Linsay Sumpter – Lifetime Cowgirl - Breakaway Roper – College Rodeo coach – Navicular - EPM
John Dowdy:
Hello and welcome to this week's Team Equinety podcast. We're swinging out into Colorado. We've got professional breakaway roper and collegiate coach on the line. Linsay Sumpter. Welcome to the Team Equinety podcast.
Linsay Sumpter:
Hi, thank you for having me. I'm excited to visit and get to know everybody.
John Dowdy:
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much. I know you are a busy person out there and we just had another breakaway roper on last week. So this might be the mood we're in these few weeks here. That's that's a great.
Linsay Sumpter:
It's the year of the breakaway. That's what it is.
John Dowdy:
Yes. Year of the breakaway. Well, I know everybody's going to really enjoy this one. And as we were talking, you were giving me your background. And of course, my question to you was is how long have you been breakaway roping? You said, "Well, it goes much deeper than that. More like a genetic default." So?
Linsay Sumpter:
Yes. Very much so.
John Dowdy:
All right. So give us the background and lead us all the way up until today.
Linsay Sumpter:
Yeah. So my genetic default plays into that I was born and raised in the rodeo business. My grandfather Cotton Rosser is his name and he is 93 years old. And he has been a stock contractor for over 70 years in the west coast.
Linsay Sumpter:
So I grew up in Northern California and just did everything with the rodeo company that you could potentially do throughout your entire life. When I was younger, I had to trick ride and Roman ride because my grandfather bought a team and I was the youngest in the family. So I had to learn how to do it. Right?
John Dowdy:
Here. Try this.
Linsay Sumpter:
The American. Yeah, here you go, throw you to the wolves. To the wolves you go!
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Linsay Sumpter:
I carried the American flag at the National Final Rodeo when I was six years old. I was very lucky to grow up around a lot of, some of the most talented ropers kind of in the country because they would come and stay when the rodeos were in California, they'd stay at the ranch.
Linsay Sumpter:
And I was just really, really lucky and blessed to grow up in this business, in this industry when I was young and we were going to rodeos, our rodeo company would take anywhere from 10 to 50 saddle horses because they would have bands that would play in a parade on the horses. And all of our horses were really gentle and pick up horses and slide horses. And my grandpa, he's very much known for his pageantry of the opening ceremonies in rodeo.
Linsay Sumpter:
So I took care of horses ever since I could throw a saddle up on a horse, I was taking care of them and I was very lucky to start to kind of compete when I was about 12. It was kind of that transition of now you're big enough and strong enough. And I really think that you can burn young athletes out at a young age. So I was really thankful that I didn't get burned out with the horse thing because it's still what I do. I wake up every day and I eat breathe of sleep rodeo and horses.
Linsay Sumpter:
So I rodeoed all through high school. I had some success in California in high school rodeo and was an all around cowgirl for the state of California and breakaway titles and had some success in California in high school rodeo.
Linsay Sumpter:
And got to go to nationals and went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on a rodeo scholarship in rodeoed for them all through college and went to the college national finals three times for them and met my husband when I was in college. He was rodeoing professionally. He's a steer wrestler or he was. He's retired now.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Linsay Sumpter:
And been in rodeo seems like forever, but it seems like it's going really fast. Yep.
John Dowdy:
I know the older we get the faster time, time flies. Yeah.
Linsay Sumpter:
Yeah. It's been so exciting to be part of this kind of new ways for rodeo and it feels like it's just getting better.
Linsay Sumpter:
Like I said before, when you graduated from college in my era and my generation and you lived in California and you're on the west coast and you aren't in Texas kind of in that hub of the amateur rodeos where they had breakaway and roping where they had breakaway, you were kind done roping.
Linsay Sumpter:
You could team rope and you could go to the team ropings, but that was even before world series, now they had the USTRC then. And the money was pretty good, but you couldn't make a living with rope.
Linsay Sumpter:
So now fast forward, 15 years, 10 years. And like I said, the year of breakaway and this big wave of allowing us to kind of showcase our ability that we do have with rope has been really fun and kind of being in the forefront of it to push and promote breakaway has been an awesome experience for me.
Linsay Sumpter:
Because rodeo has given me so much as an individual and my family so much and myself, my personal family, my husband and my children are going to grow up in this industry as well. And to give back and help to support grow, is kind of a big thing for me. And I'm really excited for it.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, no, that is really exciting. All those things. Now also on part of your career, you also worked around the professional bull riders.
