August 15, 2025 • 30 mins
Consistency might be the most underrated tool in every horse owner's kit. From turnout and training to feeding and farrier care. You’ll hear how consistency supports both physical health and peace of mind for your horse and for you. Plus stay tuned to the end for a special guest. Listen in...
The Horse HealthCast by SmartEquine - Episode 1:
- Hosts: Ashlee LeCompte Lazic (Head of Research and Development) and Jenna Boscardin (Digital Marketing)
- Sponsored by: SmartEquine
- Meet the Pak: Tanner Price
Time Stamps:
00:10 - Introduction to the Horse Healthcast
01:16 - Introduction to Smart Equine Podcast
08:10 - Managing Change in Horse Care
17:30 - Seasonal Changes and Horse Care
19:05 - Meet the Pack: Introducing Tanner
28:13 - Understanding Individual Horses: A Personal Perspective
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Foreign.
You are listening to the HorseRadio Network, part of the Equine
Network family.
This is episode one of theHorse healthcast by Smarty Kwine.
I'm Ashley lacompt Lazic, thehead of R D for Smart Equine.
And I'm Jenna Boss, gardenmanager of digital marketing for
(00:20):
Smart Equine.
And you're listening to theHorse healthcast by Smart Equine.
Coming up on today's show,we'll talk about consistency and
why it matters and how itaffects everything from nutrition
to training.
And in our Meet the Packsegment, we'll chat with our customer
care supervisor, Tanner Pry.
Smart Solutions, TrustedVoices, your source for equine health
(00:40):
and wellness.
This is Horse healthcast bySmart Equine.
(01:16):
So this is it.
This is our very first episode.
We made it.
This is so exciting.
So exciting to be here.
And for anybody listening inwith us for the first time, thanks
for joining us.
We're super stoked to have you too.
Yeah, I. I know some of youare probably looking at the podcast
name and logo and thinking toyourself, this looks familiar.
And you're right, you alreadyknow us as SmartPak, but now we are
(01:40):
Smart Equine.
So it's the same company, I promise.
Because Ash and I have beenhere for a minute, so it's the same
company, you know and trust.
We're now just rededicated tothe horse and to horse health, which
gives us some really coolopportunities to do new things in
like, the health and wellness spaces.
And this podcast is one of them.
So welcome to Smart Equine.
But don't worry, smartpaks aregoing nowhere.
(02:01):
They are too near and dear toour hearts.
And for Ashley and your 60stall boarding barn, probably very
near and dear to your feetroom too.
Yeah.
I always like to say thathorses don't have credit cards to
swipe, so we always have tokeep the rider and the owner in mind
too.
So don't fear, we have notforgotten about you guys.
Just re solidifying our focus and.
And advocation for the animal,that's all.
Yeah, honestly.
(02:21):
Thank God horses don't havecredit cards because I.
No kidding.
Oh God.
The amount of things thatTikTok would get my animals to buy.
But speaking of the feed roomand smartpaks and things, one of
the core tenants that we assmartpakers and now Smart Equine
employees have always toted islike the consistency of supplements
and feeding.
But that's not like the onlything that really is important with
(02:44):
consistency.
Right.
So that's what we're here totalk about today is consistency,
why it matters, and thefoundation that it really provides
guides for our horses.
Yeah, I, I couldn't agree more.
And when I think about when wesay consistency is key in horse care
and why a routine is soimportant to horses, I think, like,
the main thing that I drivehome is, like, we don't, they don't
(03:04):
speak English.
Right.
Like horses.
If I could tell my horse,like, hey, today we're getting on
a trailer and going to a horseshow, so don't freak out and colic
on me, that would be so easyand so nice.
But we know that that's not reality.
Right.
So creating an environmentwhere your horse can rely on a routine
to know what's going to happenevery day sets them up for success,
sets up us up for success,reduces stress in their life.
(03:26):
And I think not only intraining, but in health, the more
consistent we can be with ahorse, the better the outcomes are
going to turn out.
Yeah, absolutely.
I know.
So my, my heart horse's namewas Hershey.
He was a creature of routine,as the rest of us were.
But something I didn't learnuntil much later in my relationship
with him was that it's notjust about the routine, it's about
the right routine.
(03:47):
Right.
So, like, he had a greatroutine of, you know, certain amount
of turnout, certain sizepasture, certain, you know, level
of life and moved Barnes.
And all of a sudden he was ina massive field.
And all of a sudden the horsethat I thought was really hot and
really, you know, took a lotof work, dead quiet.
Great point.
Such a cool dude all the timeafter that.
And I think that was somethingthat I've really taken to heart after
that.
And I'm sure you'veexperienced that with all the horses
(04:08):
that you've worked with inyour lifetime too.
That's a great point.
The right routine is soimportant, and it's not a one size
fits all scenario.
Right.
So ensure.
I, I, whenever I'm bringing anew person into my barn and I'm explaining,
like, what our boardingoperation looks like, I always use
the term like boutique and aget that.
And they're like, so when doyou change blankets?
And I'm like, I changeblankets when your horse gets hot.
(04:29):
Like, I don't, you know, like,we, we do things based on when your
horse needs them, and we tryto tailor it to each horse.
So I think that that is really important.
Understanding that routine canmean different things to different
horses and that having theright routine is, is just as Important
as having one to begin with.
So when we talk about likefeed consistency, right?
Like have you guys ever beenin a scenario where you're like,
oh my God, I haven't taken mymultivitamin in two weeks.
(04:51):
And like you take one, you'relike, oh, I feel so healthy.
Good for me.
I don't want to confirm ordeny that in case my doctor ever
list, but let's just.
Our doctors are definitely notlistening, I hope.
But I mean hypotheticallywe'll say, yeah.
I totally know what you'retalking about.
Yeah, it's like exercise, right?
Like you eat one salad and goto the gym once and you're like wondering
why the £10 hasn't fallen off.
So I think very similar withhorses, right?
(05:11):
We can't tell them, we can'ttalk to them.
So the language that we shareis our routine and ensuring that
their feed program issomething that they can rely on and
that their bodies can rely on.
You know, like Pavlovianresponses like their conditions,
you know, you listen, we'veall been in the barn and that horse
who knows that feed time is4:30 is staying standing there, weaving
in his stall, waiting forkicking the door.
(05:33):
Excuse me, ma', am, you arefive minutes late.
So they know, right?
Like they get really connectedto that.
So anyways, yeah, consistencyis so important.
And to be honest, theconsistency that the SmartPak feeding
system can offer was like ahuge impetus to why the creators
of SmartPak created it.
Right?
Yeah.
To be able to have an autoship product that shows up at your
(05:54):
door every 28 days, you don'thave to think about it, you don't
have to wonder if the horsegot it.
It is such an easy set it andforget it way to make that there's
no disruptions in that feeding pattern.
Yeah.
And I know we've joked overthe years like it's a husband proof
system, but one it is.
I asked my husband howhusbands aren't listening either.
If he is, mine knows that he'sdone a good job and I appreciate
(06:16):
him greatly.
Thank you so much, Zach.
But it really is like it's,it's making it work for everybody.
So whether that's the staff,the, the summer intern, the pony
kids, the barn manager, you asa horse owner, you as the rider,
the horse themselves.
Like so much of that reallydoes mean it has to work for everybody.
And I love what you said aboutlike your barn being the boutique
system, right?
Like because blankets off at8pm doesn't work for everybody.
(06:39):
Feeding at 5 has to happenbecause they're all used to it.
But, like, we have to be ableto take all those different things
in stride, which is reallycomplicated, but so interesting and
so important for keeping themhappy and healthy for, like, the
long term.
And I think that's somethingthat we forget.
Something that you touched onis, like, it's not a. I ate a salad.
I'm down ten pounds.
Oh, my God.
Hashtag healthy girl.
Lifestyle.
(06:59):
It really is.
Where have we started?
And how long can we keep thisup until we're done?
I saw something a while agowhere instead of somebody considering
it, like a lifestyle change,he's like, it's a challenge.
