Published on December 11, 2024

Who do you believe? Is it the person with credentials or the person with experience? Maybe neither, because whenever anyone says something, there is an agenda. The need to talk is to communicate with someone to gain a response. Here are examples:

• “What is your name?” is a question wanting an answer.
• “The sunset is beautiful!” encourages others to look up and share what I see.
• “Feed your horse with my grains and supplements, and they will win the championship.” solves the desire of sport horse owners.

Attending meetings is a grand example of communication on several levels. The presenting organization uses its associates to orchestrate an assembly of speakers and audience. The goal for most is to make money, primarily if sponsors are used to finance everything.

Last week, I attended six lectures presented by an animal feed ingredient maker and sponsored by several horse feed manufacturers. I report on my experience, which was mostly a waste of my time. Luckily, it was free and online. However, it is essential to report on this because I need to know how they manipulate horse owners. Bamboozling, deceiving, and misleading are all words I would use to describe what marketing does, and unfortunately, our horses suffer.

Not all marketing bamboozles. All businesses need to make money to remain in existence. However, integrity must be addressed when a need to return a profit at the expense of those supporting a business is compromised. Most lectures should have addressed the overarching problem in equine nutrition; what they say about feeding horses is not helping them.

The same was true at the AAEP meeting in Orlando this year. Again, medicine wants to explore ways to fix things rather than prevent them. Several of the presenters of scientific papers said from the stage that their studies were underpowered or didn’t last long enough to show causation. In other words, what we say here may or may not help horses, but we won’t study anything that will prevent illness and lameness. How can veterinarians offer help when preventive strategies are never mentioned? Just take a look at the sponsors down on the trade show floor. After all, they are the driving force behind what is said from the podium.

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