Not everyone gets a second chance. But for horse enthusiast Briana Wiker, giving horses a second chance just comes naturally. The Illinois native started riding horses when she was just 2-years-old and started her training under the guidance of her grandpa, Thurston Carroll, professional trainer and breeder, when she was 10. A decade later, she moved to Oklahoma to follow her dreams and college rodeo. Currently, she barrel races and team ropes every chance she gets.
“I don’t have a life outside of my horses. Horses are my life. They are my thing,” said Wiker, who now lives at Yale, Okla.
Wiker recently posted “before” and “after” photos of her horse Zack on social media and shared how Vitalize® Equine High Performance pellets helped Zack gain weight, shed his haircoat and get sound again.
“Zack, the 19-year- young gelding in the picture, was bought underweight, wormy and not sound! He was a great horse but needed some TLC, so we looked to Vitalize as well as my vet and shoer’s help to get going again,” Wiker wrote. “He had a torn tendon in both front legs, club foot, navicular and had torn muscle in his left hip. After a month on Vitalize, going to my vet and the help from my shoer, he was gaining weight and shedding off his old hair. Zack was happy, and on his way to being sound again! We have had many horses we bought and same thing. I personally think every horse owner should have Vitalize in their barn for their horses!”
Vitalize Equine High Performance contains high levels of biotin, organic selenium and calcium providing for stronger and denser bones. Levels are quickly absorbed into the system, stimulating strong muscles and a protective layer to the stomach for prevention of ulcers. The key ingredient in all Vitalize products is Amaferm®, a precision prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply within for maximum performance. Amaferm is research-proven to increase nutrient absorption resulting in maximized digestive health for improved performance.
Zack is just one of the many horses that Briana has brought back to good health and soundness with the help of Vitalize. Although she enjoys the sport of rodeo and ropes and barrel races with her boyfriend and his family on a nearly daily basis, her true passion is helping horses get back to good health.
“My goal is to start an affordable horse rehabilitation facility. I want to take care of the animals and give them a second chance, so they can go on about their careers. And be healthy and sound,” Wiker said.
The biggest advantages she had noticed since feeding Vitalize to her horses – and she currently feeds it to 23 head – is that they eat better on the road, don’t show signs of colic and are higher performing. She said that her good barrel mare improved her time from a 2D rating to a 1D rating after being on Vitalize.
She recently purchased a young mare that is in pretty rough shape -under weight and not real pretty. She knows with Vitalize, and some of her own TLC, the mare will get the second chance she deserves.
“It’s crazy the turn-around from Vitalize. We just got a 2-year-old mare in that’s starved, and I’m excited to see what it does for her. She looks bad,” Wiker said.
Wiker credits her mom and grandpa for teaching her to keep her horses healthy at an early age. She is appreciative of finding a supplement like Vitalize that “doesn’t break the bank” to feed her horses to help them gain weight, stay healthy and perform, so she doesn’t have to invest in high dollar feed. She has fed Vitalize for five years and has no plans of taking it out of her feeding program.