I'm challenging myself to.
How many days in a row can Ido this for myself?
How many weeks in a row can Ido this?
I thought that was really cool.
Yeah, I like that.
And I mean, I'm sure, youknow, as humans, we can also talk
(07:22):
about, like, what happens whenwe fall off the bandwagon or something
changes or we find ourselvesgoing to a wedding and we didn't
eat salads that weekend.
Right.
So that happens.
That's real life, and youcan't always avoid it.
And with horses, it's gonna bethe same story you had mentioned
when you moved to a different barn.
Like, who would have thoughtthat a pasture size would have had
such a implication on ahorse's wellbeing?
(07:45):
And in your case, for the better.
Right.
But then there are Situationswhere AECs are in California this
year.
Someone qualified.
Are they going to be haulingthree days across the country to
go compete?
Probably.
Right?
So there's a lot of negativeimplications that are associated
with a change of routine.
Stress levels, digestion, behavior.
I know that.
Tilly.
(08:05):
I've been off track.
Thoroughbred mare named Tilly.
Chestnut mare named Tilly.
Oh, yeah, the trifecta.
Exactly.
She's actually, like, sweet assugar, but just a super antsy, super
antsy mare.
Can relate and.
Yeah, can relate same.
Right.
She takes up her mom.
She's my biological horse, actually.
I did not adopt her.
(08:26):
I carried her like my daughter.
So, yeah, I mean, Tillythrives in an environment where everything
is dependable every day.
And when we change that up orwe take her off, like, off campus
to a horse show, or we, youknow, put her in a new paddock where
she's neighboring, you know, abuddy that she didn't know before,
like, you can.
It's.
It's palpable.
You can feel that there's justa change in the air, and it takes
(08:48):
Them a little bit.
It takes them a little bit toadjust to that.
And we're actually dealingwith potential little bit of ulcery.
Ulcery belly eye.
And we're having her scopednext week.
But I mean, I think it, itjust goes to show you that, like,
you know, we don't take themare off site very often.
She's not often in a trailer.
So like, even the smallestminutiae of change in their own environment,
in their own paddock, in theirown stall, you don't think about
(09:10):
the tiny little things thatreally do cause disruptions in their
day.
Yeah.
And like, what do you, assomebody who has this, this big boarding
operation, who has personalhorses of her own?
Like, what do you do with ahorse like Tilly?
Like, what are your go to's tomake sure that whatever can be controlled,
can be controlled.
Are there things that are likethe must haves for her?
Are there things that, youknow, you can fluctuate?
(09:31):
How does that work with her?
That's a really good question.
I'm kind of still figuringthat out.
Super fair.
I mean, I think again, withevery horse, things are different.
Andy is like so stoic that younever know anything is a problem
until he's like ready to die.
So like, I mean, like, he,he's just as a trooper until he's
very sensitive and like,she'll let you know.
She'll let you know right awayin that moment, like, hey, I'm.
(09:53):
I'm uncomfortable.
So the things that I try mybest to keep, I can't change that
there's a buddy next to herthat she doesn't love.
I mean, I can, I can move themtomorrow, I can move them now.
But like, that's not somethingthat I'm going to be able to control
every day.
Like if we're at a warmup ringat a horse show and, you know, someone
tracks into us and she's justnot like that.
That's not an element of herlife that I can control.
(10:16):
But what I can control is herstall placement within, like, okay,
she does really well when shehas things going on all around her.
So I want to put her on acorner stall and inside of the barn
so that she's getting a lot ofattention through the day and she
can kind of see what's goingon all the time.
Her feed routine, I mean, thatis the most important thing.
I have her again because she'slike kind of a ulcery mess right
(10:38):
now.
We have her on Smart, perform,advanced, and that's like, actually,
they're both on that.
I love the product so much,not because I made it, but because
I think it's great.
But yeah, I mean, I think thatkeeping the feed routine consistent
helps a lot too, becausethat's something that isn't going
to change no matter where we are.
You know, my trainer has hereating alfalfa cubes.
We grow our own timothy hayon, on site at our barn.
(11:00):
So cool.
Which is neat, right?
Because then I get to control.
I get to control her, like,not just her hay, but everybody's
hay.
Now, does the average boardingbarn have that?
No, like, for the listenershere that are like, oh, well, I don't
get to grow my own hay, so Ican't control where it's coming from
or what the nutritionalprofile is.
That's okay.
Like, you know, don't.
Don't focus on the things thatare not within your control.
The things that are.
(11:20):
Are your training program.
Like, yeah, not asking toomuch of your horse, not, you know,
putting them, set them up forsuccess, not putting them in a position
where, you know, they're.
They're confused about whatyou're asking.
And, you know, keeping theirfeed routine the same, making sure
that their turnout is the same.
That's pretty much how we doit at Oakwood.
I mean, and the horses thathave been with us for a really long
(11:41):
time, they are cool as acucumber, like the newbies come in
for, and they're a little hotand they're a little confused.
And then within a week, theyall seem to settle down because it's
clockwork.
You know, when you have 60horses, everything becomes very reliable.
They're fed at the same timeevery day.
They go out at the same timeevery day.
And while we do do theboutique offerings of like, this
one needs a fan and this onedoesn't, and this one wears fly boots
(12:02):
and this one needs bell boots.
You know, we are able tocustomize it, but for the most part,
those macro elements are never changing.
Yeah.
And I know, I mean, I reallytook advantage with my horse.
I just took for grantedreally, that he, he was able to be
anywhere in the barn.
And I forget that that's noteverybody's case.
Like, he was the horse thatgreeted everybody as you went.
He was the mayor of the stallisland, whether you wanted him to
or not.
It was just.
(12:22):
It could not be contained.
But, like, knowing that yourhorse can or can't handle that, so
important.
And what you said, too, withjust knowing who they are and giving
them time to settle in.
Like, you get in new borders,they start out a little like, oh,
God, it's for things new.
But, you know, you hold yourhand for two weeks and all of a sudden
you have a new horse that.
Taking a deep breath andenjoys their life and their routine.
(12:42):
And I think, like, the timeaspect is something that is.
I personally, as somebodywho's very impatient and loves instant
gratification, is the hardestpart for me.
And I'm sure I'm not the onlyone out there.
And if I am, don't tell meit'll hurt my feelings.
But something like that is, issomething that we all kind of have
to stomach earlier rather than later.
And that's with, like yousaid, but training, with boarding
(13:03):
your horse somewhere new orjust with changes, but also with.
I mean, we're a supplementcompany, so we gotta mention with
feeding any kind ofsupplements or changing their nutrition
in any way.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I mean, listen, when youthink about a horse colicking, like,
what's the reason?
Oh, he got into the feed room.
Oh, he's got a different kind.
A sudden change.
Right.
So wind blew.
You think about a horse being ulcery.
(13:24):
Oh, he, he has a soft tissuestrain and he's on stall rest.
And he was on a trailer forthree days to and from California.
I mean, you're, you're lookingat these disruptive ailments that
happen, and they're typicallycorrelated with a change in the environment
or a change to the routine.
So, you know, keeping thingsstatus quo, I think is, you know,
(13:45):
one of the, one of the bestthings that you can do for your horse.
Unavoidable sometimes, but ona day in and day out basis, you know,
trying to keep things reliableand dependable.
Okay, so we've talked toAshley, the horse owner, Ashley,
the barn owner.
But I want to talk to Ashley,the head of research and development
for a second, because when itcomes to consistency in feeding,
like, we're going to talkabout supplements.
So I want to talk about whatit looks like when you start stuff
(14:09):
the way a lot of us do withour own, you know, supplements and
nutrition, things like that.
Is there, is there somethingthat we need to be aware of?
There are things that youwould want people to know about the
start stop versus the consistency.
Yeah, abs, absolutely.
So, I mean, it kind of goesback to the same idea of, like, you
cannot take your multivitaminonce a week and expect it to be super
efficacious.
I set a calendar reminder.
Yes, thank you.
(14:30):
I'm glad.
