There are an amazing array of equine feed supplements on the market that all offer to support the health and well-being of your horse. Trouble is, which one do you pick?
Young horse grazing in a spring pasture.
It is important that you garner a keen understanding of the chemistry and evidence-based research that the product offers and avoid claims that can be potentially misleading.
© 2017 by Smerikal
Products that are safe for the horse to ingest with high quality ingredients of known provenance, properly formulated and packaged, are obviously an essential starting point. But how do you know if they actually work.
As a horse owner you may not be aware of the changing fundamentals of the marketing world that are being led by the leading shopping resource companies, like Google.
Industry changes afoot mean saying goodbye to the third-party cookie tracking of the past (much of which is already blocked by major browsers) and saying Hello to a new dawn of collaboration in marketing.
Why should you care about this? Because as a buyer this new sharing between companies and data collection of your interest in certain products will directly affect what products you see and when, and likely affect the reviews and the process by which these reviews are either boosted (or struck off the record if unfavorable).
Is Your Horse Feed Supplement Worthy?
Integrity in marketing and advertising has always been a transient and sometimes elusive factor in brand development. When you are earnestly searching for a value-for-money equine feed supplement obviously the most important thing to you is that it works. But what reviews should you trust as meaningful?
The online review process is etched in bias. For example, I submitted a mixed review of a trip to Scotland on Booking.com – the content was a considered and fair assessment of the experiences of the trip.
But of course, when the review was published, only the good notes I had submitted appeared. Similarly people tend to only take the time to submit reviews if their buying experience was either super positive or very negative.
Another area of conflict in review processing and testimonials comes from paid sponsorship endorsements of products and the litany of paid influencers on social media. How do you know what to believe?
Yes. Experience Counts.
A testimonial that is proffered from an experienced horse person well-versed in the equine feed supplement marketplace and in the health and well-being of horses is a good resource for researching the true value of a product line.
But the testimonial needs to be more than smoke and mirrors. It should not be one that has been paid for either in monetary or barter terms.
The testimonial should be verifiable and it should include details of the horse trainer including their full name, location and detail the nature of the experience of the product such as how, when, and for how long it was used; how it was administered; and include before and after statistics based on results that are hopefully evidenced and not just hearsay.
Who Says What?
Reviewing literature that is published and/or produced by a particular company should always be viewed with a weather eye. It is important that you garner a keen understanding of the chemistry and evidence-based research that the product offers and avoid claims that can be potentially misleading. Sorting through all that wheat and chaff can be expedited by simply looking for brands that offer The National Animal Supplement Council {NASC} seal.
Did you know that not only does the NASC seal represent a comprehensive oversight via audit of all products the company produces in terms of their accurate labelling of both amounts and the quality of constituents (such as whether common components like flax are stabilized etc. making them less vulnerable to deterioration), but this audit also involves a thorough review of the content that a particular brand is publishing, right down to its blog pages.
That’s a pretty forensic approach. It is one that exemplifies the sincere wishes of the NASC Council Members and Directorship (including original founding fathers like owner Nick Hartog of Grand Meadows, based in Orange, CA), that instituted some sort of policing initiative of the equine feed supplements business in the first place.
Trust But Verify
The continually evolving marketing methods that pervade any online shopping experience mean that now more than ever, whatever we are buying we must do our due diligence. It is wonderful to know there is an organization that is intent on helping us make safe choices for our horses, and that helps us protect our bank balance by checking that what’s on the label actually is in the product!
Here's some more information on NASC to help you along.
About Grand Meadows:
Founded in 1989 by visionary Angela Slater, Grand Meadows is a leading horse health product and equine supplement manufacturer driven by the guiding principle of providing affordable, extremely high-quality science-backed horse products to help ensure horses look and feel their best.
For the past 35 years the company’s mission has been honored and developed further, by President Nick Hartog, who among other accomplishments is one of the founding members and current board member of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), an organization that has a profound impact on the safety, transparency, and legitimacy of the animal supplement industry.
Grand Meadow products are widely used and trusted across the entire horse community from Olympic medal winning competitors and successful horse racing trainers to backyard horse owners. Their equine supplements are highly regarded for their excellent quality resourced ingredients and completely accurate labelling and effective formulations. Learn more at https://www.grandmeadows.com/
About Nikki Alvin-Smith:
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