Professional cowgirl Emily Miller understands that to be successful in the sport of barrel racing, her horses’ health is a top priority. That is one reason she started feeding the Vitalize® High Performance pellets this spring.
“Look at your horse’s health and well-being, that is a game changer,” Miller said. “You’ve got to prioritize that if you want top-performing equine athletes. BioZyme, makers of Vitalize, has done its research and really has a top-quality product that is necessary to me to have a chance competing at a top level. You owe it to yourself and your horse to give them the best chance to do that.”
The Weatherford, Okla., cowgirl competed hard through the summer and fall and finished ranked 17th, just shy of qualifying for her first NFR appearance, making her horses’ health a priority at the end of a long, competitive season. She had the opportunity to travel the month of July to compete in Calgary and Cheyenne and points in between, but relied on Vitalize to keep her horses healthy and performing while on the road.
In just 30 days from the end of June through the end of July, Miller traveled 10,000 miles to rodeos. She said her horses experienced every weather extreme – sometimes in the same week from – from setting record high temperatures in the triple digits to riding through freezing rain in the high altitudes.
“All of that travel, especially for horses that are used to being home and going to a jackpot here and there, is hard on their body, hard on their immune system, and hard on their stomach. Being on Vitalize has helped keep their gut healthy and helped them feeling good,” Miller said. “I go and exercise every day. I take my vitamins and probiotics too. Keeping yourself and your horses healthy is the number one priority if you want to travel down the road like this.”
In addition to feeding the Vitalize High Performance pellets daily to maintain good health in her horses, she also uses the Vitalize® Eqyine Recovery Paste (transitioned to Vitalize® Equine Recovery Gel July 2019) when she takes her horses on a long haul.
Miller started using Vitalize on Jet, one of her more nervous horses that is more prone to ulcers and harder to keep weight on. After about three weeks on Vitalize, Miller said, “she looked like a million bucks. She was fuller and being on road wasn’t affecting her.”
“Usually horses fade in the summer, but mine have turned darker, and their hair and skin are so sleek and shiny,” Miller said.
“A happy horse is a horse that’s going to perform and if they are not 100%, they can’t do their job. In a competition like professional barrel racing, you must have your horses at their best all the time. If you don’t have your horse at its best, somebody else does,” Miller said. “Being reassured that my horses have that Vitalize supplement and they are feeling good, is one less thing for me to worry about. If they aren’t feeling good, and time comes down to a one-hundredth of a second, everything counts. So, you have got to have them tip-top and ready to go.”