I need to Follow suit.
And you can't eat a salad andexpect to lose the weight.
Right.
So like, for at like a verygranular level.
The reason for that is thatthe more you're.
I mean, the half life of someof these, of some of these molecules
is really short.
Like, for example, the halflife of Butte is 7.22 hours, which
means hours hours.
Right.
So within 7ish hours, half ofthat, half of your dose, if you gave
(14:55):
a gram.
Right.
Half of that dose is out oftheir system.
So you might think that like,oh, I've been giving my horse this
supplement for four months andnow he's like, good to go.
But in reality, those serumlevels are titrating up every day
that you're feeding them andsome of circulating through their
body really quickly, so makingsure that they're getting it every
day.
And again, a generalizationbecause it varies by the ingredient.
(15:16):
But in a lot of cases, youknow, the reason we have AMPMs for
some ingredients is becauseyou have to, like bicarbonates, for
example.
If you're using bicarbonatesfor a gut product that needs to be
fed twice a day on an empty stomach.
Right.
So the, the utilization ofthat product is helping to increase
that circulating serum valueand make sure that whatever those
(15:37):
active ingredients are,they're circulating through your
h horse's body every day.
So if you abruptly stop andthen start, you're just putting your
horse at a disadvantage.
And to be honest, you'respending a lot of good money on your
supplements and you want themto be working, right?
Yeah, yeah.
And I mean, at the end of theday, it is an investment in your
horse's health and you wantto, you want to make sure that it's
not in vain.
So I think that theconsistency there, from a scientific
(15:59):
standpoint also helps toincrease efficacy.
Yeah.
So knowing that these thingsdo only last so long in the system,
is there a general timelinethat you would give people on, like,
waiting to expect results.
And I know some supplementsand some nutritional things you're
not going to see.
Like supplement is going toall of a sudden make your horse go
Grand Prix.
But like, of course, just in general.
(16:20):
Yeah.
I mean, I'd say that onaverage, eight or so weeks is a reasonable
timeline.
And again, like you said, someof these things are really subjective.
Right.
Like, is my horse shinier?
Does he.
But then there are things thatare actually very objective.
Yeah.
Like, so for Smart StrideUltra, for example, we did some clinical
trials on that product thatdemonstrated that consistent use
(16:41):
over time increased the motionof the hock angle, which is a quantifiable
measurement.
And we know that objectively.
So that's not just saying,like, oh, yes, his color looks more
rich.
My smart, dark, and handsomehorse looks darker.
Like, we're now able to showyou that, you know, this product
in this controlled clinical trial.
Right.
Obviously, we're not trying todiagnose, treat, cure any problems,
(17:04):
but in this particularinstance, we were able to demonstrate
an improvement in that onemeasurable KPI of health.
Right.
So.
But you're only going toachieve that if you're using the
product as directed, becausethat's how it was used in the clinical
trial.
So, yeah, that was just.
Just one example of how beingsuper consistent with a product as
it was intended to be fedjust, you know, leads to optimal
(17:25):
results.
Yeah, I think that's reallycool, though.
And there's something reallyinteresting, too, with the timing
of this episode.
Like, we're.
We're hitting close to the endof summer for some folks.
Some folks are still very muchin the heat of it, so bless you if
you're suffering through that.
But we're getting closer to,and I'm so sorry to say it, winter
in winter is when a lot of us.
Oh, Jenna, I know, I know.
I promise there's a point to it.
(17:46):
But when a lot of us take alittle bit more of a backseat, we
let the horses, you know, comedown, if we have the ability to do
so, or we start the winter circuit.
Like, there's a lot ofdifferent things that happen the
winter for our horses.
And you might say, like, oh,my gosh, eight weeks.
Like, if anybody heard you sayeight weeks, and it's like, oh, my
God, like, that's so much time.
That is one winter circuit.
That is one winter season.
(18:07):
Really, that gives your horse this.
This head start into the nextyear of stuff.
I mean, if you can start, youknow, whatever.
Whatever you've been holdingoff on starting, starting, start
now right after you hear thisepisode go click, whatever you need
to click.
But I think there's somethingjust, like very bite size, about
eight weeks versus the initialreaction that a lot of people might
have to that.
But it's really worth keepingin mind, especially when we have
(18:29):
measurable results like that.
And maybe it's only going tobe, you know, my horse is fatter,
my horse is shinier at thestart, but at the end of eight weeks,
all of a sudden your vet'slike, hey, your horse is moving great.
And you're like, yeah, I'vehad some really kick Ass rides.
Yeah.
I mean, how worth it is that?
Yeah, I couldn't agree withyou more.
I couldn't agree with you more.
It seems eight weeks seemsfast and then you're in it and.
Or it seems slow rather, andthen you're in it and it, you know,
(18:49):
it's a blink of an eye.
So, yeah, I mean, I think thatthe longer you can give something
to do what it's supposed todo, let those active ingredients
go to work, you know, thebetter the outcome is going to be.
So that was our chat aboutconsistency with Ashley.
Thank you guys so much.
But we are not done, so pleasedon't go anywhere.
We still have Meet the Packwith Tanner, who is from our customer
care team.
You definitely want to hearwhat she has to say about her horses
(19:12):
and her routines.
And in future episodes, we'llbe talking about things like gastric
health, overall wellnesstherapy, gear.
If you have ideas that youwant to hear us talk about, find
us on Instagram, find us on Facebook.
Let us know what you think andwhat you want to talk about.
But you can definitely expecta lot more to come from us in the
future.
All right, Tanner, welcome tothe Horse healthcast.
(19:34):
We're super excited to haveyou here and let's start it out easy
and let people get to know you.
Tell us about you.
What do you do for Smart ET Absolutely.
Thanks so much for having me, Jenna.
I am one of our customer caresupervisors here at Smart Equine.
So I manage a team of directreports, all the folks that our customers
call and get to chat with onthe phones.
I help them make sure theyhave what they need for their day
(19:56):
to day.
And I also help keep themeducated up on our products and kind
of the new and up and comingthat Smart Equine is going to be
carrying.
And that's a little bit aboutwhat the day to day looks like for
me here at work.
Work.
That's awesome.
And remind me, how long haveyou been here now?
Gosh, I've been with SmartPakthree and a half years, which sounds
crazy.
I know they always say time isflies when you have fun and I guess
(20:18):
that's what we've been up to.
But yeah, I think it'll be,it'll be four years in just a couple
months.
Well, happy early Smart Equine anniversary.
Thank you so much.
And it sounds so crazy.
I. I can't believe that I getto chat about horses and product
all day long and, and reallyget to follow my passion.
I knew, you know, that Iwanted to, to maintain a role in
the equine industry.
(20:39):
And that's hard to do.
Yeah, because you have abackground in horse health and nutrition,
right?
Like you have.
Tell me about your degree.
I feel like you've got degreesin this.
Yeah, absolutely.
I've been a lifelong rider.
I started riding when I wasfour and I swear it's just in my
blood.
My family was not a horseyfamily, but I just wanted riding
lessons so bad when I was akid man, and was lucky enough to
(21:01):
have that become a reality.
So I've ridden ever since.
I didn't really know what Iwanted to do, but I ended up going
to Virginia Tech here inVirginia, where I'm located, and
got my bachelor's in animaland poultry sciences with an emphasis
in equine production business.
I wasn't really sure what Iwas going to do with that degree.
I didn't really have abreeding interest.
I thought I wanted to ride andtrain and manage a barn.
(21:24):
And I went throughundergraduate, got graduated, did
go and work in the field.
I worked at a few barns andtrained for some people and that
was a lot of fun.
I learned a lot, but I justfelt like it wasn't super sustainable
long term for me.
I felt like I needed kind of,you know, what in my parents eyes
might have been a big girljob, you know, something a little
more corporate, if you will.
(21:44):
And so I started talking tosome of my professors and ended up
going back to get my master'sin equine nutrition.
I always had a nutrition interest.
I was always the one at thebarn feeding a bunch of supplements,
feeding different feeds, kindof researching on my own.
