Lindsay Byers TX – Trick Riding – DSLD – Popping in Shoulder
John Dowdy:
Hello and welcome to this week's Equinety podcast. We've got another great one. We're swinging down into the big state of Texas. We've got trick rider Lindsay Byers on the call this week. Lindsay, welcome to the Equinety podcast.
Lindsay Byers:
Thank you so much for having me, John.
John Dowdy:
Well, it's always a pleasure and we really appreciate you taking your time. I know you're busy out there and have a busy schedule. So we were kind of going back and forth, I believe a week or so ago through Facebook and you had mentioned how the Equinety product has really helped two of your horses. So you've got a retired horse and then you've got your performance horse. Let's start with your retired one. Give us some background on this horse, what was going on, and what you were not hoping to be faced with earlier this year in February. But let's talk about this horse.
Lindsay Byers:
So, you're probably going to have to pronounce it for me because I can't pronounce what she has.
John Dowdy:
Well, we'll do a shorthand. DSLD, how about that?
Lindsay Byers:
There we go. That works.
John Dowdy:
For anyone who has DSLD issues, listen to this one.
Lindsay Byers:
Yes. For sure. So that's what she had. She was diagnosed with that, I believe, back in the end of 2015 because that's when I had to retire her. That was a really tough one because I actually just started trick riding on her when I had to retire her and that was pretty tough. And just hearing from the vet, "There's no cure." All that stuff. And basically since then, all my vet could really do for me is tell me to keep her on Bute and just kind of wait until it takes its toll. We have to make that decision. And back in February of this year, right before we got that huge storm here in Texas where everything shut down, it got so bad where she was. And she doesn't go out in the mud or anything like that. I keep her up where she's up and dry.
Lindsay Byers:
And I give her this big bale of hay where we make her bed for her to lay down. But back then she wouldn't even get up to eat, so I would bring her food and water. And there's no way for me to contact my vet because everything in Texas was shut down. And that's when I put her on Equinety, was then. I kind of get emotional now because I thought I was going to lose her. So I'm just so glad that we still have her now, it's crazy. But we put her on that in February and kind of won everything. I did do a scoop in the AM and the PM because she was in such bad shape. That's how I started her out. And once everything started to defrost here she started just actually getting up to eat. Like when I'd come in the barn she's like, "Oh hey, you're here." She would actually get up to eat and started eating her food and stuff. I'm like, that's-
John Dowdy:
What in the world is going on?
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. It made me so excited because I really thought we were going to have to call a vet at the end of all this and say, "Hey, can you come out here?" And so that just made me so excited. She actually has a pig that she was with. And throughout that whole storm her and her pig would cuddle in the hay together. It was kind of adorable.
John Dowdy:
Oh my gosh. You got to send a picture.
Lindsay Byers:
I will. I will for sure because it's pretty cute.
John Dowdy:
Oh man. Wow.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah, and it-
John Dowdy:
Now, how did you first learn about the Equinety product? And we're talking specifically about Equinety Horse XL.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. Yeah. So I was trying to remember exactly how I found out. I think I found out of it because we had a horse here and for the life of me I can't remember if I put it on her, halfway use it or not. She was only here for like two months, but she's an HYPP mare. And I was trying to find something for her that had no fillers or anything like that. And I love Equinety because it didn't have fillers. But like I said, she was only here for a month and a half probably, just at our barn. So she kind of came and left pretty quick, but I just kept that product on my mind. And so that's really what stuck out for me. And then I also started taking human isometers and stuff like that and just realized how much it helped me after I've worked out and stuff and stretch. I'm like, "Man, the horses would really benefit from something like this if it helps me this much." Yeah. So that's kind of how I found out about it.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. That's great. So as things started or began to unthaw and then she's getting up, how was her progress now over the next month to two months and up to now through this year?
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. So kind of incredible because I kept doing just daily therapy on her, like hydrotherapy and then just all kinds of therapy I can do with her. I could only do therapy for a little bit and then she would lay back down again, which is fine. And then it got to where she really didn't need any extra therapy. She would want to get up. She would be wanting to get out and graze and wait for the gate. Like, "Hey, can you let me out?"
John Dowdy:
Wow.
Lindsay Byers:
And I'm like, "Of course." And then also she got some of her sass back, which she was always kind of a sassy little mare. She's been in my life since I was 13, so we were both kind of sassy back then to begin with.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Yes.
Lindsay Byers:
Just to see her get her life back and her little sassy attitude just made me so happy to see that. Then it got to the point where I no longer had to give her any Bute. Which for her to be on it for so long and then to realize... Because I didn't like her to have to be on it every day because I didn't want to... It's kind of a quality of life... I want her to feel good.
