EMS and exercise?

[Shilasdair]

Hi
I considered taking my laminitis-recovering, portly and diet resistant EMS horse for walkies to help with insulin control.
But - my vet says only fast work as in cantering/galloping will help.
Horse is not rideable, and I can't run that fast with her in-hand.
Is the vet right - it seems odd to me as even walking exercise is good for human diabetics?
Your verdict, please?
To walk or not to walk?

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Walk.

Better than nothin'

 

[Red-1]

Walk, did months of it with mine, and his EMS is now not showing in his bloods. It was also god for conditioning his feet.

 

[ycbm]

Walk. Vet's wrong.
.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Walk.

Better than nothin'

Has to be? Surely!

 

[TwyfordM]

Hope so or I’ll be in the same position ?

I’ll have to put on roller skates ...

 

[brighteyes]

I use my horse-walker for the walking needed to keep the oldies mobilised if they can't ridden and haven't been out in their paddocks. it seems to do OK keeping them trim!

 

[alibali]

Power walk up hills, good for both your butts ?

Seriously though it'll certainly do no harm and I believe even light to moderate exercise can trigger physiological changes in the body.

 

[Shilasdair]

I'm sure we can throw in a few different paces like 'strop' and 'rear' to our walk repertoire.

 

[Shilasdair]

I use my horse-walker for the walking needed to keep the oldies mobilised if they can't ridden and haven't been out in their paddocks. it seems to do OK keeping them trim!

'My horse-walker' - boastful!

 

[spotty_pony]

Can you ride and lead her off another horse?

 

[MuddyMonster]

I suppose there's walking and walking.

I'm not sure how much good a slouchy, 5 minute walk once in a blue moon would do but I think if you could walk a few times a week - bonus points for up/down hills and different terrain - in an active walk for a decent length of time, it would make a big difference.

If you couldn't do hills, could you use the back end of a pessoa or a tail bandage to increase hind end engagement when they are fit enough? That might help work them a bit harder without leaving walk.

Would she be sound enough for small trots long term too? As intervals of walk-trot could really help too.

I'd 100% walking if she was mine, providing she was sound and comfortable to do so

 

[Shilasdair]

Can you ride and lead her off another horse?

No, I value my life.

She's not really able to do fast work due to a slightly arthritic hock.

 

[brighteyes]

'My horse-walker' - boastful!

Would it make it worse if I said it doubles as a rotary washing line? Horses exercised as my smalls fly round in the breeze...

 

[Shilasdair]

Would it make it worse if I said it doubles as a rotary washing line? Horses exercised as my smalls fly round in the breeze...

I imagine your smalls are like bloomers - and the effect is like a galleon in full sail.

 

[brighteyes]

I imagine your smalls are like bloomers - and the effect is like a galleon in full sail.

When combined with my duvet cover, it is quite spectacular.

 

[HollyWoozle]

My understanding is that walking does help those with EMS. I bought some hoof boots to take our EMS mini out walking - in our case we have to wait a bit longer (vet advice) as he’s somewhat in foot rehab, but I’ll be out walking him ASAP.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Any form of exercise is good. My EMS pony suffers from a swollen sheath when his insulin is high and last year I was doing as much cantering as possible to kick start the lymphatic system which in turn reduced the swelling. This year I’ve hardly been able to ride any faster than walk due to human injury and it has had just the same effect on his sheath as if I was doing faster work so I would say get her out walking if that’s all you can do.

 

[Kaylum]

Perhaps do some long reining it might be a bit more energetic?

 

[SEL]

The faster work is definitely better for boosting the metabolism but as my vet told me - anything is better than nothing. I do insist on a decent walk though. I'm usually puffing!

 

[Red-1]

The faster work is definitely better for boosting the metabolism but as my vet told me - anything is better than nothing. I do insist on a decent walk though. I'm usually puffing!

I didn't add to my post, we were walking for 40 minutes at a time, once his recovering feet could manage it, and it make my legs ache!

We marched.

Rigsby was horrified!

It took some persuasion with the activation wand initially, he really thought walking out would be a slight stroll with stops to yank towards grass. He knows now, walking out is marching, and if he can't keep up with mother, he has to trot to catch up when he reaches the end of the slack, as mother is not for slowing!

 

[scats]

I have the same issue. Polly can mostly only walk and do a bit of trot. Fortunately she walks at about a million miles an hour and does spend a lot of it jogging, but I feel that it’s more of a struggle when you can’t do enough to raise the heart rate.

 

[holeymoley]

Ideally you want them to have an increased heart rate for around 10 minutes per exercise so trotting or cantering is preferred for that but no reason why walking won’t help. Any exercise is better than nothing.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Walk. Vet's wrong.
.

Yep, will get good work out at a decent walk pace. There is a reason rehabbed horses are extremely fit, 6 weeks of walk is the foundation layer.

Trotting and cantering is easy. A good solid walk is hard work.

 

[Casey76]

The only thing which made any difference to Tartine was adding 30 mins fast work every day to her regime.

She was already on a grass-free track 24/7 with hay in slow feed nets, plus doing 5-6 hours hacking a week, and she just wouldn’t lose weight. Adding the extra fast work made a big difference.

 

[Shilasdair]

The only thing which made any difference to Tartine was adding 30 mins fast work every day to her regime.

She was already on a grass-free track 24/7 with hay in slow feed nets, plus doing 5-6 hours hacking a week, and she just wouldn’t lose weight. Adding the extra fast work made a big difference.

Well, she can't do fast work so it's walk or nothing as I think I said above.
I'm being a little unfair to her in that the diet is working, and she is slooooowlly losing weight but the steroids she is on aren't helping her much.

 

[Goldenstar]

To you have access to a horse you could lead her from ? If you do then try leading her up the steepest hill you can from another horse .

 

[Shilasdair]

To you have access to a horse you could lead her from ? If you do then try leading her up the steepest hill you can from another horse .

That sounds like a recipe for certain death for all of us.
ETA - And I'm in Gloucestershire, it's totally flat.