So it was great to be able togo and get that education to kind
of back that passion.
Still didn't really know whatI was going to do with this now second
(22:06):
degree, but it felt like theright, the right area to go into.
So I've got equine and dairynutrition degree from Virginia Tech
as well.
And I was out looking for jobsand really locally here they talk
about Virginia being horsecountry and it absolutely is, but
it's a lot of smaller farms,at least in the local area where
I am.
So with an equine nutritiondegree, all that I was finding around
(22:30):
here was opportunities forfeed sales, feed rep positions.
So I applied for a few of those.
It didn't really seem to fitwith what I wanted.
I think I was having a hardtime jumping from the true industry
side and getting to be handson with the horses every day to going
and selling feedstuffs andthat's when I saw the remote ad posting
(22:53):
for Smarty Quine.
As a customer carerepresentative getting to talk about
product talk to customers,that felt a little more connected
for me in the industry andkind of right up my avenue.
So that's how I got started inmy position at Smart Equine and kind
of worked my way up from there.
That's pretty crazy that youwent through two degrees, not quite
(23:13):
sure you're gonna do withthem, and then ended up at an equine
nutrition company.
Like that does feel very fullcircle, right?
Yeah, absolutely.
And, you know, there was atime in there where I thought I was
just gonna ride and train forever.
I thought I was gonna go andbe an equine vet.
So I really, you know, wasn't,wasn't sure, but it couldn't have
worked out any better.
And I really feel like, youknow, the, the takeaway for me was
go with your gut and, youknow, you can try different things.
(23:34):
And, and it worked out.
So it's been, it's been quitethe journey.
You're right.
Well, we're glad that youended up here because now all of
our great customers get towork with you.
All of our other customer careteam members get to learn from you.
So it feels like a win, win overall.
But you obviously, lifelonghorse girl, grew up riding.
Do you have a horse of yourown now?
Yeah, I do.
I have a small farm here inFincastle, Virginia, kind of middle
(23:58):
of nowhere outside of Roanoke.
I've got eight horses on theproperty right now, seven of which
are mine.
I mainly show on the hunterjumper circuit.
I do a little bit of, ofeventing here and there just for
some cross trains.
We event a little bit, we foxhunt with a couple different hunts.
But really I'm, I'm a hunterat heart.
So I've got, got eight horsesnow, most of which are off the track.
(24:22):
Thoroughbreds, they, they holda special place for me.
I've ridden thoroughbredssince I can remember.
I've got a couple warmbloodstoo that are, that are really great.
But it's the, it's thethoroughbreds that I really have
an interest in.
Yeah, they're pretty special.
When you find those right onesthat click too, it really, it really
keeps you coming back to the breed.
Absolutely.
And so you've got a couplehorses under your care.
(24:42):
Are there any that are on SmartPak?
They all receive Smartpak supplements.
I've got one in particular.
I call him my problem child.
He is a 5 year old off thetrack thoroughbred named Ajar.
I adopted him from a newvocations rescue organization about
a year ago.
He is five this year and cameto me with some behavioral issues
(25:04):
and he needed a lot ofconsistency in his care, consistency
in his handling, consistencyunder saddle, and that I was able
to give him.
And we've really clicked.
He is currently showing in thethree Foot Hunter, which has been
great watching his progressionof, you know, not wanting to move
forward at all under saddle.
And I attribute a lot of thatto his nutrition regimen.
He, you know, takes a veryspecific and consistent routine in
(25:28):
order to keep him functioningand performing at his best.
So aj, we call him around thebarn Ajar.
He is on two SmartPaks, twoSmartPak products in a SmartPak.
He is on Smart GI Ultra andSmart Appetite, a newer product for
the company.
Oh, Smart Appetite, I feellike, is one that's like a very undersung
hero.
What, what made you pick thatfor him specifically?
(25:50):
Yeah, it, you know, so Ilearned a lot about the product working
here, of course, and, and itsounded like a supplement that really
was gonna fit into a superspecific course.
You know, it is a complex Bvitamin supplement.
And I knew from experience,I'm a big fan of Perfect Prep products
as well.
And the Perfect Prep kind ofcalming supplements that I've used
and seen really good luck withhave been those that contain their
(26:14):
VI vitamin B have they call ittheir B vitamin complex.
And it just kind of dawned onme that if that works so well before
horse shows when I, if I canuse Perfect Prep and I see a good
kind of calming response,there might be a good chance that
this horse is either deficientor doesn't utilize B vitamins from
his diet or make his own very efficiently.
(26:35):
And so that's what made me trythe product.
Cause I just thought maybe hereally is a little bit deficient
or not creating enough of hisown B vitamins.
Let me give Smart Appetite a try.
So I didn't, you know, reallygo about it from a horse that has
a low appetite perspective.
I went about it from I seebenefit with other B vitamin supplements.
Smart Appetites is a great one.
That's super comprehensive.
(26:56):
Let me give that a try.
And I've never looked back.
I don't think I'll ever takethe horse off of it.
And I honestly do feel likeit's increased his appetite too.
That wasn't the cause of mestarting the product, but I do feel
like it has, has helped keephim eating more, especially at horse
shows.
He wants to munch all daylong, which is great.
Right.
I love that.
That's like a really uniqueway to come to that one.
(27:17):
But it's so cool that itworked for him as well as it has.
Yeah.
I recommend it to everyone.
I've, you know, have, havemeetings with my team here and I've
recommended it to all of theirhorses when they're like, oh, yeah,
I need a calming supplementfor the fireworks before the 4th
of July or what have you.
I'm like, oh, if.
If those work for you, youshould really check out Smart Appetite.
I think that, you know, wemight be onto something here with
some sort of B vitamin deficiency.
(27:38):
I love that.
I feel like as people who haveworked here for like even five minutes,
like, you just end up with that.
You're like, this is it.
This is the one that everyoneneeds to know about.
So we will check off that.
If we need someone to knowabout Smart Appetite, we're coming
back to you.
Absolutely.
It's underrated for sure.
So then let's talk just acouple of the, the horse people type
(28:00):
things, right?
Like, so if Smart Appetite isyour go to, like, this is a supplement
everyone should know about.
Is there like one, one mantra,one just piece of advice, one thing
that you live by that you wisheverybody lived by with their horses.
As somebody who's been a lifeand rider who has a barn of her own.
Yeah.
And I think the biggest thingfor me and what I talk to all the
(28:20):
time about my friends is everyhorse is different.
I am super type A and I wanteverything to just follow a set plan.
And it, you know, this is whatalways works for me and what works
for my program, but it'sreally not the case.
I have just found that myhorses are so unique.
Each of them have something alittle bit different.
I've got some horses that needvitamin E and some that don't.
And that's just really beenhard for me to wrap my head around
(28:42):
of.
They eat all the same forage,they're getting the same things.
How can they be so different?
Different.
But it really is, I think, andI learned this in all of my education
too.
All of my, all of my degreestaught me this as well, is that horses
really are individuals andtherefore should be fed that way.
They aren't like cattle thatcan all that do process things very
similarly.
(29:02):
For example, that the horsesreally do break down and use different
feedstuffs differently.
And so with all of that, Ifeel like that would.
That's probably my biggest,like, piece of advice that I would
give anybody in the horseworld is don't be afraid to try new
things.
Your horse might, might justrespond to it differently, even if
that's never worked for youand it didn't work for the horse
in the stall next to yours.
Yeah.
(29:22):
So it sounds like every horseis maybe one of a kind.
Absolutely.
I would, I would, I wouldtotally agree with that.
Every horse is, is one of akind and, and therefore we can feed
them that way.
Love that.
Well, thank you so much, Tanner.
This has been great to get toknow you a little bit.
Hopefully we'll get to knowyou even more in future episodes,
but for now, we'll.
We'll thank you for your timeand give AJ Our best.
(29:43):
Thank you for having me, Dana.
I look forward to it.
I hope you've enjoyed theinterview with Tanner and if you
didn't recognize it before,she's also the intro voice, so extra
thanks to her.
