Hi, K - I am sorry to hear this.  You are correct - the information IS overwhelming at first. A lot of us approach it like eating an elephant - one  bite at a time.

If you only take one thing away from your time here, it should be that the approach to management is Diagnosis, Diet, Exercise and Trim.  The information will always be here in the files any time you would like to take a look; and there is also very good information on the website:  ecirhorse.org , which you can look at any time, without needing to be a member of the list.

I am truly sorry that you feel that there were "flat out arguments"  I saw the posts rather as trying to give information.  The internet can be quite difficult in the sense that one cannot hear intonation or tone of voice, and hence what looks like "argument" can be merely an attempt to educate.

I am even more sorry that your vet advised you leave!  The ecirhorse website has a ton of information suitable for veterinary reading, without having to join the main group.

On this list, it is truly our main effort to help owners manage their horses as best they can.  It is about the horse.  Not everyone can do everything that is advised here, of course, because everyone is in a different situation. People just do the  best they can.

Good luck to you and Teshan, and big hugs to Teshan.