Horses recovering from EPM can end up with chronic abnormal gaits or performance problems if their neurons suffered significant damage. | Photo: iStock

Q.My mare, a dressage horse, has had equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) twice. We aren’t sure if the second episode was a new bout or if it was a flare up from the previous time, it was far more severe than the initial episode. We believe it was related to a lack of essential nutrients because due to having a foal (who also ate her vitamin E supplements). We treated the mare and she appeared to bounce back well, and we’ve also kept her on oral liquid vitamin E since her last episode.

The question I have relates to performance. She moves irregularly with no other explanation or lamenesses. Can EPM have long-term effects on gait and performance?

—Shawn L