You can find links to today'sguests and products in the show notes
on your podcast player or onthe website at www.smartpake.com
blog.
(30:03):
We'll be here twice a month onthe 15th and the 30th, but in between
you can find us on Instagramand Facebook as Smart Equine or shop
online@smartequine.com untilnext time, stay smart, stay.
Consistent, and give yourhorse a cookie for us.
Foreign.
You are listening to the HorseRadio Network, part of the Equine
Network family.
This is episode one of theHorse healthcast by Smarty Kwine.
I'm Ashley lacompt Lazic, thehead of R D for Smart Equine.
And I'm Jenna Boss, gardenmanager of digital marketing for
(00:20):
Smart Equine.
And you're listening to theHorse healthcast by Smart Equine.
Coming up on today's show,we'll talk about consistency and
why it matters and how itaffects everything from nutrition
to training.
And in our Meet the Packsegment, we'll chat with our customer
care supervisor, Tanner Pry.
Smart Solutions, TrustedVoices, your source for equine health
(00:40):
and wellness.
This is Horse healthcast bySmart Equine.
(01:16):
So this is it.
This is our very first episode.
We made it.
This is so exciting.
So exciting to be here.
And for anybody listening inwith us for the first time, thanks
for joining us.
We're super stoked to have you too.
Yeah, I. I know some of youare probably looking at the podcast
name and logo and thinking toyourself, this looks familiar.
And you're right, you alreadyknow us as SmartPak, but now we are
(01:40):
Smart Equine.
So it's the same company, I promise.
Because Ash and I have beenhere for a minute, so it's the same
company, you know and trust.
We're now just rededicated tothe horse and to horse health, which
gives us some really coolopportunities to do new things in
like, the health and wellness spaces.
And this podcast is one of them.
So welcome to Smart Equine.
But don't worry, smartpaks aregoing nowhere.
(02:01):
They are too near and dear toour hearts.
And for Ashley and your 60stall boarding barn, probably very
near and dear to your feetroom too.
Yeah.
I always like to say thathorses don't have credit cards to
swipe, so we always have tokeep the rider and the owner in mind
too.
So don't fear, we have notforgotten about you guys.
Just re solidifying our focus and.
And advocation for the animal,that's all.
Yeah, honestly.
(02:21):
Thank God horses don't havecredit cards because I.
No kidding.
Oh God.
The amount of things thatTikTok would get my animals to buy.
But speaking of the feed roomand smartpaks and things, one of
the core tenants that we assmartpakers and now Smart Equine
employees have always toted islike the consistency of supplements
and feeding.
But that's not like the onlything that really is important with
(02:44):
consistency.
Right.
So that's what we're here totalk about today is consistency,
why it matters, and thefoundation that it really provides
guides for our horses.
Yeah, I, I couldn't agree more.
And when I think about when wesay consistency is key in horse care
and why a routine is soimportant to horses, I think, like,
the main thing that I drivehome is, like, we don't, they don't
(03:04):
speak English.
Right.
Like horses.
If I could tell my horse,like, hey, today we're getting on
a trailer and going to a horseshow, so don't freak out and colic
on me, that would be so easyand so nice.
But we know that that's not reality.
Right.
So creating an environmentwhere your horse can rely on a routine
to know what's going to happenevery day sets them up for success,
sets up us up for success,reduces stress in their life.
(03:26):
And I think not only intraining, but in health, the more
consistent we can be with ahorse, the better the outcomes are
going to turn out.
Yeah, absolutely.
I know.
So my, my heart horse's namewas Hershey.
He was a creature of routine,as the rest of us were.
But something I didn't learnuntil much later in my relationship
with him was that it's notjust about the routine, it's about
the right routine.
(03:47):
Right.
So, like, he had a greatroutine of, you know, certain amount
of turnout, certain sizepasture, certain, you know, level
of life and moved Barnes.
And all of a sudden he was ina massive field.
And all of a sudden the horsethat I thought was really hot and
really, you know, took a lotof work, dead quiet.
Great point.
Such a cool dude all the timeafter that.
And I think that was somethingthat I've really taken to heart after
that.
And I'm sure you'veexperienced that with all the horses
(04:08):
that you've worked with inyour lifetime too.
That's a great point.
The right routine is soimportant, and it's not a one size
fits all scenario.
Right.
So ensure.
I, I, whenever I'm bringing anew person into my barn and I'm explaining,
like, what our boardingoperation looks like, I always use
the term like boutique and aget that.
And they're like, so when doyou change blankets?
And I'm like, I changeblankets when your horse gets hot.
(04:29):
Like, I don't, you know, like,we, we do things based on when your
horse needs them, and we tryto tailor it to each horse.
So I think that that is really important.
Understanding that routine canmean different things to different
horses and that having theright routine is, is just as Important
as having one to begin with.
So when we talk about likefeed consistency, right?
Like have you guys ever beenin a scenario where you're like,
oh my God, I haven't taken mymultivitamin in two weeks.
(04:51):
And like you take one, you'relike, oh, I feel so healthy.
Good for me.
I don't want to confirm ordeny that in case my doctor ever
list, but let's just.
Our doctors are definitely notlistening, I hope.
But I mean hypotheticallywe'll say, yeah.
I totally know what you'retalking about.
Yeah, it's like exercise, right?
Like you eat one salad and goto the gym once and you're like wondering
why the £10 hasn't fallen off.
So I think very similar withhorses, right?
(05:11):
We can't tell them, we can'ttalk to them.
So the language that we shareis our routine and ensuring that
their feed program issomething that they can rely on and
that their bodies can rely on.
You know, like Pavlovianresponses like their conditions,
you know, you listen, we'veall been in the barn and that horse
who knows that feed time is4:30 is staying standing there, weaving
in his stall, waiting forkicking the door.
(05:33):
Excuse me, ma', am, you arefive minutes late.
So they know, right?
Like they get really connectedto that.
So anyways, yeah, consistencyis so important.
And to be honest, theconsistency that the SmartPak feeding
system can offer was like ahuge impetus to why the creators
of SmartPak created it.
Right?
Yeah.
To be able to have an autoship product that shows up at your
(05:54):
door every 28 days, you don'thave to think about it, you don't
have to wonder if the horsegot it.
It is such an easy set it andforget it way to make that there's
no disruptions in that feeding pattern.
Yeah.
And I know we've joked overthe years like it's a husband proof
system, but one it is.
I asked my husband howhusbands aren't listening either.
If he is, mine knows that he'sdone a good job and I appreciate
(06:16):
him greatly.
Thank you so much, Zach.
But it really is like it's,it's making it work for everybody.
So whether that's the staff,the, the summer intern, the pony
kids, the barn manager, you asa horse owner, you as the rider,
the horse themselves.
Like so much of that reallydoes mean it has to work for everybody.
And I love what you said aboutlike your barn being the boutique
system, right?
Like because blankets off at8pm doesn't work for everybody.
(06:39):
Feeding at 5 has to happenbecause they're all used to it.
But, like, we have to be ableto take all those different things
in stride, which is reallycomplicated, but so interesting and
so important for keeping themhappy and healthy for, like, the
long term.
And I think that's somethingthat we forget.
Something that you touched onis, like, it's not a. I ate a salad.
I'm down ten pounds.
Oh, my God.
Hashtag healthy girl.
Lifestyle.
(06:59):
It really is.
Where have we started?
And how long can we keep thisup until we're done?
I saw something a while agowhere instead of somebody considering
it, like a lifestyle change,he's like, it's a challenge.
I'm challenging myself to.
How many days in a row can Ido this for myself?
How many weeks in a row can Ido this?
I thought that was really cool.
Yeah, I like that.
And I mean, I'm sure, youknow, as humans, we can also talk
(07:22):
about, like, what happens whenwe fall off the bandwagon or something
changes or we find ourselvesgoing to a wedding and we didn't
eat salads that weekend.
Right.
So that happens.
That's real life, and youcan't always avoid it.
