My 20+ Belgian/QH cross has been on the EPSM diet for around 5 years and has been doing very well until recently. The barn manager reports that he tries to bite his butt in the morning, at first she thought he was colicking but it turns out he wasn't. He's done this 7-8 times in the last three weeks and she's only observed the behavior early in the morning when he wakes up. I didn't think too much about it until this week when I've seen him stomp his hind leg while standing in cross ties. I'm in Ohio where we've had a lot of snow recently so he's not getting as much exercise as he did in the summer, although he gets ridden or lunged every day and gets at least 30 minutes of turnout in the indoor arena every day. Is it possible he's having an EPSM relapse? If so, should I increase his oil? He weighs 1200 pounds and currently gets 2 1/2 cups of corn oil each day along with a low-carb senior feed and grass hay.

If he's not in danger of being terribly overweight yes you could try increasing his oil by 1/4 cup or so per day. The reduced exercise could definitely be a factor. My EPSM Belgian x does great until he gets a hoof abscess and won't move - then all muscles seem to get stiff and he walks like an old man. Once we get him moving again he walks much better. Doesn't sound like your guy is nearly this bad but anything you can to do increase his daily exercise and increase fat slightly may help. And, of course, we'll hope for an early spring!