Fast, good, cheap. Pick two. That's an old manufacturing adage that I think is very appropriate to taking care of our horses. In other words, you can have something that is fast and good, but it won't be cheap. Or have something that is fast and cheap, but it won't be good. And so on. In this age of immediate gratification we are in a hurry, and we want the best deal possible. But, should we be gambling with our horses' health by spinning the wheel and guessing which of the three we won't get for our horses? Is it worth the price if a product doesn't work, or worse, is bad for your horse?

Animal pharmaceuticals are regulated by FDA just like those used for humans. However, there aren't "generics" in equine medicine as we know them. If you have a headache, you can go to the store and buy a generic pain reliever that has the same active ingredient–and the same approval–as a name brand. Someone making "aspirin tablets" in their garage and selling them would be fined, thrown in jail, and never heard from again.

So why is it some horse owners (and even some veterinarians) jump on the "cheap" product that has no FDA approval and no guarantee that the ingredients are of good quality, or are even in the product?

Then there are animal nutraceuticals and supplements. There is little regulation covering these products, and even that little bit is hard to enforce