Linsay Sumpter:
Yep. My first, so California girl to move to Colorado sounds appealing, but I live in the part of Colorado that's not John Denver, Rocky mountain high I'm in the part of Colorado that's more little house on the ferry, Laurie Ingalls. So, it's not quite. It's so funny recruiting because I coach now, but recruiting, they're like, "Oh, Colorado. Do they get good snowboarding. I'm like, "Yeah, no, not really."
John Dowdy:
Little different. Little different.
Linsay Sumpter:
So yeah. I was lucky to be hired by Randy Bernard who so much from and he's just a powerhouse in the industry when it comes to live events and just the sport in general. He was a CEO at the time for the PBR. And I did PR and marketing for them and traveled with the Built Ford Tough series.
Linsay Sumpter:
And I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I loved my time with the PBR. It was just really hard to be Wade rodeoing professionally, and then me on the tour with the built Ford Tough series, I would be home and he would be gone and then he would come home and I would be gone and just to start your own family and build a marriage and all those things, that was just not going to be the ideal circumstances.
Linsay Sumpter:
So the opportunity to start coaching came from Otero College in Mona, Colorado, which is about 30 miles from where we live. And they decided to start a program and took a chance on a girl, as a female head coach for intercollegiate team is pretty challenging.
Linsay Sumpter:
I'm one of, I would say less than 10 in the country. There's 11 regions. And I don't know how many member schools throughout the national intercollegiate rodeo association, but there's not very many women head coaches. And they took a chance on me. This is my 13th season.
John Dowdy:
Wow.
Linsay Sumpter:
So, I've been the coach for... I've been molding the minds of the youth of America for almost 13 years.
John Dowdy:
Oh, that could be scary depending on who knows you best.
Linsay Sumpter:
I know. I know, right? Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, so with, well, I would assume being the head coach and your vast knowledge of all the things from Western pleasure and trick riding and barrel racing and all the things that you've done growing up really helps out at the college level being the head coach.
Linsay Sumpter:
Oh yeah.
John Dowdy:
And you've got all these events and disciplines.
Linsay Sumpter:
Yeah. It's funny because I always the very first week, I recruit, I'm the only college in the state of Colorado that bucks bulls and horses every week religiously. And I am a firm believer that you can't call yourself a rodeo program if you don't buck bulls and horses. You can be assigned to that program, and you can have a rodeo team. But if you don't try to better the sport and build the sport, I mean our, on the rough stock side of things, it's a challenge. It's hard.
Linsay Sumpter:
Genetically, we have made bucking animals so amazing. They're like crazy athletes, just look at the bucking bulls and the PBR and the bucking horses at the NFR. What those horses and bulls can do with their bodies is just remarkable. And then to be like, "Hey, you weigh 145 pounds and you get to ride it."
Linsay Sumpter:
And so to build the confidence and to build athletes to kind of take on Goliath is a big deal. And you can wreck a lot of athletes at a young age. And I think that's kind what has happened in the rough side of things. To not have animals for them to either practice on or to have animals that are maybe too high caliber for them.
Linsay Sumpter:
So I really kind of pride myself in taking on the student athlete that maybe isn't the most elite, even on the timed event things as well, but in the rough stock side of things, just give them that opportunity because it's just like jumping or dressage. If you don't practice, then you have a hard time when you do get to compete when you get to that competition. So I really pride myself that I'm the only school in Colorado that bucks bulls the horses every week.
Linsay Sumpter:
So to push my credibility on these little 18 year old juvenile males, they're funny because I'll bring the horses in and I'm in the backend and I sort and I load them and then get them in the shoot and get them all, do shoot procedure with them. And then I flank and my assistant he'll pick up for me. And so.
Linsay Sumpter:
I'm kind of in the heat of the battle with them and in the trenches with them. And it changes their mentality so fast that it's their respect that I'm not just sitting in the stands videoing them and being like, "Hey, good luck. Hold on, stay on." Right?
Linsay Sumpter:
I'm in there with them trying to help them and trying to get them better and talk to them and being in the rodeo business, I have a lot of really, really great friends that I can send videos to, or try to get just advice to give to a bareback rider or bronc rider or even a bull rider.
Linsay Sumpter:
So I'm pretty lucky and it's been a great experience and I honestly never thought I would coach this long. I don't know why. I just kind of figured if I was old enough to be their mother I wouldn't coach. And then, here it is, I woke up and I'm older than some of their moms and like, "Shoot, darn it. That's not really what I was expecting." Yeah.
