
Success Profile: Sabre
Breed: Thoroughbred
Age: 20
Discipline: Eventing
Owner: Kaitlin Spak
2012 Original Story:
I’ve had my horse Sabre for ten years and we've "been-there-done-that". We competed in Eventing and Hunter/Jumper shows, did Pony Club, performed in parades and demonstrations, and have ridden on the beaches of southern California and in the snow of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I tried to retire him while I attended graduate school, but he made it very clear that he did not want to be retired. After I moved back to California, I started taking Sabre on the mountain trails. As he aged, the steep and rocky trails started to slow him down a bit so I decided to start him on a joint supplement.
I knew that I wanted Sabre to get glucosamine, MSM, HA and Devil’s Claw, but buying them all separately was going to be such a pain and so expensive. I was thrilled to find all of those ingredients in SmartFlex Senior Pellets* at an affordable price. Now Sabre is raring to go on the trails again! Our trail rides quickly increased from one-hour rides to two and three-hour rides when Sabre made it clear that he felt good and wanted to keep climbing. He used to get uncomfortable after we did arena work, but now we can practice our lateral work and our walk-canter-walk transitions without any discomfort.
2019 Update:
I tried to retire Sabre in 2016, but he wasn’t having it! We continued to trail ride around the hills and beaches of California until we moved to Colorado last year, and now we ride around mountains and lakes. He’s fit, sound, and loves to work, so we also do arena work, poles, and a little jumping. Because I’m asking a lot from him, I want to give him every possible chance to feel as good as he can. Keeping SmartFlex Senior Pellets in his SmartPaks has been an easy way to help him stay comfortable.