her weight for years- she was a total airfern and would get fat very easily, but in the last 2 years since being on the high fat/low starch she has held steady at a really good weight.

There is a Ferro son at my barn now that is EPSM also, and he dropped weight when started on the diet and has been slow to regain, but I also think he isn't getting enough fat for his size.

I did scale Tara's work way, way back when I switched her over so maybe that helped. For the first couple of weeks I just walked and then hacked her very lightly for the next month or so.
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Delia Oct 23 2009, 08:07 AM Post #17
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Is the meadow on fire?
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 Thanks T. That was very helpful. I think this guy ultimately will need about 1.25 lbs. of fat and right now I've got him up to about .75 lbs. So the weight loss probably should level off once I get him up to the right fat level. Also, even though he's not in work yet (I hope to sit on him tomorrow if the weather holds :luck: ), he's a busy bee out in the field and is constantly marching up and down a big hill to visit with horses in the neighbor's pasture behind ours. So he's still burning calories, particularly given that at his old home he was only turned out for a few hours a day.

I've got to say, though, last night I got REALLY excited when I watched him walk down the hill to come say hi to me. For the first time that I've seen, he kept his head and neck long, low and relaxed and was able to walk the whole way down (it's not steep, but it's a long hill). Every other time he has jerked his head and neck up like a giraffe and broken into a trot because he couldn't keep it together a walk. So I think we're starting to get somewhere! :cheer: :cheer: I think I'll take some photos of him this weekend so that I can keep track of how his body is changing over time.
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