Proactive EMS management that prevents laminitis episodes protects horses from one of the most painful and welfare-significant conditions in equine medicine.
Laminitis prevention welfare is one of the clearest examples where owner knowledge directly determines horse welfare outcomes. Horses whose owners understand EMS, implement appropriate dietary management, and monitor insulin seasonally have dramatically lower laminitis rates than comparable horses under conventional management. The knowledge gap — owners who do not understand the connection between spring grass, insulin, and laminitis — is responsible for a substantial proportion of preventable laminitis cases. Equine health education targeting EMS understanding at the owner level is one of the most cost-effective welfare interventions in equine medicine.