John Dowdy:
Well now I have to ask you this question, because I remember when I was 18 and felt like I was Superman. Have you had anybody, these young bucks that have never done any rough stock and come out and said, "Yeah, I think I'm going to try that."
Linsay Sumpter:
Oh yeah. Oh, big time. All the time.
John Dowdy:
And how does that work for them? They do pretty good?
Linsay Sumpter:
So then just depends. That's what I'm saying. I try to get animals that will allow somebody like that to get on. So maybe a bucking horse is maybe a little, little older or maybe not quite that higher caliber bucking horse that could go to a rodeo that'll help teach.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Nice.
Linsay Sumpter:
But yeah, the only way that the sport is going to be sustained is to have athletes. I mean, really if the athletes aren't there, then there is no rodeo.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, that's right.
Linsay Sumpter:
So I really like to try to build up as many as we can to, especially in the rough stock side of things. It's weird, but I've had more success in the rough stock on a regional status on athletes making the college finals in the rough stock side of things then I have in the timed event.
Linsay Sumpter:
When I've had timed event, Cowboys make the national finals rodeo, but they couldn't make the college finals, but my rough stock guys made the college finals. So I'm like, "Well, let's just keep rough stock guys. I'm good with it. No big deal."
John Dowdy:
Yeah. That is great. Wow. Well, that is pretty darn impressive. I will say.
Linsay Sumpter:
Well, thank you.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Linsay Sumpter:
Sometimes I'm not sure if you were here every day that you would find it very impressive.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Well, Hey, so this kind of leads us into with your vast knowledge and career and you have your education's kind of around animal science. Was that, correct?
Linsay Sumpter:
Yeah. I have an agriculture science degree. I initially, just like every college kid, I was going to go to law school and become an agriculture lobbyist that was kind of what I was game planning.
Linsay Sumpter:
And then it changed five times in the midst of being at Cal Poly and getting my undergrad. But I have an agriculture science degree and my concentration is animal science and I have a minor in AG communications. So I have the gift of gab a little bit.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, no, that's great. So being brought up around horses and I'm sure lots of supplements and different things, what has been just your mindset on supplements as a whole, and then how does that segue and lead into how you found out about Equinety?
Linsay Sumpter:
Yeah. Supplements as a whole. I really am, I don't like a lot of sugary supplements. I never have. We had a paint horse stud that my family, we were big into paint horses growing up and he must have had a hint of PSSM that would genetically pass onto his colts because a lot of his horses would tie up.
Linsay Sumpter:
So if you had them on a high sugar, say just wheat seed, they were not healthy when we were at the rodeos. Because pickup horses are in there going 90 miles an hour for the whole time for the bareback riding and the whole bronc riding and a lot of running.
Linsay Sumpter:
And I could really see a difference in those horses if we would go to rodeos and there would be maybe they were very resilient animals, actually those horses that get used at rodeos because a lot of times their feed changes.
Linsay Sumpter:
Because we'll go to Utah and the rodeo committee would have a load of hay there and it would be sometimes very great alfalfa and that's pretty potent. And sometimes it wouldn't be very good. Sometimes it would be hay that was bailed on the side of the highway. And that is not a lie.
Linsay Sumpter:
So you would have to supplement a little bit in between, but I could see a lot with when they on any sort of sweet feed and high sugar. So I'm really into that kind of long standing carbohydrate, low sugar stabilized rice brand with Renew Gold.
Linsay Sumpter:
And then when I purchased the breakaway horse that I have now, he had some feet issues, probably the start of navicular and I was kind of doing some research and Equinety came up. And so when I got him, I kind of started him on it. And, just to see on the cellular regrowth and how it made him feel and I could kind of I could see a difference in him in the first two weeks.
Linsay Sumpter:
And kind of what I had said before is when I look at what's in Equinety, it's nothing that I'm not taking for myself. And so stuff that makes me feel good. I know that it's going to make them feel good. And there isn't that filler of a bunch of sugars and all that.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Unnecessary things. Fillers.
Linsay Sumpter:
Unnecessary. Yeah. So it's kind of it's important to me that what I'm putting into them is kind of the thing that I would do for myself. I let horses be horses. My husband had a lot of success with steer wrestling horses and had three different times won AQHA horse of the year with two different horses.
