How equine metabolic syndrome causes laminitis and chronic pain, and how diet and exercise management protects welfare.
Equine metabolic syndrome and the laminitis it causes represent one of the most common sources of chronic pain in the domestic horse population. Laminitis is described by affected horses' behavioral responses as an extremely painful condition - the inflamed sensitive laminae of the hoof cause debilitating pain with every step. The condition is manageable but not curable, requiring lifelong dietary vigilance and pasture management. Many cases arise from inadequate owner knowledge about how common management practices - free pasture access, ad libitum feeding - trigger the condition in susceptible animals. Education of horse owners about EMS is a high-priority welfare intervention.