Warren Bauer - New Horse Owner - Laminitis - Abscesses
John Dowdy:
Hello and welcome to this week's Equinety Podcast. We are swinging out into Arkansas, we've got Warren Bauer on the call this week. Warren, welcome to the Equinety Podcast.
Warren Bauer:
Thank you very much, happy to be here.
John Dowdy:
Well, it's always a pleasure. I'm excited about this one this week, you're a fairly new horse owner, I guess we'll go back a couple years. I thought this would be really beneficial to other folks that are fairly new horse owners, and maybe some of the trials and tribulations that come along with that.
John Dowdy:
Specifically, we're going to be talking about on this podcast is laminitis, and how this product, our Equinety product, really helped get your horse through that, as well as some abscess issues. Also, the mane and coat improvement.
John Dowdy:
Before we get into that, give us a little bit of backstory of how you acquired your horse. It was your daughter's horse, initially. Or, I guess it still is, but that's why you ended up getting it. Tell us a little bit about the backstory, and let's start there.
Warren Bauer:
Absolutely. I think, like any girl, my daughter was drawn to the horse community and horses. She loves all animals, but it was pretty obvious that horses were particular special to her.
Warren Bauer:
We started off with lessons, and she loved going to lessons, loved being around horses. I found that so did I, so we started off by taking her to weekly lessons. And then, unfortunately our trainer had to go to college, so we fell off for a while. Just by happenstance, we happened to find somebody that lived close to us that was offering lessons. It was the dead of winter, it was really cold, but he was willing to take us on. That led us down the path to where we are today, but it just started off with taking some lessons, falling in love with the horse lifestyle.
Warren Bauer:
And then one day he asked me, "When do you think you're going to get your own horse?" I thought that it was completely out of reach. I said, "Well, I don't have a horse property, and I can't afford to board." So we worked it out, where I could basically get a horse, keep it at his property, and he would only charge me for food, a couple hundred dollars a month, which I could afford. We went out looking for horses. It had to be the right horse, my daughter was relatively new and a beginner, so we finally found the right horse, had the right temperament. We made it happen two days before Christmas, it was a great Christmas surprise for my daughter. Very emotional when she went out and saw that she was getting her own horse.
Warren Bauer:
That was really the beginning. It was something I never thought would happen, but due to the generosity of my trainer basically saying, "Hey, you could keep your horse here for a very modest sum," that's what got us started.
John Dowdy:
That's awesome. And then, ultimately, this led you to actually relocating to a different state because of the lifestyle. And now, how many horses do you have?
Warren Bauer:
Yeah, well right now we have four horses and a donkey. Started off with one, and then of course you have to have a companion for that horse.
John Dowdy:
Yes. You can't just have one.
Warren Bauer:
That's right. Yeah. It got to the point where my trainer's calling me up now saying, "Hey, it's been a month or two since you've gotten a new horse. What's going on with you?" We've taken up the horse lifestyle, I'll put it to you that way.
John Dowdy:
That's great. Yeah, once you're in, it's hard to get out isn't it?
Warren Bauer:
Addicting, for sure.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, for sure.
John Dowdy:
This main horse, tell everybody the horse's name.
Warren Bauer:
Her name is Ladybug.
John Dowdy:
Ladybug, all right. How long had you had Ladybug before you started noticing some issues going on?
Warren Bauer:
Well in May 2020, she started limping. At first, it was a slight limp but then we noticed it was pronounced, and it wouldn't go away. It was worse in the morning, when it was cool. So I'd come out to feed them, all the other horses would come running over, and it was sad. Ladybug would either stand there and not move, or she would make her way over and then you could notice definitely a limp. She had something going on.
Warren Bauer:
Being relatively new horse owners, we didn't know what to default to. So now we would know, okay it's probably an abscess. But back then, we didn't. We just knew that she was looking lame. So we called a vet out, and they did diagnose it as an abscess. Although, it didn't show as an abscess, he said it's likely an abscess. They didn't take any scans, but they gave us a treatment plan, and then said if it doesn't get any better to call them back.
Warren Bauer:
The first couple times it happened, the butte worked, the abscess burst. It seemed to have gone away. But, it just kept repeating itself. In August of this year, things took a turn for the worse because not only was she limping, but she could barely walk. I have a video that it's really even difficult to watch, because of the way that she was attempting to walk. She was throwing her head, and she was putting cuff out in front of her in a circular motion, and it was one step at a time. It just looked incredibly painful.
Warren Bauer:
We had already been to the vet, they said it's probably an abscess. I showed the video to some friends of mine and they said, "No, you need to number one, find a horse specialist. And number two, get her looked at as soon as you can." We did, and ultimately it led to a laminitis diagnosis.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, that is horrific when you're going through that, especially trying to figure out what it is, pinpoint the problem for sure.