Linsay Sumpter:
And they all are horses. They run in a herd, they get turned out during the day or at night and they're in a pen during the day. And so we treat them kind of in their almost natural type habitat to where try to keep where you don't have to do all that too much extra stuff.
Linsay Sumpter:
The horses that are on the road are going to get the supplementation, because they're not out in the pastures and getting kind of that grass and all the other things that they do.
John Dowdy:
Right. So with the pre-navicular of what you were thinking was the pre-navicular you started seeing changes within a couple weeks. How long have you been using the Equinety Horse XL on this horse?
Linsay Sumpter:
I bought him in 2019 and he's been on it since then.
John Dowdy:
And how's he doing now?
Linsay Sumpter:
He's good. I mean, he's my number one. He's the horse that I ride everywhere that I go. He'd be the sorrel kind of strip face horse that I just took into Vegas to the women's world championship. He's been to every, bless his heart. I kind of threw him to the wolves.
Linsay Sumpter:
I sold a really nice mare to Sawyer Gilbert that she's actually riding at the NFR this year, which is pretty cool. I have two horses on a sidetrack. I have two horses that I've had hand in training. That'll be ridden at the NFR this year.
Linsay Sumpter:
Nice.
Linsay Sumpter:
And I'm pretty excited about that. Yeah. And I sold that mare to Sawyer and I had this horse and I had just kind of started him. He went to one rodeo and his very first rodeo, kind of major rodeo, I took him to Cheyenne and we made it through all the progressives and made the short round on him. And it was his second rodeo 2019. And then we had the awesome COVID vacation.
John Dowdy:
Right.
Linsay Sumpter:
Right. So then we had COVID vacation and he didn't really get to go to a lot of places. So he's not green, but he's just a boss. He has been easy from day one to start and train. And his feet and condition aside, he's a gamer and I'm just lucky to have him and so anything. And I was kind of when you get to that point, when you have a horse like that, you're to the point where you're like, "I'll do whatever it takes to keep him sound and healthy and happy." And Equinety has been that product.
John Dowdy:
That's awesome. Now we're going to talk about one other horse here, but before we do that, for anybody that's tuning in, maybe you've just come across the Equinety product. You're wondering what it is. How does it do so much in this tiny little scoop? So I'll tell you a little bit about it.
John Dowdy:
It's a hundred percent pure amino acids, and we're talking about the Equinety Horse XL. There's no fillers, no sugars, no starches. And there's no loading dose. So the little tiny scoop, which is 5.2 grams about a teaspoon. That's all you give them. Just one scoop a day is perfectly fine. If you're working the horse or performance horse, train it hard, we'd recommend a scoop in the morning and a scoop in the evening. That's just going to help with faster recovery and stamina.
John Dowdy:
But what the amino acids are specifically designed to do is give the body what it needs to release its own repairing hormones from the pituitary gland. And when this happens, the body can send its own hormones to its own problem areas. And so that's what makes it so unique is it doesn't classify as a specific horse supplement.
John Dowdy:
In other words, it's not a quote hoof supplement or joint supplement or muscle builder or shiny coat. We're letting the body kind of figure out what it needs and send its own repairing hormones to its own problem areas. So you could have 50 horses with 50 different things going on, and it's going to customize to each one.
John Dowdy:
And at the same time, there's going to be commonalities. The stronger, healthier, faster growing hooves, the body composition, the shiny coat and all of those things, the better demeanor, and they haul better. Just the recovery and the stamina and the focus.
John Dowdy:
It just kind of helps balance from the inside out would be the best way to describe that. Are all those outside of the navicular are some of those things that you've kind of noticed as well?
Linsay Sumpter:
Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah. It's when he is on the road, you would think because I've hauled him. He's been a lot of places. Because, like I said, I'm out in the middle of the Prairie and it takes a minute to get everywhere.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Linsay Sumpter:
So, he's in the truck and going down the road and I give it to him when I haul him and I never have that like, "Oh, today's not a good day for him." Knock on wood. I don't have that experience. And, and it really is because he's kind of fixing himself on his own, right?
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Linsay Sumpter:
With Equinety.
John Dowdy:
Yep. Well, the second product we have is the Equinety Ultimate OEC. And that's a flax seed based omega three oil. It's got a thousand IUs of natural cul pressed vitamin E and colloidal silver all in one.