And with horses, it's gonna bethe same story you had mentioned
when you moved to a different barn.
Like, who would have thoughtthat a pasture size would have had
such a implication on ahorse's wellbeing?
(07:45):
And in your case, for the better.
Right.
But then there are Situationswhere AECs are in California this
year.
Someone qualified.
Are they going to be haulingthree days across the country to
go compete?
Probably.
Right?
So there's a lot of negativeimplications that are associated
with a change of routine.
Stress levels, digestion, behavior.
I know that.
Tilly.
(08:05):
I've been off track.
Thoroughbred mare named Tilly.
Chestnut mare named Tilly.
Oh, yeah, the trifecta.
Exactly.
She's actually, like, sweet assugar, but just a super antsy, super
antsy mare.
Can relate and.
Yeah, can relate same.
Right.
She takes up her mom.
She's my biological horse, actually.
I did not adopt her.
(08:26):
I carried her like my daughter.
So, yeah, I mean, Tillythrives in an environment where everything
is dependable every day.
And when we change that up orwe take her off, like, off campus
to a horse show, or we, youknow, put her in a new paddock where
she's neighboring, you know, abuddy that she didn't know before,
like, you can.
It's.
It's palpable.
You can feel that there's justa change in the air, and it takes
(08:48):
Them a little bit.
It takes them a little bit toadjust to that.
And we're actually dealingwith potential little bit of ulcery.
Ulcery belly eye.
And we're having her scopednext week.
But I mean, I think it, itjust goes to show you that, like,
you know, we don't take themare off site very often.
She's not often in a trailer.
So like, even the smallestminutiae of change in their own environment,
in their own paddock, in theirown stall, you don't think about
(09:10):
the tiny little things thatreally do cause disruptions in their
day.
Yeah.
And like, what do you, assomebody who has this, this big boarding
operation, who has personalhorses of her own?
Like, what do you do with ahorse like Tilly?
Like, what are your go to's tomake sure that whatever can be controlled,
can be controlled.
Are there things that are likethe must haves for her?
Are there things that, youknow, you can fluctuate?
(09:31):
How does that work with her?
That's a really good question.
I'm kind of still figuringthat out.
Super fair.
I mean, I think again, withevery horse, things are different.
Andy is like so stoic that younever know anything is a problem
until he's like ready to die.
So like, I mean, like, he,he's just as a trooper until he's
very sensitive and like,she'll let you know.
She'll let you know right awayin that moment, like, hey, I'm.
(09:53):
I'm uncomfortable.
So the things that I try mybest to keep, I can't change that
there's a buddy next to herthat she doesn't love.
I mean, I can, I can move themtomorrow, I can move them now.
But like, that's not somethingthat I'm going to be able to control
every day.
Like if we're at a warmup ringat a horse show and, you know, someone
tracks into us and she's justnot like that.
That's not an element of herlife that I can control.
(10:16):
But what I can control is herstall placement within, like, okay,
she does really well when shehas things going on all around her.
So I want to put her on acorner stall and inside of the barn
so that she's getting a lot ofattention through the day and she
can kind of see what's goingon all the time.
Her feed routine, I mean, thatis the most important thing.
I have her again because she'slike kind of a ulcery mess right
(10:38):
now.
We have her on Smart, perform,advanced, and that's like, actually,
they're both on that.
I love the product so much,not because I made it, but because
I think it's great.
But yeah, I mean, I think thatkeeping the feed routine consistent
helps a lot too, becausethat's something that isn't going
to change no matter where we are.
You know, my trainer has hereating alfalfa cubes.
We grow our own timothy hayon, on site at our barn.
(11:00):
So cool.
Which is neat, right?
Because then I get to control.
I get to control her, like,not just her hay, but everybody's
hay.
Now, does the average boardingbarn have that?
No, like, for the listenershere that are like, oh, well, I don't
get to grow my own hay, so Ican't control where it's coming from
or what the nutritionalprofile is.
That's okay.
Like, you know, don't.
Don't focus on the things thatare not within your control.
The things that are.
(11:20):
Are your training program.
Like, yeah, not asking toomuch of your horse, not, you know,
putting them, set them up forsuccess, not putting them in a position
where, you know, they're.
They're confused about whatyou're asking.
And, you know, keeping theirfeed routine the same, making sure
that their turnout is the same.
That's pretty much how we doit at Oakwood.
I mean, and the horses thathave been with us for a really long
(11:41):
time, they are cool as acucumber, like the newbies come in
for, and they're a little hotand they're a little confused.
And then within a week, theyall seem to settle down because it's
clockwork.
You know, when you have 60horses, everything becomes very reliable.
They're fed at the same timeevery day.
They go out at the same timeevery day.
And while we do do theboutique offerings of like, this
one needs a fan and this onedoesn't, and this one wears fly boots
(12:02):
and this one needs bell boots.
You know, we are able tocustomize it, but for the most part,
those macro elements are never changing.
Yeah.
And I know, I mean, I reallytook advantage with my horse.
I just took for grantedreally, that he, he was able to be
anywhere in the barn.
And I forget that that's noteverybody's case.
Like, he was the horse thatgreeted everybody as you went.
He was the mayor of the stallisland, whether you wanted him to
or not.
It was just.
(12:22):
It could not be contained.
But, like, knowing that yourhorse can or can't handle that, so
important.
And what you said, too, withjust knowing who they are and giving
them time to settle in.
Like, you get in new borders,they start out a little like, oh,
God, it's for things new.
But, you know, you hold yourhand for two weeks and all of a sudden
you have a new horse that.
Taking a deep breath andenjoys their life and their routine.
(12:42):
And I think, like, the timeaspect is something that is.
I personally, as somebodywho's very impatient and loves instant
gratification, is the hardestpart for me.
And I'm sure I'm not the onlyone out there.
And if I am, don't tell meit'll hurt my feelings.
But something like that is, issomething that we all kind of have
to stomach earlier rather than later.
And that's with, like yousaid, but training, with boarding
(13:03):
your horse somewhere new orjust with changes, but also with.
I mean, we're a supplementcompany, so we gotta mention with
feeding any kind ofsupplements or changing their nutrition
in any way.
Yeah, absolutely.
And I mean, listen, when youthink about a horse colicking, like,
what's the reason?
Oh, he got into the feed room.
Oh, he's got a different kind.
A sudden change.
Right.
So wind blew.
You think about a horse being ulcery.
(13:24):
Oh, he, he has a soft tissuestrain and he's on stall rest.
And he was on a trailer forthree days to and from California.
I mean, you're, you're lookingat these disruptive ailments that
happen, and they're typicallycorrelated with a change in the environment
or a change to the routine.
So, you know, keeping thingsstatus quo, I think is, you know,
(13:45):
one of the, one of the bestthings that you can do for your horse.
Unavoidable sometimes, but ona day in and day out basis, you know,
trying to keep things reliableand dependable.
Okay, so we've talked toAshley, the horse owner, Ashley,
the barn owner.
But I want to talk to Ashley,the head of research and development
for a second, because when itcomes to consistency in feeding,
like, we're going to talkabout supplements.
So I want to talk about whatit looks like when you start stuff
(14:09):
the way a lot of us do withour own, you know, supplements and
nutrition, things like that.
Is there, is there somethingthat we need to be aware of?
There are things that youwould want people to know about the
start stop versus the consistency.
Yeah, abs, absolutely.
So, I mean, it kind of goesback to the same idea of, like, you
cannot take your multivitaminonce a week and expect it to be super
efficacious.
I set a calendar reminder.
Yes, thank you.
(14:30):
I'm glad.
I need to Follow suit.
And you can't eat a salad andexpect to lose the weight.
Right.
So like, for at like a verygranular level.
The reason for that is thatthe more you're.
I mean, the half life of someof these, of some of these molecules
is really short.
Like, for example, the halflife of Butte is 7.22 hours, which
means hours hours.
Right.
So within 7ish hours, half ofthat, half of your dose, if you gave
(14:55):
a gram.