Warren Bauer:
Exactly.
John Dowdy:
What were the next steps that you took?
Warren Bauer:
Well, really what he did is he was very matter-of-fact, as most vets tend to be. And said, "She's definitely got laminitis, so we need barn rest. She needs to go on a diet and lose some weight." And he prescribed a good farrier, with corrective shoeing. And then, basically said just watch and see how she does.
Warren Bauer:
But, that really wasn't good enough for us. I decided to study up on laminitis as much as I can. Really, what it was she's a thick horse to begin with, and we clearly overfed her to the point where she was overweight. I think that that's what caused the situation. But I said, "Okay, as a horse owner and somebody who loves this horse, what can I do on my end?" That's when I started researching products. The doctor gave some good advice, but didn't say anything in addition that I could do so I started going out and doing research, and finding out what I could do on my end to help my horse try to get through this as quickly as possible.
John Dowdy:
That's how you came across the Equinety product?
Warren Bauer:
I did! I saw an ad on Facebook, and the ad featured before and after scans of a horse that had laminitis. I said, "I want that situation. I want to be able to take a look at my scans in a couple months and see a dramatic improvement like that." I reached out to her and I said, "Hey, this is what I've got going on." I was just seeking information at that point, I was hungry to find anything I could about laminitis so I could find out, one, what I could do differently in the future. And number two, what I could do right now to help treat my horse.
Warren Bauer:
I found your product that way, reached out, started a Facebook friendship with your rep. And, had a lot of good information. But most importantly, got your product and I started using it immediately.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. Now, how quickly did you begin seeing results with it?
Warren Bauer:
Well, I don't want to sound dramatic but it seems to me like it was almost immediate. In terms of the laminitis, that took some time. But, in terms of her appearance, her coat seemed to respond immediately. She's never had problems with her coat, but now people look at her and that's the first thing they comment on is her thick, shiny, beautiful coat. Her mane, I have some before and after pictures going back to last year and now, and there's a dramatic improvement just in the mane by itself, and also with the coat.
Warren Bauer:
We basically had her on barn rest, and we were using your product, and we put her on a diet. It was a waiting game, from August 2020 until basically November, when we went back for our first check out. We didn't know is what we're doing being affective, is it having an impact on the laminitis? We went back in November, the vet took a look at the scan, and was very, very pleased. The hoof growth dramatic, he had a very positive diagnosis at that point. He basically said, "She's one of the lucky ones." He said, "They don't often respond to treatment like this. It could have gone either way, but it's looking like she's going to pull through it and she's going to do very well."
Warren Bauer:
And then, we also had an update last week, took her back in for some follow-up scans. The hoof growth is continuing, and everything is on track. He's even okayed her to start light riding again.
John Dowdy:
That's great. Now, did you also notice sole depth, in those scans?
Warren Bauer:
Yeah, absolutely. We had growth, we had depth, the vet could not have been any more pleased.
John Dowdy:
Yeah, that's great. Now, for those of you who are tuning in for the first time, maybe you were going through a similar situation or just a situation in general. You're doing your research, you came across our Equinety product. In this case, we're specifically talking about the Equinety Horse XL. We've been on the market now for going on seven years.
John Dowdy:
What this is, it's a 100% pure amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. What makes it really unique is it doesn't fit into a category of a hoof supplement, or a coat and mane supplement, or a calmer, or a muscle builder, or a joint supplement, it doesn't fit into any of those categories. However, what it's doing specifically, the amino acids are combined to stimulate the pituitary gland and that's the gland in the body that releases hormones which are specific for repair. When we can get the body to release its own hormones, it's the body that sends those hormones to the problem areas.
John Dowdy:
Which is why, in this example alone, you noticed rather quickly the healthier, shinier, softer, fuller coat. And then, the mane growth. But then, within three months, in those scans you also noticed thicker soles and all around healthier hoof growth. And now, you're going into month four to five, which has been five months now, you're already back in some light work and training that way, exercise, which is pretty remarkable.
John Dowdy:
You know, we've got other podcasts where we're talking severe, severe situations. I tell people all the time, "This is not a miracle supplement, however we've seen some pretty miraculous things." We always, of course, recommend working closely with a good farrier and a good vet. Specifically, when we're talking about hoof issues, again, I tell people all the time, "You could have the best farrier on the planet and your horse standing in front of them, but if there's nothing to work with there's not much the farrier can do." So one of the great things with this product and dealing specifically with hoof issues, it really helps to get that hoof growth so it, ultimately, gives your farrier more to work with in a shorter amount of time. It helps everything, just speeds up the process there.