John Dowdy:
And we brought that out with help of Dr. Zach Bruggen and it's serving two purposes. One, it works in combination with those amino acids. The amino acids, think of the amino acids as giving the body what it needs to help repair at the cellular level. The Ultimate OEC is giving those repaired cells some nutrition, but it also serves as a really powerful antioxidant, which helps reduce inflammation and things like that.
John Dowdy:
So the combination, which I know you've been using the combination, is really powerful.
Linsay Sumpter:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah.
John Dowdy:
And again, there's no fillers and sugars or anything like that, it's just high top shelf quality ingredient. So, with all that being said, this leads us into another horse, which had EPM problems. Give us the roundabout on this one.
Linsay Sumpter:
Yeah. I had, I guess it's be a client, send me a horse and body, physical condition wasn't very good when he got here. I mean, thin, top line was very diminished and I just never felt like the horse was healthy. When you'd ride him, he never lost the hind end. He never had the true trip or anything like that from EPM.
Linsay Sumpter:
But I just never felt like he was healthy and I call the person and I'm, I'm like, "Hey, I think there's something wrong." "Oh, no, we checked him for ulcers and we did an ulcer treatment and it's not that, and he's just a hard keeper." I'm like, "No, there's something else going on." So I had blood work drawn and he did have EPM. So I went through the EPM protocol and the horse just hasn't picked up until I started him on Equinety and the omega supplement.
Linsay Sumpter:
I should send you some before and after. He's still not where I want him to be condition wise. I like things fat and sassy personally. I like big fat. I like fat things. I always tell people, that's why I married a bulldogger. I like big things.
Linsay Sumpter:
So, but condition wise, he's gaining weight, he's getting top line back. His coat looks healthier. He just looks like he's doing better. You can tell when a horse isn't feeling well, you can kind of see it in their eye and their expression. And he's just kind of barely starting to pick up.
Linsay Sumpter:
I stopped. I stopped riding him. I stopped everything all together to try to just get him to kind of just get healthy again. And it's really helped in the last 30 days for sure just to get him kind of to pick up and gain some weight and look better and get some kind of meat on those on the bones a little bit.
John Dowdy:
Right. Yeah. And that's a great thing too, with this Equinety Horse XL, the combination with that and OEC, but if you just have to choose one over the other, the amino acids in the Equinety Horse XL.
John Dowdy:
The great thing about these products is there's not any negative side effects to any other medications or supplements or feeds or anything else. As a matter of fact, we recommend not changing anything you're doing and just add a scoop of the Horse XL right to it. That way you're only changing one element and it goes right to work within hours.
John Dowdy:
And the vast majority people are seeing changes in as little as a few days when it comes to horses that have a lot of stress, anxiety, are a bit spooky, we've seen demeanor changes in as little as a couple days. You get into the week to two weeks, fast recovery, more stamina, they just feel better under saddle. You get into the 30 day mark softer, shinier coat, they're starting to fill out. Just their overall demeanor and wellbeing is changing all for the better.
Linsay Sumpter:
Yeah. But with that horse, I definitely saw it in that 30 day mark. I just think he was, I think that he had had EPM taking over his body for so long. I think that my guess is that because he's like, "Well, he's been a hard keeper for the last couple years." And I'm like, "Oh gosh, okay."
Linsay Sumpter:
Not everybody maybe has the intuition that I've just been around so many horses and that's kind of with the upbringing and just being able to read animals and being around student athlete's horses, when I'm like, "Hey, there's something wrong. We need to take care of something or do you not feel that? Can you feel?"
Linsay Sumpter:
There's a lot of things that you can see and feel that a horse will tell you before they ever even move their body. And so for sure, for him, the last 30, now that he's been on it, on both products for 30 days, I can totally see a difference and pick up. And it is pretty amazing how fast you can see a change.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. We are definitely blessed and going on eight years on the market with the Horse XL. We've been on almost two years now with the Ultimate OEC and yeah, definitely, definitely blessed for sure. It's been awesome.
John Dowdy:
And that's one reason why we do these podcasts to help get these stories out there, where we talk to people in all walks of life and doing different things. And even from your standpoint where you're just letting those horses be horses and it's just amazing.
John Dowdy:
And so we really appreciate you taking the time. I know you're a busy gal. And so Linsay Sumpter out of Colorado. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story here on the Team Equinety podcast.
Linsay Sumpter:
Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate, and thanks for making such a great product. And it's just been great to use.
John Dowdy:
You bet. All right. Thank you. Bye bye.
Linsay Sumpter:
Bye.
