Nutrition is critically important for the athlete. There is a tremendous wealth of scientific information just waiting to be tapped and put to use in horses. Nothing has greater potential to influence both structural strength/ soundness and performance, and do so legally, than nutrition. The metabolism of the exercising horse is vastly different from the pasture ornament. Fueling it efficiently requires more than just calories. Other key nutrients must be present in correct amounts to allow efficient burning of fuels, to protect the cells from damage, and to allow for the building and strengthening of tissues. You can't build a Porsche out of tooth picks, and you can't fuel it like a lawn mower. It's difficult to challenge habits and traditions, but failing to do this means no forward progress. This course isn't even about whether or not your horses are performing well. It's about whether they are performing the best they possibly can, and how feeding influences this. The course will run for 10 weeks. Course materials will be posted weekly. A private Yahoo group for course enrollees will be set up prior to the course starting. This group will be used for questions and discussions. There are no grades, but a quiz will be placed at the end of each week's materials for your review. An answer key will be provided at the beginning of the following week's materials. It is strongly recommended that you take the NRC Plus course before this one. That course provides the basic physiology, biochemistry and nutritional information. Anyone who already has a strong background can jump right in here.