John Dowdy:
Going into five months now, so you're back into light training. How's the overall demeanor, and just everything with the horse? I'm sure your daughter is very, very happy again.
Warren Bauer:
Oh, my daughter's absolutely thrilled. When you take a horse that is used to running on five acres and you put her in a barn, in a small corral for a number of months, she was very anxious to get out. I think that she's thrilled now that she's able to join the herd, and not be caged up in a small corral all day. My daughter's thrilled because she gets to ride, and do things that she couldn't do before.
Warren Bauer:
But most importantly, we're all thrilled that it appears she's on the road to recovery. It's only been since August, so the vet is not willing to say that she's completely healed yet, there is some things that we still need to do, she's still shoed. But, the trajectory is where we want it to be and it's only going to get better from here. We, as a family, are absolutely thrilled.
John Dowdy:
That is fantastic. Well I'll tell you, we as a company, we're definitely blessed to have a product that helps in so many ways. It's one of the reasons why we started this podcast, is to help get these stories out there so it can maybe give some other folks some hope that, if they're going through a similar situation. We'd love to see those before and after pictures and videos, maybe we can post those along with this podcast. Which, you can be found on teamequinety.com, and we have a whole podcast section. This podcast will be transcribed, so maybe we can post those below there.
John Dowdy:
I'll tell you what, Warren, if there's anybody tuning in, maybe they're still a little bit on the fence about this ... They're like, "Well, maybe this sounds a little too good to be true." Is there anything that you could offer to tell these folks, to maybe get off the fence and give it a try?
Warren Bauer:
Yes. I think that I was the ideal test case for, potentially, products that promise but under deliver. Snake oil supplements, "Take this and laminitis will go away." I was ripe for that, because I was desperate. I was a desperate horse owner. You touched on it earlier, if somebody else is possibly going through this. I think that's a good word, I was desperate. I was going to try anything I could to help my horse.
Warren Bauer:
But, you touched on it earlier, it's really science based. They're amino acids, it's not some proprietary supplement where they can't mention what the ingredients are and there's no science behind it. You know, they're amino acids which has an effect on the body that helps reduce inflammation, which helps the body to heal. So that, in and of itself, is one of the reasons that I chose the product was it wasn't making outlandish promises that are really not rooted in common sense and science.
John Dowdy:
Sure.
Warren Bauer:
That's what drew me to the product. But, I can definitely say that, based on what I've seen, and where I was and where I am now, that the results have been dramatic. I'm not a veterinarian, but my veterinarian has basically said the results are dramatic.
Warren Bauer:
I can see the difference in just how she's walking, and how she seems to be happier and healthier. I can see that, but then when the veterinarian tells you that, basically, what has happened in a very short period of time is somewhat remarkable and she's one of the lucky ones, that's all the validation that I need. I think that we're on the right path.
John Dowdy:
Yeah. I think a lot of times, too, especially when you're not in the medical field ... well, even as a new horse owner and you don't understand a lot of the stuff, which if you don't have that background, you don't have the background and you don't know what you don't know. However, there are things that you can pick up on, as you've mentioned, the horses, they're healthier, they're happier. Just the visual components of a healthier, shinier coat, you know something's going on. And then, being able to see the scans, which most people can't read scans, and if you're not trained to read scans then how would you know? However, when you can put two of them side by side that are three months apart and notice dramatic differences, that's all you really need to see. You don't have to know much more than that, as being able to physically see the difference.
John Dowdy:
And then, I'll add this in there, too, is one of the great things about this Equinety Horse XL, because it's already in amino acid stage, it's ready for absorption. All that means is that it starts working in 24 hours. You had mentioned earlier that you noticed dramatic results very quickly, and I would say that 90 plus percentile of people notice changes in 30 days or less, so it works really, really fast. It's 100% safe to give with any other medications or supplements. We always recommend not to change anything, just add this to it. And then, over the next couple weeks, or 30 days, you know your horse better than anyone so you can determine whether to reduce or stop using other things. But, it makes it really easy. The serving size is a teaspoon, regardless of the size of the horse, so it's about as simple as you can get when it comes to a supplement and how quickly it works. That's pretty awesome.
Warren Bauer:
Yeah. I can that, when we first got the product and I saw the ... you mentioned the serving size. It's hard to believe that something that small can have a beneficial effect on an animal that large, but yet it did.
John Dowdy:
Yeah.
Warren Bauer:
It doesn't take much.
John Dowdy:
No. No, it doesn't. Awesome.
John Dowdy:
Well Warren Bauer out of Arkansas, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story here on the Equinety Podcast.
Warren Bauer:
It was my pleasure, and I'm really great now that I found you guys.
John Dowdy:
Awesome. Thanks so much.
Warren Bauer:
Thank you.
John Dowdy:
All right, bye bye.
