Success Profile: Il Sogno (“Syd”)
Breed: Thoroughbred/Shire
Age: 16
Discipline: Eventing
Owner: Michelle Wadley
I have ridden horses since I was five years old and my mom swears my first word was "horse." She has no idea where it came from because no one in my family rides. While I have dabbled in almost every discipline, I am truly an eventer at heart. Someone, someday (hopefully me!) will write the great love story between my phenomenal Thoroughbred/Shire and me. I was truly chosen by him. I named him Il Signo, which is Italian for “the dream,” because I am a total opera geek and the song “Sogno” by Andreas Bocelli is one of my favorites. And because Syd quite literally is my dream.
Syd is kind, full of personality, loves the paparazzi (he’s never met a photographer or fan he didn't like), and takes care of me every single day. And he's 17 hands of gorgeous! He carts my six-year-old son around like the best, most bombproof pony around, but when I need him to be my fire-breathing dragon on cross country, he is totally that, too! (And did I mention that he's gorgeous?)
He has gotten me out of every single sticky combination you could throw at him. "I got this, Mom!" is forever his motto. He never refuses, never runs out, and does whatever he can to save my butt. He is my best friend, and one of the great loves of my life. Even bareback with nothing but a halter, he is forever my horse of a lifetime. I would not, could not be the rider I am without Syd.
In the early 2000s, before I had Syd, I had a bad riding accident that required major surgery on what my husband now calls my bionic right arm. I thought I would never jump, much less event, again. Syd changed all that. In 2010, unable to even walk horseback across an open field, I declared that I would qualify for the American Eventing Championships (a.k.a. the AECs). In 2011 Syd and I did just that, finishing 17th in the Beginner Novice Senior Division at the AECs, our crowning achievement thus far.
I believe in supplementing horses as much as I believe in taking supplements for myself, so I’ve always given Syd supplements. I started him on a joint supplement as soon as I got him, way back when he was four. Because he has draft in him, I felt really strongly about starting him on a joint supplement when he was young to help support healthy joints and keep him active and supple for as long as possible. He’s now 
sixteen and gets SmartFlex Ultra Pellets, which provide a comprehensive selection of ingredients for his joints, tendons, and ligaments. I truly believe that the support he’s gotten for his joints over the years has helped ensure that he can perform at the level he does!
Syd also has SmartGut Ultra Pellets in his SmartPaks. About six years ago, when I really started to amp up my competition schedule, he developed gastric issues. After speaking to a couple of different veterinarians I trusted, I chose this formula to support a healthy stomach. He hasn’t had any trouble since!