John Dowdy:
Sure.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. So it just... Not have to feed it for her. And still see her getting up, walking around, being happy her. And then also I realized over time, just not only the swelling went down at her back legs but it's almost like it was healing in a way.
John Dowdy:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yep.
Lindsay Byers:
Because her fetlock wasn't... It would either touch the ground or almost the ground every time she walked.
John Dowdy:
Wow.
Lindsay Byers:
And now it's lifted up higher. Which to me, that blows my mind to see that. I can't explain it.
John Dowdy:
Well-
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. It makes me so happy because I'm not ready to lose her anytime soon, so.
John Dowdy:
All right. Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. And I really didn't realize... Everything, over time when you see your horse every day, you may not notice everything as someone else would.
John Dowdy:
That's right. Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Lindsay Byers:
So I ran out of the product, oh, it was right when I messaged you, reached out to you. Because it really showed me how much it helped her. So I ran out of it and she, I think for three to five days she didn't have it, and then she just kind of started backpedaling. And that's when I realized just how much Equinety XL gave her. And that's kind of when I reached out to you and then my husband and I talked. We're like, "Okay. At this point, we're going to put all of our horses on Equinety XL."
John Dowdy:
Yeah. And that's pretty remarkable. And for those of you who are tuning in, this story is phenomenal. And anybody that knows anything about DSLD, I mean, eventually mother nature's going to take its course on that deal. And we've had quite a few customers give us some really positive feedback with the Equinety Horse XL helping with the DSLD. Eventually, it's a matter of time on that but it can definitely help, just like it has with yours, so. What specifically this product is and the thing that makes it so interesting is it doesn't fit into a specific supplement category. In other words, it's not a quote whole supplement or joint supplement or shiny coat supplement or muscle building supplement. What it is it's 100% pure amino acids and there's no fillers, no sugars, no starches.
John Dowdy:
And there's no loading dose. A serving size is 5.2 grams which is about a teaspoon, regardless of the size of the horse. And the reason is we're not dosing on the size of the horse, we're dosing on the size of the pituitary gland which is roughly the same size in horses. And so what these amino acids are specifically doing is stimulating the pituitary gland, which releases repairing hormones. And when that can happen, the horses body is able to send its own hormones to its own problem areas. And so this is why it helps in so many ways. And another way to think about it is it's customizing to each horse. Now you had mentioned that you're giving a scoop in the morning and a scoop in the evening, there are some people that just give one scoop a day. So here's the big difference in one scoop versus two scoops.
John Dowdy:
Let's say, for example, you give a scoop in the morning in their feed. The product absorbs very, very quickly and goes right to work. Hormones are released very quickly out of the pituitary. Now those hormones have a 23 and a half hour life cycle. And so if you gave a scoop in the morning, by the time you give a scoop the following morning, the hormone levels are back to where they would normally be for that age of a horse. And that's perfectly fine. It works very, very well just doing that. And with that being said, with a horse that's injured or one that's coming back from a recovery or surgery or for the working performance horse, if you give a scoop in the morning and a scoop in the evening, what you're doing there is not allowing those hormone levels to get back to ground zero. You're keeping them elevated, which just helps promote fast repair.
John Dowdy:
So that's a big difference in one scoop versus two scoops. And the great thing about it is you can play around with that. I mean, you can try one scoop, see how that works. You can try two scoops. There's not any negative side effects with any medications or feeds or other supplements. It's great and it's easy. Just bam, put the scoop in there and you're done, so. But, well that is really awesome. So you've got your horse back after almost having to make a not so happy decision earlier this year. And it sounds like she-
Lindsay Byers:
I'm so thankful.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. It sounds like she's not slowing down anytime soon.
Lindsay Byers:
No. No, which is great.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Well, that's awesome. So now we were just talking about a retired horse. Now let's go over to your performance trick riding horse and give us some background on this one and why you decided to put Equinety Horse XL on this horse.
Lindsay Byers:
Okay. This is Alamo. I call him kiddo. He's a pretty special kiddo.
John Dowdy:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Lindsay Byers:
He came from Mexico and then worked his way to Colorado with a pack horse. And somehow he came back down to Texas and that's how I bought him. You can kind of tell he had a pretty rough go at it. You can tell he's part codependent. He has some pretty gnarly scars in some places and stuff like that. And I put him on Equinety, I want to say in the summer of 2019. Because I bought him in April of 2019. And he's a pretty small little dude, he's 14.3. And for what we do, hanging off the side of him, when I first got him some people said like, "He probably won't be able to carry you in strap tricks.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
But something in my gut was like, "No, he's going to carry me." Something just told me in my gut, "This is my guy, he's going to do great."
