Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a hormonal condition associated with obesity and insulin dysregulation that predisposes horses to laminitis and significantly impacts long-term welfare.
EMS is primarily a lifestyle and management disease — its prevalence reflects the tendency of owners to overfeed and under-exercise horses who evolved on sparse, fibrous forage. The welfare consequences are severe: laminitis, often recurrent, causes chronic pain and can ultimately lead to euthanasia when rotation is severe. Managing EMS requires significant changes to feeding and exercise management that can feel burdensome but are genuinely life-saving. Early diagnosis through insulin testing allows intervention before laminitis occurs, and this preventive window is the most welfare-positive opportunity in EMS management.