Jessica Lash - Performance Horses - Colic Scares
John Dowdy:
Hello, and welcome to this week’s Equinety podcast. We are swinging up into Northeast Indiana. We've got Jessica Lash on the call this week, Jessica. Welcome to the Equinety podcast.
Jessica Lash:
Hi, thank you so much for having me. I'm really happy to get a chance to share our story with Equinety.
John Dowdy:
Well, and I appreciate it. You had actually sent over kind of a little bit of a testimonial on how this product has been helping now. And of course you sent pictures and I'm like, Oh, okay, that's it. We've got to have you on this podcast to share this story.
So you and your daughter are in the barrel racing world. So we're going to talk about performance horses this week. So let's get into how long have you guys been doing that together? And well, let's start there. So basically pre Equinety, we'll talk about.
Jessica Lash:
Okay, so I've been barrel racing my whole life. I'm 36 now. My daughter's been barrel racing her whole life. I really felt like we were pretty knowledgeable about what our horses needed nutritionally. We had a colic episode in early May and then a colic episode in a different horse in mid-May.
At that time, Danielle Bowser, who's a fellow barrel racer, she reached out to me, I'm so grateful, she said, "Hey, just so you know, we took our horses off of all of our grain. This is the diet we feed. Equinety was a part of that." She said, "I really think that you should try it."
So I was very skeptical, being a barrel racer and a performance horse person. I really thought my horses needed to have the grain. They needed the carbs. They needed the energy. I thought that they probably wouldn't perform as well. I definitely thought that they were going to lose weight. We have some big horses, some off the track horses, they're not necessarily hard keepers, but they do have requirements.
But I thought Danielle and Kelly have a lot of success in the barrel racing industry. If their horses are performing without grain on this diet, I really wanted to give it a try. So that very day we went ahead and started transitioning to her diet recommendations. I got on and ordered Equinety and I have not looked back.
John Dowdy:
Wow. Okay. And we'll get into how things are going now, since you've been using the Equinety. But I think everybody's worst nightmare is to have a horse that colics. Tell us about that experience and what happened, how severe was it. Tell us about that whole experience.
Jessica Lash:
Terrifying in a word. The first horse with colic was my young horse. His was not as severe as my daughter's horse. He had an impaction. So our mid-May colic was my daughter's horse, that was the one that really was a reality check. He had to be hospitalized. He spent a couple of days in the hospital. We were talking about surgery and the cost of surgery was going to be $8,000 to $10,000. Of course there's no guarantee in success.
My husband and I were sitting at home at three in the morning, waiting on the vet's call, trying to decide which way this was going to go. Of course, I already knew I was writing the test paper for the colic surgery, he might not have known, but I knew that was the direction we were heading. And thankfully it did not come to that, but it was the reality check that we needed.
Like I mentioned, I've never been a fan of big, high grain diets, so that let me know we needed to find something else that was going to work for our horses. And we have not had any issues since we quit.
John Dowdy:
Like you kind of mentioned, I would imagine it was a bit of a complete mind shift where you've been feeding a certain program for X amount of years. And now all of a sudden do a complete diet change with something that you thought was the right thing to be giving in the first place.
Jessica Lash:
Yeah. It's a scary ledge to step off of. And especially when you're in the middle of performance season, which we were. We're asking them to be at the top of their game weekend after weekend and we really didn't know what to expect. So yeah, I think we were kind of stepping blind. Had Danielle not reached out, I probably would've stayed where it was comfortable, and I'm so glad I didn't.
John Dowdy:
Right. Now, what is your typical season when you're barrel racing, you and your daughter?
Jessica Lash:
So we try to be on the road by late March. So of course we're in Indiana, so that is a little bit weather permitting depending on how rough the winter is, but we'll go March through November typically. We'll be on the road every weekend. A lot of those are three days shows, occasionally we'll pick up a one day show, but when we go, we try to go for the weekends. We typically haul Indiana, Ohio, Michigan. That's usually where we're at.