John Dowdy:
Well, one way to find out. You're either going to do that or eat dirt, I guess.
Lindsay Byers:
Exactly.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
And I have eaten a lot of dirt but more because of, not him but because of me.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
So it's basically on my food chain now.
John Dowdy:
Right, yes.
Lindsay Byers:
There's some dirt.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. There are a lot of good minerals in there.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. Yeah. Think of all the positives.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. But for him, I realized too when we would... I would go to clinics and we'd work for two or three days straight and he could recover faster when he was on Equinety and stuff like that. But I also noticed he started being able to... His muscles came, I don't want to say faster, but he started... Because we used to switch leads a lot. When I would try to go with a strap trick, he would start as left lead and pushed his right to try to figure out how to carry me. But once I got his feed right for him, and then also put him on Equinety he started holding onto that left lead all the way around the arena, which is super exciting. And he's honestly carried me and my full fender and stuff like that, which I honestly wasn't sure if we'd be able to do.
John Dowdy:
Nice. Right.
Lindsay Byers:
But he carries me great and he runs hard, but he also keeps me safe and everything. So I just want to do the best for him and probably the best thing I've done is put him on Equinety.
John Dowdy:
Sure. Now you had also mentioned to me with this particular one, you had noticed some popping in the shoulder but when you have him on product that popping isn't there.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. Yeah. So he would have popping inside of his shoulder, and it kind of sounds like it's deep in his shoulder. But he gets regular checkups and regular chiropractor done and therapy done, massage... I mean, everything I can do I'm going to do for this horse because I trust him literally with my life.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, right.
Lindsay Byers:
So I want to do the best I can. And none of that would do anything to help that so once I put him on Equinety it went away. And if by chance he went off the product for three to five days, the popping started coming back. Which I'm like, "Okay, we're just going to keep this on you forever."
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Now what's really interesting because in both of the horses, you put them on product, they're doing exceptionally well. And we've had people do this on purpose, where they're thinking, "Well, let me just..." Maybe they don't need the product anymore. In your case, you ran out.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Or it just didn't get to you in time. So, and that happens more times than not where the horse will start going backwards. And the reason for that, it goes back to the hormone levels. They're not staying elevated and they kind of just start going back to the way that they were. And that's a lot of times where people will... They realize, "Oh my gosh, I'm not ever taking my horses off this product." And eventually the whole barn ends up being on product.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. That's kind of how we are now. We're like, "Okay, I'm going to buy a thing and then always have the extra." So when the first one runs out I can just use the extra and then buy an extra for that one, but never run out of it ever again.
John Dowdy:
Right. Yeah. Well, and you know what? One of the great things too is, it's $99.99 and there's 100 servings in there. So it's a dollar a day per horse if you're giving one scoop a day.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
So it's very palatable for... If you look at all the other supplements that people typically give
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. It's very do-able. Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Yeah. Now are you giving any other supplements at all? Or just these?
Lindsay Byers:
They both get just joint supplements, but that's pretty much it.
John Dowdy:
Yep.
Lindsay Byers:
And I kind of hate to get him off of it, even though... When they both got off Equinety, that's when I've seen stuff come back.
John Dowdy:
Right.
Lindsay Byers:
So they can go without the joint supplement and I don't notice anything different. So I think that speaks volumes and did that. So, yeah.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. And I think that's one of the big questions we get all the time too. People that might be giving their horses two, three, four, or five, however many supplements. And one of the questions that we get often is, "Should I stop giving these other supplements and just give the Equinety Horse XL?" And our response to that is, don't change anything you're doing as far as feed supplements or anything, just add this to it because there's not any negative side effects. And then over the next couple of days to a couple of weeks, and more often than not within 30 days people can notice the changes that are happening. And then if there's some of these supplements that you might be giving that you're thinking, "Well, I don't think it was really doing that much anyways." You could either reduce or stop giving other things. And typically people are saving 20% to 40% just in supplements just by giving the Horse XL. Is that kind of what you found?
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. Yeah. For sure. I'm no longer buying like 10 different things and feeling like I'm over-protective horse owner. Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Well, that's the thing too. From our standpoint, it wouldn't be fair for us to say, "Oh, take them off everything and just use this." Because one, I don't know your horses like you do. And so that's why we recommend don't change a thing, just add this. That way you're only changing one element, right?
Lindsay Byers:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
John Dowdy:
And then over the next couple of weeks to 30 days, you can make that decision. So well, that is really awesome. And then what is Alamo's demeanor these days? How is he looking at compared to just a couple of years ago, prior to when you required him?