Right.
Half of that dose is out oftheir system.
So you might think that like,oh, I've been giving my horse this
supplement for four months andnow he's like, good to go.
But in reality, those serumlevels are titrating up every day
that you're feeding them andsome of circulating through their
body really quickly, so makingsure that they're getting it every
day.
And again, a generalizationbecause it varies by the ingredient.
(15:16):
But in a lot of cases, youknow, the reason we have AMPMs for
some ingredients is becauseyou have to, like bicarbonates, for
example.
If you're using bicarbonatesfor a gut product that needs to be
fed twice a day on an empty stomach.
Right.
So the, the utilization ofthat product is helping to increase
that circulating serum valueand make sure that whatever those
(15:37):
active ingredients are,they're circulating through your
h horse's body every day.
So if you abruptly stop andthen start, you're just putting your
horse at a disadvantage.
And to be honest, you'respending a lot of good money on your
supplements and you want themto be working, right?
Yeah, yeah.
And I mean, at the end of theday, it is an investment in your
horse's health and you wantto, you want to make sure that it's
not in vain.
So I think that theconsistency there, from a scientific
(15:59):
standpoint also helps toincrease efficacy.
Yeah.
So knowing that these thingsdo only last so long in the system,
is there a general timelinethat you would give people on, like,
waiting to expect results.
And I know some supplementsand some nutritional things you're
not going to see.
Like supplement is going toall of a sudden make your horse go
Grand Prix.
But like, of course, just in general.
(16:20):
Yeah.
I mean, I'd say that onaverage, eight or so weeks is a reasonable
timeline.
And again, like you said, someof these things are really subjective.
Right.
Like, is my horse shinier?
Does he.
But then there are things thatare actually very objective.
Yeah.
Like, so for Smart StrideUltra, for example, we did some clinical
trials on that product thatdemonstrated that consistent use
(16:41):
over time increased the motionof the hock angle, which is a quantifiable
measurement.
And we know that objectively.
So that's not just saying,like, oh, yes, his color looks more
rich.
My smart, dark, and handsomehorse looks darker.
Like, we're now able to showyou that, you know, this product
in this controlled clinical trial.
Right.
Obviously, we're not trying todiagnose, treat, cure any problems,
(17:04):
but in this particularinstance, we were able to demonstrate
an improvement in that onemeasurable KPI of health.
Right.
So.
But you're only going toachieve that if you're using the
product as directed, becausethat's how it was used in the clinical
trial.
So, yeah, that was just.
Just one example of how beingsuper consistent with a product as
it was intended to be fedjust, you know, leads to optimal
(17:25):
results.
Yeah, I think that's reallycool, though.
And there's something reallyinteresting, too, with the timing
of this episode.
Like, we're.
We're hitting close to the endof summer for some folks.
Some folks are still very muchin the heat of it, so bless you if
you're suffering through that.
But we're getting closer to,and I'm so sorry to say it, winter
in winter is when a lot of us.
Oh, Jenna, I know, I know.
I promise there's a point to it.
(17:46):
But when a lot of us take alittle bit more of a backseat, we
let the horses, you know, comedown, if we have the ability to do
so, or we start the winter circuit.
Like, there's a lot ofdifferent things that happen the
winter for our horses.
And you might say, like, oh,my gosh, eight weeks.
Like, if anybody heard you sayeight weeks, and it's like, oh, my
God, like, that's so much time.
That is one winter circuit.
That is one winter season.
(18:07):
Really, that gives your horse this.
This head start into the nextyear of stuff.
I mean, if you can start, youknow, whatever.
Whatever you've been holdingoff on starting, starting, start
now right after you hear thisepisode go click, whatever you need
to click.
But I think there's somethingjust, like very bite size, about
eight weeks versus the initialreaction that a lot of people might
have to that.
But it's really worth keepingin mind, especially when we have
(18:29):
measurable results like that.
And maybe it's only going tobe, you know, my horse is fatter,
my horse is shinier at thestart, but at the end of eight weeks,
all of a sudden your vet'slike, hey, your horse is moving great.
And you're like, yeah, I'vehad some really kick Ass rides.
Yeah.
I mean, how worth it is that?
Yeah, I couldn't agree withyou more.
I couldn't agree with you more.
It seems eight weeks seemsfast and then you're in it and.
Or it seems slow rather, andthen you're in it and it, you know,
(18:49):
it's a blink of an eye.
So, yeah, I mean, I think thatthe longer you can give something
to do what it's supposed todo, let those active ingredients
go to work, you know, thebetter the outcome is going to be.
So that was our chat aboutconsistency with Ashley.
Thank you guys so much.
But we are not done, so pleasedon't go anywhere.
We still have Meet the Packwith Tanner, who is from our customer
care team.
You definitely want to hearwhat she has to say about her horses
(19:12):
and her routines.
And in future episodes, we'llbe talking about things like gastric
health, overall wellnesstherapy, gear.
If you have ideas that youwant to hear us talk about, find
us on Instagram, find us on Facebook.
Let us know what you think andwhat you want to talk about.
But you can definitely expecta lot more to come from us in the
future.
All right, Tanner, welcome tothe Horse healthcast.
(19:34):
We're super excited to haveyou here and let's start it out easy
and let people get to know you.
Tell us about you.
What do you do for Smart ET Absolutely.
Thanks so much for having me, Jenna.
I am one of our customer caresupervisors here at Smart Equine.
So I manage a team of directreports, all the folks that our customers
call and get to chat with onthe phones.
I help them make sure theyhave what they need for their day
(19:56):
to day.
And I also help keep themeducated up on our products and kind
of the new and up and comingthat Smart Equine is going to be
carrying.
And that's a little bit aboutwhat the day to day looks like for
me here at work.
Work.
That's awesome.
And remind me, how long haveyou been here now?
Gosh, I've been with SmartPakthree and a half years, which sounds
crazy.
I know they always say time isflies when you have fun and I guess
(20:18):
that's what we've been up to.
But yeah, I think it'll be,it'll be four years in just a couple
months.
Well, happy early Smart Equine anniversary.
Thank you so much.
And it sounds so crazy.
I. I can't believe that I getto chat about horses and product
all day long and, and reallyget to follow my passion.
I knew, you know, that Iwanted to, to maintain a role in
the equine industry.
(20:39):
And that's hard to do.
Yeah, because you have abackground in horse health and nutrition,
right?
Like you have.
Tell me about your degree.
I feel like you've got degreesin this.
Yeah, absolutely.
I've been a lifelong rider.
I started riding when I wasfour and I swear it's just in my
blood.
My family was not a horseyfamily, but I just wanted riding
lessons so bad when I was akid man, and was lucky enough to
(21:01):
have that become a reality.
So I've ridden ever since.
I didn't really know what Iwanted to do, but I ended up going
to Virginia Tech here inVirginia, where I'm located, and
got my bachelor's in animaland poultry sciences with an emphasis
in equine production business.
I wasn't really sure what Iwas going to do with that degree.
I didn't really have abreeding interest.
I thought I wanted to ride andtrain and manage a barn.
(21:24):
And I went throughundergraduate, got graduated, did
go and work in the field.
I worked at a few barns andtrained for some people and that
was a lot of fun.
I learned a lot, but I justfelt like it wasn't super sustainable
long term for me.
I felt like I needed kind of,you know, what in my parents eyes
might have been a big girljob, you know, something a little
more corporate, if you will.
(21:44):
And so I started talking tosome of my professors and ended up
going back to get my master'sin equine nutrition.
I always had a nutrition interest.
I was always the one at thebarn feeding a bunch of supplements,
feeding different feeds, kindof researching on my own.
So it was great to be able togo and get that education to kind
of back that passion.
Still didn't really know whatI was going to do with this now second
(22:06):
degree, but it felt like theright, the right area to go into.
So I've got equine and dairynutrition degree from Virginia Tech
as well.
And I was out looking for jobsand really locally here they talk
about Virginia being horsecountry and it absolutely is, but
it's a lot of smaller farms,at least in the local area where
I am.