John Dowdy:
Yep. Now, when did you start using the Equinety? Now in this podcast, we're specifically talking about Equinety Horse XL. You have not tried the Ultimate OEC, which I think after we spoke a little bit earlier, I think that'll be a nice addition and we'll kind of get into how all that helps. But when did you start using the Equinety Horse XL?
Jessica Lash:
So I believe it was May 18th that my daughter's horse was hospitalized and that's the day that Danielle reached out and that is the day I ordered it. So it took probably several days to get here. We started everybody on it right away. I've got four performance horses on it.
John Dowdy:
Okay. So with your experience in the performance horse world, prior to the Equinety product, what was it like when you're hauling horses? For those who may not know, do they all require different diets? Do they require different supplements? Are some of them stressed, some of them not?
Jessica Lash:
Yes.
John Dowdy:
Tell us about what that experience is like when you're hauling multiple horses all over the place.
Jessica Lash:
Well, I wanted to pull my hair out. [crosstalk 00:00:06:17]. Packing was complicated. I'm trying to think what our hauling friends called my trailer. They called it something along the line of the witches lab or something like that. I don't think that was it, but it was something like that.
And that was just to say, I had so much in there because we were trying to meet each horse's needs. And so we were packing different things for different horses. Four horses on the trailer, times all of those different things, it got complicated. So we've really simplified all the horses, no matter the life stage or the competition level right now, they're all on the same diet. They're all on Equinety.
It's so nice because I have two totes that their feed goes in and my Equinety, and then they take one other thing for their joints. And that's it. Everybody's on that. And so the packing is fantastic. It actually all fits in one little manger underneath the window in my trailer.
John Dowdy:
Wow. What do you do with all your free time?
Jessica Lash:
I don't know. I have filled it.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, it gets sucked up somewhere else. Now, how long have you and your daughter been traveling together?
Jessica Lash:
Since my daughter was about 18 months old, we've been on the road since then really. She loves to barrel race, she eats, sleeps, breathes barrel racing. She wants to be a professional barrel racer, and of course I tell her, I think absolutely she can if you work hard enough. So that's sort of all right now.
John Dowdy:
And how old is she?
Jessica Lash:
She's nine.
John Dowdy:
Nine. So there's no competition between the two of you, I'm sure
Jessica Lash:
There shouldn't be, but there is. No, she has really stepped it up. She runs two horses. So last weekend we were at the big money show in Shipshewana, Indiana. It's a nice show, it draws a lot of nice horses in. So Sunday, I ran a 15.3, she ran a 15.5, so that's how close that gap is getting. And I've got no doubt she'll be overtaking me soon.
And I always joke, it's the handicap factor. You know how they handicap race horses and the weight matters. Well, she's 60 pounds and I'm 145 pounds, but I don't think that's it.
John Dowdy:
Now last year, what was her mindset trying to beat mom versus this year? Has anything changed?
Jessica Lash:
Well, I mean, she's always thought she can beat me. But last year, about part way through the season, probably halfway, she said, "I'm going to outrun you this year." And I said, "I hope you do, but I hope it's because you're super fast and not because I'm super slow." She said, "I'm not super slow."
But she has really stepped it up. I mean, she comes in the arena to win and I like that a lot about her. She's a perfectionist, she tries super hard and you can see that in her riding and in her results.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. So what are some of the things that she's won recently or this year? I mean this year with the COVID things, I'm sure you're not out as much as you normally would be, but how's her year going so far and yours?
Jessica Lash:
Well, my year is a little slower. I'm seasoning a young horse. He's coming along real nice. I have appreciated, I do feel like the Equinety is helping with the stress of foaling. It's his first year on the road, he is handling that great. He's eating great on the road. His weight is great. His focus is great.
The show we just went to last weekend, it's in a Coliseum. It was his first time to run with banners all around the wall. It was his first time to run down a chute not out of a catch pan. A lot of firsts. He just went right to work for me. He actually ended up finishing two spots out of winning the 3D average, which to me on a young horse that's only been on the trailer for about eight, 10 weeks, that's great, that kind of consistency.
