Has anybody ever used an independent equine nutritionist?

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Charlie31

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Just wondering really if anybody has ever used an independent equine nutritionist and whether you found it worthwhile? The selection of products out there nowadays is mind blowing and I'm dubious to say the least of the claims made about some of the products. I thought maybe an independent person might be able to offer an unbiased viewpoint backed up by some proper training rather than just the information that's available on the internet.

Have been looking at a couple of different people but any thoughts / suggestions / ideas welcome.
 
Charlie, it's not that difficult - honest! Eliminate ALL sugar as a starting point. That rules out 90% of feed, as most manufacturers STILL add flippin molasses. Some horses can react adversely to alfalfa, so avoid that too. That leaves you with very little choice but the very best feed for a horse that is commercially available. Look at Thunderbrooks, Agrobs, a bit of Allen & Page. Start with a chaff, add a sprinkle of micronised linseed and a few hay nuts and go from there!
 
I haven't used an independent nutritionist, but rather took a couple of nutrition classes online. I wanted to be able to make informed choices not just once, for a particular horse and situation, but also in the future if circumstances change. I had the time and inclination to do a bit of studying, but I do think getting an independent nutritionist is probably equally good - better in the sense that that person will have had a more thorough education and more experience, but less "long lasting" - you'll only get their advice once without having to pay for future consultations.
I do agree entirely - the feed industry is a mine field, and there are too many products out there with outlandish claims on them.
I've never had a consultation with her, but I've read Clare McLeod's book "The truth about feeding your horse", as well as some of the articles on her webpage and comments on facebook, and based on this would probably give her a shout if I needed help.
 
Not a nutritionist as such but very well informed is Sarah Braithwaite at Forageplus, and happy to answer questions. Starting point is forage/grass/soil analysis, then an understanding of straights like cereals, grass pellets and nutritional requirements, and making up any deficiencies revealed by the analyses. The articles on the website are very useful and you can educate yourself with an on line course. I did one with Coursera and another with Cafre but I just checked and neither have equine nutrition on their syllabus at the moment.
My main advice would be check ingredients and composition on those hyped up "ready meals" so beloved of the marketing people, and use straights whenever possible
 
If its supplements you're looking into and you have facebook David Marlin is an active member of a page debunking some of the claims companies make: Horse Feeds & Supplements Campaign.
 
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