So with an equine nutritiondegree, all that I was finding around
(22:30):
here was opportunities forfeed sales, feed rep positions.
So I applied for a few of those.
It didn't really seem to fitwith what I wanted.
I think I was having a hardtime jumping from the true industry
side and getting to be handson with the horses every day to going
and selling feedstuffs andthat's when I saw the remote ad posting
(22:53):
for Smarty Quine.
As a customer carerepresentative getting to talk about
product talk to customers,that felt a little more connected
for me in the industry andkind of right up my avenue.
So that's how I got started inmy position at Smart Equine and kind
of worked my way up from there.
That's pretty crazy that youwent through two degrees, not quite
(23:13):
sure you're gonna do withthem, and then ended up at an equine
nutrition company.
Like that does feel very fullcircle, right?
Yeah, absolutely.
And, you know, there was atime in there where I thought I was
just gonna ride and train forever.
I thought I was gonna go andbe an equine vet.
So I really, you know, wasn't,wasn't sure, but it couldn't have
worked out any better.
And I really feel like, youknow, the, the takeaway for me was
go with your gut and, youknow, you can try different things.
(23:34):
And, and it worked out.
So it's been, it's been quitethe journey.
You're right.
Well, we're glad that youended up here because now all of
our great customers get towork with you.
All of our other customer careteam members get to learn from you.
So it feels like a win, win overall.
But you obviously, lifelonghorse girl, grew up riding.
Do you have a horse of yourown now?
Yeah, I do.
I have a small farm here inFincastle, Virginia, kind of middle
(23:58):
of nowhere outside of Roanoke.
I've got eight horses on theproperty right now, seven of which
are mine.
I mainly show on the hunterjumper circuit.
I do a little bit of, ofeventing here and there just for
some cross trains.
We event a little bit, we foxhunt with a couple different hunts.
But really I'm, I'm a hunterat heart.
So I've got, got eight horsesnow, most of which are off the track.
(24:22):
Thoroughbreds, they, they holda special place for me.
I've ridden thoroughbredssince I can remember.
I've got a couple warmbloodstoo that are, that are really great.
But it's the, it's thethoroughbreds that I really have
an interest in.
Yeah, they're pretty special.
When you find those right onesthat click too, it really, it really
keeps you coming back to the breed.
Absolutely.
And so you've got a couplehorses under your care.
(24:42):
Are there any that are on SmartPak?
They all receive Smartpak supplements.
I've got one in particular.
I call him my problem child.
He is a 5 year old off thetrack thoroughbred named Ajar.
I adopted him from a newvocations rescue organization about
a year ago.
He is five this year and cameto me with some behavioral issues
(25:04):
and he needed a lot ofconsistency in his care, consistency
in his handling, consistencyunder saddle, and that I was able
to give him.
And we've really clicked.
He is currently showing in thethree Foot Hunter, which has been
great watching his progressionof, you know, not wanting to move
forward at all under saddle.
And I attribute a lot of thatto his nutrition regimen.
He, you know, takes a veryspecific and consistent routine in
(25:28):
order to keep him functioningand performing at his best.
So aj, we call him around thebarn Ajar.
He is on two SmartPaks, twoSmartPak products in a SmartPak.
He is on Smart GI Ultra andSmart Appetite, a newer product for
the company.
Oh, Smart Appetite, I feellike, is one that's like a very undersung
hero.
What, what made you pick thatfor him specifically?
(25:50):
Yeah, it, you know, so Ilearned a lot about the product working
here, of course, and, and itsounded like a supplement that really
was gonna fit into a superspecific course.
You know, it is a complex Bvitamin supplement.
And I knew from experience,I'm a big fan of Perfect Prep products
as well.
And the Perfect Prep kind ofcalming supplements that I've used
and seen really good luck withhave been those that contain their
(26:14):
VI vitamin B have they call ittheir B vitamin complex.
And it just kind of dawned onme that if that works so well before
horse shows when I, if I canuse Perfect Prep and I see a good
kind of calming response,there might be a good chance that
this horse is either deficientor doesn't utilize B vitamins from
his diet or make his own very efficiently.
(26:35):
And so that's what made me trythe product.
Cause I just thought maybe hereally is a little bit deficient
or not creating enough of hisown B vitamins.
Let me give Smart Appetite a try.
So I didn't, you know, reallygo about it from a horse that has
a low appetite perspective.
I went about it from I seebenefit with other B vitamin supplements.
Smart Appetites is a great one.
That's super comprehensive.
(26:56):
Let me give that a try.
And I've never looked back.
I don't think I'll ever takethe horse off of it.
And I honestly do feel likeit's increased his appetite too.
That wasn't the cause of mestarting the product, but I do feel
like it has, has helped keephim eating more, especially at horse
shows.
He wants to munch all daylong, which is great.
Right.
I love that.
That's like a really uniqueway to come to that one.
(27:17):
But it's so cool that itworked for him as well as it has.
Yeah.
I recommend it to everyone.
I've, you know, have, havemeetings with my team here and I've
recommended it to all of theirhorses when they're like, oh, yeah,
I need a calming supplementfor the fireworks before the 4th
of July or what have you.
I'm like, oh, if.
If those work for you, youshould really check out Smart Appetite.
I think that, you know, wemight be onto something here with
some sort of B vitamin deficiency.
(27:38):
I love that.
I feel like as people who haveworked here for like even five minutes,
like, you just end up with that.
You're like, this is it.
This is the one that everyoneneeds to know about.
So we will check off that.
If we need someone to knowabout Smart Appetite, we're coming
back to you.
Absolutely.
It's underrated for sure.
So then let's talk just acouple of the, the horse people type
(28:00):
things, right?
Like, so if Smart Appetite isyour go to, like, this is a supplement
everyone should know about.
Is there like one, one mantra,one just piece of advice, one thing
that you live by that you wisheverybody lived by with their horses.
As somebody who's been a lifeand rider who has a barn of her own.
Yeah.
And I think the biggest thingfor me and what I talk to all the
(28:20):
time about my friends is everyhorse is different.
I am super type A and I wanteverything to just follow a set plan.
And it, you know, this is whatalways works for me and what works
for my program, but it'sreally not the case.
I have just found that myhorses are so unique.
Each of them have something alittle bit different.
I've got some horses that needvitamin E and some that don't.
And that's just really beenhard for me to wrap my head around
(28:42):
of.
They eat all the same forage,they're getting the same things.
How can they be so different?
Different.
But it really is, I think, andI learned this in all of my education
too.
All of my, all of my degreestaught me this as well, is that horses
really are individuals andtherefore should be fed that way.
They aren't like cattle thatcan all that do process things very
similarly.
(29:02):
For example, that the horsesreally do break down and use different
feedstuffs differently.
And so with all of that, Ifeel like that would.
That's probably my biggest,like, piece of advice that I would
give anybody in the horseworld is don't be afraid to try new
things.
Your horse might, might justrespond to it differently, even if
that's never worked for youand it didn't work for the horse
in the stall next to yours.
Yeah.
(29:22):
So it sounds like every horseis maybe one of a kind.
Absolutely.
I would, I would, I wouldtotally agree with that.
Every horse is, is one of akind and, and therefore we can feed
them that way.
Love that.
Well, thank you so much, Tanner.
This has been great to get toknow you a little bit.
Hopefully we'll get to knowyou even more in future episodes,
but for now, we'll.
We'll thank you for your timeand give AJ Our best.
(29:43):
Thank you for having me, Dana.
I look forward to it.
I hope you've enjoyed theinterview with Tanner and if you
didn't recognize it before,she's also the intro voice, so extra
thanks to her.
You can find links to today'sguests and products in the show notes
on your podcast player or onthe website at www.smartpake.com
blog.
(30:03):
We'll be here twice a month onthe 15th and the 30th, but in between
you can find us on Instagramand Facebook as Smart Equine or shop
online@smartequine.com untilnext time, stay smart, stay.
Consistent, and give yourhorse a cookie for us.
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