So I was super happy with that. My daughter, she's another story this year. We did get a late start, but she's checked a lot of her goals off the list this year. And these have all been met after starting our horses on Equinety. So that's definitely worth mentioning.
John Dowdy:
Interesting. I like that. It has nothing to do with the horses or the rider, it's just the product.
Jessica Lash:
Well, I won't say that, but the product helped. I have no doubt the product helped. They have never looked or performed better, so definitely we're so grateful for that.
But she picked up the 2D buckle at the Sharon [Camerino 00:10:52] Fun and Fast Time show. She won a 4D trophy [hawker 00:10:57] in the Young Guns at the [Shaylene 00:10:59] Memorial, the Barrels and Bling show in Cloverdale. She qualified for Best of the Best this year, we ended up not going, it just didn't work out with her schedule this year, but she did qualify. She just took reserve in the 1D average at the Big Money show and also ended up winning the 2D buckle on her other horse at the Big Money show. So she's just had a phenomenal year.
John Dowdy:
That's great. Now for those tuning in for the first time, maybe you've been seeing this Equinety product on your news feed. We do a lot of advertising and Facebook. Of course we do some stuff on Ride TV and RFD TV, as well as the Team Roping Journal, we're doing some stuff in there recently.
But the Equinety Horse XL, which is what we've been on the market with for a little over five and a half years is 100% pure amino acids. There's no fillers, no sugars, no starches. And there's no loading dose.
By the way, when you first saw the little dose size, what were your thoughts? Cause it's 5.2 grams, which is like a teaspoon. What was your thoughts when you saw that?
Jessica Lash:
Well, probably my first thought was this is great, because this is going to be affordable, which it is, it is very affordable.
John Dowdy:
Dollar a go, yes.
Jessica Lash:
Fantastic, because then it'd be easy to pack in my trailer was the thought. Like we mentioned earlier, like we talked about, I was absolutely skeptical, not only of the diet but also of this product. There's so much out there. There's a push for any product you can think of. And so I didn't know what the results would be, but I'm definitely sold on it now.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Well, what's really interesting about the product, or one of the many things, and you kind of just touched on it because this product really doesn't fall into a joint supplement, a hoof supplement, a gut supplement, a muscle building supplement, a calmer, a shiny coat supplement, a less stress supplement. It doesn't fall into any of those categories.
What it's actually doing, is the amino acids are specifically formulated to stimulate the pituitary gland, which is the master gland in the body. And that's what releases the necessary hormones, which then the body sends to those problem areas for repair. And so in essence, it's customizing to each horse because we're allowing the body to help repair itself. And so that's why it helps in so many different ways.
And in this case, you're coming back from some colic scares. A lot of people in the performance world use it as a preventative. They use it as a recovery type of a product. But it really helps in all of these areas. And that's one of the reasons why we started the podcast, to capture these stories.
And there's everything that you can imagine. So if you're dealing with whatever issue with your horse, make sure you go to a teamequinety.com and check out the podcast section. And there's a search function, so you can search for navicular or arthritis or performance horses. I mean, whatever you want, just type it in there and it'll pull up all the ones that have to deal with those situations.
We recently came out with, earlier this year, a new product, a secondary product that works in combination with the amino acids. And it's called Equinety Ultimate OEC. And what that product is, it's a flaxseed based omega-3 with 1,000 international units of natural vitamin E and colloidal silver all in one. It's a half gallon, because there's no fillers in it. And again, there's no loading dose with this either.
But this product serves two functions. One, working in combination with the amino acids, it's helping to give those repaired cells some nutrition to help them operate at optimal levels. And secondary, it acts as a very powerful antioxidant, which helps reduce the inflammation. So what we're finding is that people that are using both of these together are just having phenomenal results.
