Endocrine Disorders of the Equine Athlete

Abstract

Equine athletes are affected by 2 major endocrine/metabolic disorders, insulin dysregulation (ID) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. ID is a risk factor for laminitis in horses, which poses the greatest threat to performance because of the damage that it causes to hoof structures. This article includes an in-depth discussion of ID and other risk factors for laminitis that are grouped together as equine metabolic syndrome. As horses age, the risk of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction increases, and this endocrine disorder may exacerbate preexisting ID and further increase the risk of laminitis.

Keywords: Adiposity; Equine metabolic syndrome; Insulin dysregulation; Laminitis; Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.