Kaycee MacGibbon has turned a tragedy into a way to help others. Instead of being a victim, she is educating herself and other about the importance of good, safe equine nutrition, and she is advocating products she has tried and believed in, including Vitalize®.
“I’ve chosen not to be a victim, and turned my tragedy into triumph,” says the third-generation cowgirl from Crouse, N.C., “I’m not going to let my horses die in vain or let Lil Sis suffer for no reason. We are going to use this to help others.”
The “Lil Sis” she refers to is a top-bred barrel mare that nearly died in October 2014, when bad feed poisoned MacGibbon’s barn, causing all nine of her other horses to die from Rumensin Toxicity. Lil Sis survived, but not without significant damage. She lost weight and muscle, had dead hair and just would not come out of the poisoning.
“She melted away to skin and bones. She leaned up against stall wall to hold herself up,” MacGibbon said.
Although she looked bedraggled, Lil Sis was checked by her veterinarian every five weeks. Her heart seemed fine and all levels were normal. MacGibbon tried numerous supplements and feeds on her mare, but nothing seemed to get her looking like the top-caliber mare she had been. Nearly a year after the tragedy and hundreds of dollars spent on trying to get Lil Sis back into shape, MacGibbon attended a seminar that would change the future for both her and Lil Sis – that is the day she learned about Vitalize.
“Vitalize brought her back from awful; I can’t even describe it. It looked like she had been picked up by the kill pen, and months later she’s 150 pounds heavier, shining, looking good. She came back, and we won a good bit of money that spring and summer and that August she broke an arena record,” MacGibbon said.
MacGibbon ran Lil Sis most of 2016 and 2017 and retired her from her rodeo career in December 2017. She is currently flushing the mare, with hopes to propagate her genetics and keep her legacy in the world of barrel racing alive through her offspring.
MacGibbon said when she saw what Vitalize did for her horse she was amazed. She started feeding it to her other horses and saw marked changes such as a shinier hair coat that shed off better, stronger feet, no colic or belly ache problems. Then, the opportunity became available to share the product with others by becoming a BioZyme® dealer.
“I am very thankful to become a dealer. So many people around here wanted the product, but it wasn’t readily accessible. I did this because I do believe in this product with my heart and soul. I watched what it did for Lil Sis and it was amazing. I have watched what it did for other peoples’ horses. It’s not about money or gratitude or recognition. It’s a satisfaction of knowing I’ve helped someone help their horse. And it is usually in about 10 days I get a call telling me about the great results,” she said.
Being raised in a rodeo family and having a passion for horses gives MacGibbon credibility with her customer base. They call her when they need help, and she can usually assist them. She said her two most popular products and top sellers are Vitalize® Equine High Performance Pellets and Vitalize® Equine Digest More® Plus.
She recalls a customer who called recently who had some little ponies get into a wild cherry tree. One pony passed away from poisoning, but the customer hoped MacGibbon could offer a remedy for the other that was very neurological at the time.
“I just told him to give him some Vitalize Digest More Plus and give it to the pony now! Give it as a treat and hand feed it to him. I really believe the MOS and Amaferm® helped that pony survive. The MOS attracted the toxin and the pathogen from the cherry tree and expelled it from his body,” she said.
MacGibbon also shared about a horse, Star, that got hurt so her owners brought her to MacGibbon to look after while she healed. Star had a history of loose stools, and although the owners had been feeding Vitalize® Equine Protein Pellets, that just wasn’t enough. With the addition of the Digest More Plus, MacGibbon said that Star gained about 50 pounds in 15 days, shed off, and her stool is back to normal.
“The product speaks for itself. I know what to use in which situation. I always tell new customers that I 100% believe in the product and if they don’t see a change in 15-20 days, I will buy it back,” MacGibbon said.
To this day, she hasn’t had to buy any product back. And she continues to see results and shares those results with others on social media. MacGibbon could have fallen victim nearly four years ago. Instead, she took her tragedy and made it into a learning experience. She no longer buys feed from a mill where medicated feeds are mixed.
“Things can happen that are out of the company’s control, which is what happened in my case. I never, ever want to see that again, and I never, ever want anyone or anyone’s animal to go through what I had to witness. The suffering was unimaginable. Vitalize is pure. The ingredients are high-quality. It is top shelf,” she said.