And even with you, Jessica, you haven't used the Ultimate OEC yet, which you're going to be picking some of that up. But just the results that you've had from the amino acids alone is pretty astonishing. And we hear these stories all the time, and I think it would be a good comparison at this point.
You've been racing for a lot of years without Equinety, how would you say the horses are doing, if you compare since you've been using it this year from May, which at the time of this recording is six months, seven months somewhere in there. How would you compare the last six months to all the years prior to Equinety since you've been using product?
Jessica Lash:
Yeah. I think that mentally and physically, they handle the stress better. I think that it's a great support to them out on the road and in their training. Physically, they've never looked better. I know I talked to you a little bit about my daughter's horse. He's a real dark gray. He's dappled out like a gray horse. I mean, it's incredible to look at him.
All of them, their weight and muscling is phenomenal. Their manes and tails are thicker. Their hoof health is great. And I've got one horse off the track who didn't come with great feet to begin with, so I know it's supporting that. The way I explain it to my kids is, my stepson also barrel races a little bit as well, so we go through everything that the horses are eating so they understand why we're putting this in the horse's body.
And when we talk about Equinety, we talk about the amino acids and the function that that has. But the way I explain it to them is this is a way for us to support the whole horse. And that's truly how I look at it. We start at the cellular level and I feel like they just radiate, they glow from the inside out and I can tell they feel so good and they look so good. I'll feed it. I mean, I'll always feed it. I can't imagine taking it out.
John Dowdy:
Sure. And of course, Danielle Bowser had reached out to you when you were going through those challenges. We actually have Danielle and Kelly on one of the podcasts. And of course with them being, Kelly more on than the futurity side of things, but one of the things that he was talking about was in the younger horses and how it just helps the focus so much. And you even spoke about this, taking your young horse into a brand new place with banners and all this stuff, and he was just like, "Okay, let's run."
Jessica Lash:
Yeah, he has handled this year so well. We just put him on the trailer. I think May was our first show due to COVID. So we just started hauling him this last weekend. We showed, it was a Coliseum type show, banners. They had banners. It was one long string of banners, it went all the way around the entire pen.
I mean, it's busy, busy. The warmup area is not real big, so you've got a lot of horses working in one area. It was his first time to run down a chute, not coming circling around the catch pen. The chute had banners all the way around. So you're coming into that barrel blind. He works hard. He went in and I didn't have an issue with him looking around at anything, he just went into work.
John Dowdy:
That's awesome. Wow. Well, I tell you what, I think this will be a great benefit for those that are in the performance horse world and those who are not. Make sure you check out all the testimonials that we have all over our Facebook page, as well as our website, all these other podcasts, because there's a plethora of things from one end of the spectrum to the next.
And of course we always recommend, make sure you consult with your vet before making changes and doing things. One of the great things with this product is there's not any negative side effects with any medications because it's amino acids. They're the building blocks for protein.
So what we're finding through the years, it doesn't matter what the age of the horse is, what kind of diet they're on, they could be getting the creme de la creme and be able to add this product to their diet. They see results. And the great thing is, is it starts working in 24 hours. And the vast majority of people do notice changes in 30 days or less. So it's pretty amazing stuff.
Well, Jessica, I really appreciate you taking the time to share your stories here on the Equinety podcast. I think it will be a great benefit to those tuning in. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we sign off? Maybe somebody that might be on the fence a little bit and saying, "Well, this stuff's a little too good to be true." Anything that you would like to say to them that you maybe have not already said?
Jessica Lash:
Yeah, I would say I was that person. Just do it. Just buy it and try it. I don't think you'll go back either. We're so grateful that we tried it. It's a simple thing to add and the results are just phenomenal. It's worth every penny we spend on it.
John Dowdy:
That's great. Awesome. Well, Jessica Lash out of Indiana, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story here on the Equinety podcast.
Jessica Lash:
Thank you so much for having me. It's been great.
John Dowdy:
Okay. Thanks. Bye bye.
