First, you should get your veterinarian to examine the foal and diagnose the exact problem and the severity of the problem. If epiphysitis is the problem, make sure that you are feeding the foal a high-quality feed balanced for growing foals. Usually these feeds will contain at least 16% crude protein and 0.8% calcium and 0.5% phosphorus. In the past, too much protein in the feed was blamed for growth problems in foals; however, we now know that an imbalance of protein and energy (high-energy feeds that do not provide enough protein for the growing foal) is often the cause. Genetic predisposition, forced exercise of foals, and sudden changes in nutritional levels fed to foals which result in rapid growth spurts may also contribute to growth problems. So, it is important to keep foals growing at a steady rate, to allow them plenty of low-intensity free exercise, and to limit the amount of forced exercise given to them.