If you’ve had her on it 3 years, maybe it’s completely unrelated. I always try to take the advice that if they have bad feet, see if changing the diet helps. I noticed recently that my mare gets a little more uncomfortable when she has access to any alfalfa.
Yes, a good alternative could be Omnety, CT, or Vermont Blend! I think they all come in a pelleted form too, so you wouldn’t have to have a carrier with it unless your horse is picky.
Our veterinarians are no longer fans of Enrich because of the high protein. We’ve switched to Buckeye Low and Steady. I tried the link this article and couldn’t. It might be worth some research for your horse.
Text him and say you are feeling anxious about the findings and would like to speak with him when it is convenient for him.
I think if he is a better talker than texter you should have a spoken conversation and hopefully he can set your mind at ease.
Curious about this. What are they suggesting instead? Low carb and high fat? What about for horses in heavy workload or getting fitter who need the muscle building support?
How interesting! I will look into this for sure, thank you for posting a source.
Would something along the lines of the RB you’re feeding be suitable for a yearling? Both of my horses are young and growing (5yo and 1yo) which is another reason why I like Enrich
Ration balancers can be appropriate for a yearling, assuming your forage is high quality and the yearling is a relatively easy keeper. Yearlings have nutrient requirements roughly equal to an adult horse (of their predicted adult weight) in moderate work, so you will need to feed them more than you would an adult in no or light work, usually ~2 pounds.
As for the study posted regarding high protein meals elevating insulin response in metabolic horses, keep in mind that those horses were getting about 2 pounds of the high protein supplement twice a day, which is double the feeding rate of any quality balancer on the market. Also, the Buckeye Low n Steady balancer mention is still 24% protein, which isn’t substantially lower than Enrich at 32%. For a diagnosed EMS horse that needs every possible variable controlled, you might consider something like Triple Crown Balancer Gold, which is only 13.5% crude protein. Due to the lower protein content, the Gold balancer wouldn’t be appropriate for horses under two unless they are eating a very high quality forage like excellent pasture or alfalfa hay, in my professional opinion.
Yet another vet who misses the bigger picture 
what if the forage is low protein and not meeting the horse’s very basic needs, let alone optimal needs?
1-2lb of 32% protein isn’t the problem, it’s 0.5-1.0 % of a 20lb-of-feed diet
As far as the study:
“Horses were fed 2 g/kg body mass (BM) of a high protein pellet (31% crude protein) at time 0 and 30 min, for a total of 4 g/kg BM, following an overnight fast.”
This means 2.2gm of the pellet, then another 2.2gm 30 minutes later, on a fasted stomach, with no fiber to slow things down through the digestive system. It’s an unfair study that’s not related to reality
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1090023319300760
Is there some possibility that a high protein DIET - the whole diet, not just a meal - can be a problem for some IR/EMS horses? Yes. I don’t remember the details, but it has to do with how excess protein is metabolized with some of it - if there’s really an excessive amount, ending up converted to glucose
1lb of a 32% protein ration balancer isn’t going to do that, unless maybe there’s a whole lot of alfalfa in the diet, and at that point, the whole lot of alfalfa is the bigger issue
Edit for more numbers:
Let’s say the 1000-1100lb horse needs 700gm protein total for his weight and work.
Let’s say his hay is around 8% - good for some grasses, a bit low for some others, a reasonable average. 20lb of that is 726gm protein, so just meeting his basic needs. If it was 10% it would be 908gm
1lb of a 32% balancer is 145gm protein
That means the balancer protein is 13-16% of the total protein in the diet. And realistically, 908gm isn’t truly excessive for a requirement of at least 700gm.
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