It's time to reactivate the Desert Equine Balance Group on Google Groups. The group is focused on Equine Nutrition in the Southwest and related discussions - especially those pertaining to the differences we often see in some area hays (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, West Texas and other arid areas) as they pertain to all horses - not just those who are insulin resistant or have Cushing's disease.
Changes in weather patterns, growing practices, increased costs of production and shipping and an expanding export market are affecting the availability and quality of forage for our horses and have, in some instances, caused problems for horse owners. Because of these changes and the scarcity of reliable information, together with the ever increasing knowledge level of horse owners, this seemed like the right time to have these discussions.
More and more horseowners are taking nutrition courses, testing their hay and evaluating the results either on their own or with the help of an independent equine nutritionist - vets and feed manufacturers are responding! Horse owners are no longer willing to accept what's printed the label as gospel without seeing the data to back up claims. Many have committed more hours to equine nutrition education that their veterinarians received in vet school - but to be fair, do we really expect our vets to be the ultimate authority on everything in this age of specialization?
Savvy consumers understand that "controlled starch" may contain well over an acceptable amount for their Insulin Resistant (IR) horse or pony and that the research about the effect of nitrates on horses is practically non-existant.
If you're already a member of the Desert Equine Balance Group, feel free to jump in with your questions and experiences. Try to keep things focused on nutrition and no advertising thank you.
If you're not a member and would like to join, go to Desert Equine Balance Group and click on the Join Group button. If you have a Google account, you can use your gmail address or your Google profile. (I apologize - I don't know exactly what it will ask if you don't have a Google account - likely they will want you to create one.)Looking forward to your equine nutrition questions, experiences and answers!
Warm regards,
Patti in Vail AZ
Links
Comparing the cost of providing Vitamin E for our horses http://www.desertequinebalance.com/supplements/vitamin-e
Desert Equine Balance Group on Google http://groups.google.com/group/desertequinebalance
Desert Equine Balance Group on Google http://groups.google.com/group/desertequinebalance
