I have a lightweight mixed breed(racking, saddlebred,standardbred cross) here in the south we call him a "speed racker" Rowdy is 4 years old.weighs about 900 lbs.Symptoms began about 9 months ago.Tenative diagnosis of EPSM about 4 months ago.Started feeding Releve and Ultium at that time.With added corn oil.I am getting about 1 cup of oil per day down him.I was syringing 2 cups per day and he hated it so bad I couldn't even catch him and he wouldn't come in for feed.So I am back to getting as much in his feed as he will tolerate.I am also giving him vit E.

His symptoms of stiffness are much better ,but now when I ride him he gets an area on the left side of his back (under the saddle)that is swollen and very tender.It remains swollen and tender for 3 -5 days.He has gained weight and looks 100% better on this diet,he had lost lots of muscle mass which is beginning to get better.He has stopped all the pawing at feeding time.He acted like his jaws hurt.Equine dentist had been out to take care of his teeth,With no improvement in the pawing and acting uncomfortable during eating.So I assume his neck and Jaws hurt with chewing?

I do plan to go ahead with the muscle biopsy, just for completeness of diagnosis, Back x-rays were normal.

I have looked through the archives and see that it is common for soreness in the back to be one of the last resolved.But this swelling has me worried.I have tried different saddles and pads.It's always this one area that swells it is about a 6 inch in diameter area.

He is on 24/7 turn out and gets exercise running with the other 2 horses.I usually ride him on week-ends.I have shortened the rides to 1.5 hours to try and keep the soreness to a mimium.We were training for endurance when he started having the tieing up symptoms.riding about 25 miles on week-ends and 2-3 5 mile rides during the week.

I am so happy to find this forum.Dr. Valentine I have your book on draft horses.My vet here in Alabama told me about your research and book.So many vets here have never heard of EPSM.I took Rowdy to Al.equine center and was very fortunate someone immediately recognized the symptoms.I started the diet and at that time gave 3 weeks of Robaxin to help him get over the really rough time.His blood work and muscle enzymes were normal.I was told to bring him back for muscle biopsy to be sent to you if he didn't improve on this diet.I do see improvement in his symptoms.He is much calmer,smoother in his gait.But still not what I consider ridable.He gets sore if he is trailered.so our riding is local and short .Which is very disappointing for me.I hope to see more improvement as the months go by.I also will try to get more oil in him.I'll try putting some on his hay.

Sorry this is so long.I am desperate for improvement.I hate to think of hurting him.But I also want a horse I can do something with ,besides look at and try to find a feed he will eat.

Kathy, You might want to try one of the dried fat products on the market. I had trouble with my Belgian refusing the oil, so I use PP-100 by Milk Specialties Co. It's more money than oil, but I can get him to eat it all no trouble. Just remember that it will take two cups dry to equal 1 cup liquid. With his back problem you might try a massage therapist or chiropractor. We've used both and they can do wonders. Something else to check, saddle fit. I've seen bad saddle fit cause club feet and other ailments. Hope this helps some. Good luck.

I like Butch's advice - thanks Butch! At 4 months your horse is just beginning to be fat adapted, and so if you have seen improvement already this is a good indication that you are on the right track. The muscle swelling is a bit unusual but not unheard of. Being as careful as you can with saddle fit, saddle padding, and your weight distribution as you ride should help to reduce this, as should continued diet and exercise. As to getting enough fat into him (2 cups oil = 1 lb fat) Butch's comments on the dry fat are spot on. You can also try putting some oil on a tasty flake of hay, such as an alfalfa hay that he'd be willing to eat even with oil. Good luck, and definitely let us know how things go.

It seems like you are doing all the right things. I bet you are really discouraged. The Chiropractor/ massage therapist is a great idea. I use one on my Belgian as needed. And always fixes the problems due to the fact she has a bad hip from a gate accident when young. I also would rethink the saddle, even get a prof. saddle fitter to help if possible. I sure hope things work out for you.

Thanks so much for the tips. Butch I bought and fed Rowdy 1 cup of the dry fat product yesterday. Today I put 1.5 cups with his 1 cup of corn oil (the maximum amount he will tolerate) He wasn't happy but he did eat it.I started just feeding him once daily and he gets hungry enough to clean most of his feed and additives. Dr. Beth I put some oil on his hay tonight and left him in the corral with his portion.He went through it picking out what he wanted,which is fine he may get a little more oil in accidently.I am trying to find a chiropractor and massage therapist in this area that work on horses.I am going to borrow a treeless saddle and see if that helps with the swelling and back soreness.I am also trying to loacate some decent alfalfa hay.Thanks so much for the advice. If it weren't for the encouragement I think I'd be ready to just give up on him. I feel like I am the only person in this area that has a horse with this problem. (though I know I'm not, I know of a 4 year old Arabian diagnosed at the same time Rowdy was) But Kitten wasn't being ridden. Rowdy is the gaited horse I had looked for to be my endurance partner.Before this diagnosis he was all I had hoped for and then some.

Kathy, this all sounds like a great plan to me. With a bit of luck you may still have that partner!

Kathy don't give up... we are all pulling for you.

Like everybody else says, don't give up hope! It can be extremely frustrating, especially in the early days. I actually thought my horse was done for as any kind of fun riding horse, her endurance was just so poor. I only wanted to trail ride and hunter pace, nothing much, but even that seemed beyond hope. I felt so bad for her suffering, and sad for me, too, because I felt cheated out of the good times a horse is supposed to bring. I thought she'd always be fragile, that I'd never feel comfortable doing anything the least bit stressful with her for fear of hurting her. And it made me feel mad at her sometimes, too, not that she could help it but I feared she'd never be fun again, and I was "stuck" with her since nobody in their right mind would buy a horse like that, and anyway I wouldn't trust just anybody to care for her properly, so I HAD to keep her.

And am I glad I DID keep her! Her case is severe, and had gone undiagnosed and had tied up badly several times over several years, so her recovery went a little slower than some, but now she's awesome. I would not hesitate to take her anywhere, and I would also not hesitate to put her into hard training (if I were that ambitious.) Yes, she still has bad times every now and again, but they are not THAT bad and they don't last long either. Yes, the diet CAN be a pain and there's no avoiding it. But if your guy has everything else you want in a partner, it'll be worth it!