EPSM Diets
Specific Diets for EPSM Horses
Reprinted with permission of Dr. Beth A. Valentine, DVM, Ph.D.
* At the time of this writing there is no feed high enough in fat to provide the
proper calorie ratios to EPSM horses without an additional fat source.
In general, aim to feed no more than 5-6 lbs of any feed other than a pure forage
based feed per 1000 lbs of horse per day.
Feed the minimum amount of feed in the bucket that gets the horse to eat the maximum
amount of daily fat while maintaining good weight.
If it takes a small amount of something “sweet?(molasses, carrots and apples, apple
juice, peppermint flavoring, a handful of oats or sweet feed, etc.) to get your
horse to eat the right amount of added oil early on, this is not a problem. You
can aim to decrease or eliminate this small amount of starch and sugar later.
Very low starch and sugar feeds:
- Alfalfa pellets
- Other hay pellets
- Alfalfa cubes - soak in water when adding oil
- Beet pulp, low molasses content - soak in water
- Complete feeds - meant to replace hay if needed
- Dengie or chaff products
- Chopped hay products
Low starch and sugar feeds*:
*In general, feeds higher in protein and fat will be lower in starch
and sugar. Ingredients such as soy hulls, beet pulp, bran, wheat brans, and wheat
middlings are relatively low in starch and sugar.
Below are examples of low starch and sugar feeds, there are many others. If in doubt,
contact the company and ask about starch and sugar content. Look for feeds no more
than 33% starch and sugar. If you can see grains in the product it is likely too
high in starch and sugar for an EPSM horse.
- Purina Strategy
- Nutrena Compete
- Blue Seal Hunter, Demand, Vintage Gold
- Senior feeds
Higher fat feeds: These are examples of feeds that allow addition of less
added fat. Most companies suggest using these only as an addition to other feed.
For EPSM horses, feed these alone along with good quality forage or a daily
vitamin and mineral supplement:
- Kent Feeds Omegatin (20% fat)
- Nutrena Empower (22% fat)
- Moorglo (15% fat)
- Rice bran, powdered (20% fat)
- Buckeye Ultimate Finish (25% fat)
- Nutrena Farr XTN (12% fat)
- Re-Leve (about 10% fat)
- Purina Ultium (12% fat)
Calculate amounts of fat fed from these products by multiplying lbs fed per day
by the percentage of fat. For example, 3 lbs of Ultimate Finish is 3 x 0.25 = 0.75
lb of fat.
Feeds with 20% or more fat can be supplemented with rice bran (20% fat) to provide
additional fat. All other feeds require addition of a 100% fat source.
100% fat supplements:
- Any salad type vegetable oil, such as soy, canola, corn, safflower,
cottonseed, etc. Cocosoya and wheat germ oil are also fine, just more expensive.
- Performance Pak 100 dry fat product, by Milk Specialties - 800-323-5424
ext.1156, ask for Catherine Gerardi.
- Cool Calories dry fat product, by Performance Horse Nutrition, Weiser,
ID 208-549-2323
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of EPSM expert Dr. Beth A. Valentine,
DVM, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Veterinary
Medicine, Oregon State University.
As with all medical issues, please contact your local veterinarian for more information
specific to your own horse.
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