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. So he's pretty... He's just great. I don't know. I really appreciate him so much for everything then. But he loves his job. He stays relatively calm and everything like that. He's kind of like, stranger danger when it comes to people but he's always been like that. But that's pretty much the only thing. He loves to do his job. He's a very interesting horse because he's very... Has lots of quirks. One of his quirks is he doesn't want to go on trail rides, he doesn't want to do anything else. He just wants to do his job. So I'm like, "You're a trick riding horse, if you want to do your job that's great. That's cool too."
John Dowdy:
Yeah. It's like, "Why should I waste all my energy on a trail when I can do..."
Lindsay Byers:
I feel like he thinks like that. He's like, "Why am I doing this when I can just run and stop?"
John Dowdy:
Oh gosh, that is so funny. Wow.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Well, so going to your... Talking a little bit about your trick riding. Maybe share with everybody what it was like when you attempted some of your first tricks. Because I know that's got to be a little bit adrenaline rush when you're hanging upside down, and standing on top and doing things.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
So what was that like as you were learning and even still today?
Lindsay Byers:
So it's interesting. I wasn't raised around horses. I always just loved them. My parents were pretty good about letting me collect all these animals. But when it came to horses, I bought the horse, I spent the money to take care of the horse, I did everything, right? And in high school is when I saw someone trick riding for the first time, just a picture on my computer. And I saved it as my back screen. And my mom wasn't okay with that.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. And my sister's the adrenaline junkie and I've never been that kind of person, but something about that just spoke to my soul, honestly.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
And once I got engaged and my mom couldn't tell me no anymore...
John Dowdy:
Yeah. That's funny.
Lindsay Byers:
I scheduled my first trick riding lesson and I really thought it'd be like, okay, something I did once and I probably won't ever do again. But the first time I sit on top... I have a picture, I see every single time I go up and down my stairs. It's the first time doing the Hippodrome and I had my hands in the air. I remember that moment exactly, it was just, that's where I belonged.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
And that's kind of how trick riding is for me. I've dreamed about it in my dreams. I think about it every day. And there's been some tough times where I've had a set back for injury or something like that. And I'll probably do it until I can't walk or something like that, really.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
That's awesome.
Lindsay Byers:
But there's definitely some things where I have to work through the mental block or coming back from injury. My roam mare, back in 2018, we had an accident where she went through a fence and fell on top of me.
John Dowdy:
Ugh.
Lindsay Byers:
And so there's been some mental blocks coming back from injury.
John Dowdy:
Right, yep.
Lindsay Byers:
And stuff like that. And that's why Alamo's very special to me because he really was that horse that helped me get back into it and trusting him.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. That's great.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. I love it.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Well, that is really, really awesome. So maybe a big inspiration for some other young ladies out there that would like to get into trick riding.
Lindsay Byers:
I hope so. Yeah. It saved my life honestly. So I support it, love it.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. That's great.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Wow. Well, I tell you, if there's anybody else that's tuning in to the podcast and they've heard these stories and they think, "Well, boy, that sounds interesting but I'm not too sure. It sounds too good to be true. It sounds like a miracle supplement." What would you have to say to them to maybe get them off the fence to give it a try?
Lindsay Byers:
Oh, man. Don't wait like I did. I wish I put my older retired mare on it sooner, before I almost had to make that decision. That's the one thing I wish I did. Don't wait, just do it.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, I tell you, we've had more than I can even count on hands and feet where some pretty dire situations where people were looking at. Even had their vets scheduled to come out and then they came across the product and said, "Hey, do you think this would work?" I'm like, "Holy cow." We're in within days here. But more times than not... It's not going to help every single time. I tell people it's not a miracle supplement but it sure does some miraculous things. And if you're ever in a situation where you've tried lots of other things and nothing seems to work or if you're just starting out on your search, just give this a try.
Lindsay Byers:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
John Dowdy:
And the odds of it working are very, very, very, very high.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah. Because now we're putting all our horses on it and that speaks a lot too. When even my husband's like, "Yeah, we're putting everybody on this."
John Dowdy:
Yeah. That's awesome.
Lindsay Byers:
Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Well, I tell you, I really appreciate you taking the time. Lindsay Byers, out of Texas. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your stories here on the Equinety podcast.
Lindsay Byers:
Oh, thank you.
John Dowdy:
Okay. You bet.
Lindsay Byers:
And thank you for Equinety.
John Dowdy:
Absolutely. Thank you. Bye-bye.
Lindsay Byers:
Bye.
