I recently bought a Percheron/TB cross gelding and noticed 2 month later that he was having issues picking up his hind legs.He walked like a child that had an accident in his pants and would not want to back up.It was an on and off going thing.Every time I would go see the Vet he was walking normal again.To make a long story short...I did my research online and discovered something horrible,my horse has the same symptoms as a EPSM horse.I found a very helpful site from Dr. Beth Valentine on how to change your horses diet.I slowly changed his diet to 4 flakes of orchard,6 lbs Alfalfa pellets,3 cups canola oil,3000 IU vitamin E,1.5 mg Selenium (PER DAY).He weighs about 1500 lbs...My concern is the Selenium.I was told too much or not enough can mess him up even more.I am lost and don't know what to do one person says don't give him more then 1mg a day another one says 1mg is not enough.How much Selenium a day do you think I can give a 1500 lbs EPSM horse?Any help is very much appreciated!

Thank you,
Michaela

Where are you from? Washington State

How did you locate this forum? google

Hello Michaela,

Thank you for your patience. You're on the right track with your horse's condition and this disorder is highly manageble with diet.

You're also fine with the amount of selenium you're feeding. Between 1 and 3 mg per day of selenium is appropriate for most full-sized horses. For larger breeds, you can safely go up to 5 mg per day.

It's best to know how much selenium he's getting from all sources so have your hay tested. Equi Analytical Labs is a reliable lab -- www.equi-analytical.com

All the best,

Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse

Michaela

I recently bought a Percheron/TB cross gelding and noticed 2 month later that he was having issues picking up his hind legs.He walked like a child that had an accident in his pants and would not want to back up.It was an on and off going thing.Every time I would go see the Vet he was walking normal again.To make a long story short...I did my research online and discovered something horrible,my horse has the same symptoms as a EPSM horse.I found a very helpful site from Dr. Beth Valentine on how to change your horses diet.I slowly changed his diet to 4 flakes of orchard,6 lbs Alfalfa pellets,3 cups canola oil,3000 IU vitamin E,1.5 mg Selenium (PER DAY).He weighs about 1500 lbs...My concern is the Selenium.I was told too much or not enough can mess him up even more.I am lost and don't know what to do one person says don't give him more then 1mg a day another one says 1mg is not enough.How much Selenium a day do you think I can give a 1500 lbs EPSM horse?Any help is very much appreciated!

Thank you,
Michaela

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO