Editor’s Note: Since this article was published, the ColiCare program has been upgraded to provide up to $10,000 in colic surgery reimbursement. Click here to learn more.
Staff Member: Jen M.
Department: Merchandising
Horse: May, 9-year-old Danish Warmblood
Discipline: Dressage
I started riding when I was 12 years old and have been hooked since the first day I stepped foot in the barn. I started out doing jumpers but quickly fell in love with the sport of dressage and have haven’t looked back since. I currently own a 9-year-old Danish Warmblood mare named May. May and I have been together for almost 5 years now. We are schooling Second Level and have our goals set on our first dressage show together this summer.
May’s SmartPak
SmartFlex® II Support Pellets
May is in moderate work and just starting some collection and lateral work, so SmartFlex II provides just the right amount of support for her joints. As her workload increases, I plan on bumping her up to SmartFlex III Resilience Pellets.
Vision
May gets easily distracted and can become nervous during our training sessions. Since we aren’t actively showing right now, I chose Vision because of its comprehensive selection of Magnesium and B vitamins. The Valerian Root also helps to take the excess edge off during the cold winter months. I think that a combination of this supplement and lots of turnout have helped to keep my horse happy and focused this winter.
SmartDigest® Ultra
I feed SmartDigest Ultra to help maintain May’s digestive health through the stresses of training. It also gives me peace of mind knowing my horse is enrolled in ColiCare, our $7500 colic surgery reimbursement program, should May ever require colic surgery.
SmartGut® Pellets
May tends to get nervous easily, which places additional stress on her stomach I feed SmartGut Pellets because it has a comprehensive selection of ingredients that help to neutralize excess gastric acid and support stomach health.
Natural Vitamin E Pellets by SmartPak, DMG by SmartPak, Cool Calories
Two years ago, May was diagnosed with Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM). PSSM is a disorder when the muscles of a horse are unable to properly store glucose (sugar) so it is unavailable when required for energy. This makes May susceptible to “tying up,” so I’ve added a few supplements to her SmartPak to help her muscles function normally.
Because of the oxidative stress associated with this disorder, I feed May Natural Vitamin E Pellets as a source of antioxidants. I love that it comes in a pellet—she eats it right up!
DMG by SmartPak
I’ve also found that the supplement DMG by SmartPak has helped to keep May’s muscles healthy, loose and supple.
Cool Calories 100
Lastly, she gets Cool Calories 100 fed from her SmartPak every day. May’s muscle disorder requires her to be on a high fat/low starch diet, and Cool Calories are an easy way to add fat to her diet without having to deal with the mess of oils.
Why I use SmartPaks™
I use SmartPaks because it give me peace of mind that May is getting the supplements she needs every day. Before feeding SmartPaks, I had multiple buckets on different schedules, and it was difficult for me to keep track of when I needed to reorder. SmartPaks have made my life so much easier—just 1 shipment delivered automatically every month!
Leave a Reply