Some people always follow the trends or “have to” try the latest products. But for one life-long horse enthusiast, he’s discovered when a product works for him and his horses, there’s no need to look any further. Terry Morgan, currently of Whitesboro, Texas, stumbled onto a BioZyme® supplement for his horses back in 1982 when he had become acquainted with a new veterinarian after a recent move, and he’s been using the product ever since.
“I didn’t use a vet much since I’m a ‘shade tree vet’ of sorts, but I had just moved, and this vet had a lot of the product – VitaFerm®, a big quantity of it. I got a bag of it and started using it and kept using it. I liked the product,” he said. **
Morgan, a Tennessee native, traded a lot of horses throughout the 80s and early 90s and said every time he got a new horse in, he would start the horse on the mineral, and notice a visual difference within a month or two. Eventually, he started doing his own experiments to really analyze the difference the mineral made. When he would purchase two horses similar in size and make, he would put one horse on VitaFerm and leave the other horse off of the mineral. In about a month he would notice a significant difference in overall appearance, weight and hair coat. Then, he’d add the second horse to the mineral, and it would start putting on weight and slick off as well.
“The horses on VitaFerm would get fat, so I would have to cut back on their grain because the Amaferm® in the mineral helps break down their food and increase their intake where they would get more out it. So, if you look at it that way, it pays for itself, and you can’t beat that deal! I’ve never fed much of anything else. I can’t imagine there’s much of anything else that can beat it in price and what it does for your horse,” Morgan said.
Today, VitaFerm is not labeled or recommended for horses. Early on, all of BioZyme’s products were “VitaFerm” with a designation for cattle, sheep, equine, etc…Only in 2008, did the company change the name of the horse line of products to Vitalize. However, all BioZyme products contain Amaferm® a precision prebiotic designed to enhance digestibility by amplifying the nutrient supply within for maximum performance. It is research-proven to increase intake, digestibility and absorption.
Morgan has been breeding horses most of his life. He had raised Paint horses for halter for nearly three decades. He’s owned two world-champions and one reserve world-champion during that time. Currently, he raises reining horses, and has a three-year old he is preparing for the approaching NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City.
Morgan said all of the brood mares he currently runs are mares he has bred, so they have been on the Vitalize® products their entire lives. He gives Vitalize much credit for helping keep his mares healthy during gestation and lactation and adding some extra vigor to his newborns. He hasn’t bought a mare in years and is proud of the group of breeding stock he has.
“The minerals help their gut health, which helps their overall health. The brood mares pass the benefits on through to their babies. The babies are always born with no problems, and the mares don’t lose weight or suffer during pregnancy or while nursing them. Every once in a while, I’ll take some extra out there for them, and they really love it,” he said.
For nearly 40 years, Morgan has been a believer in one mineral program for his horses. Vitalize has proven itself as a product that keeps his horses healthy, while helping with intake and absorption, meaning he can save money on his overall feed costs.
“You go with what you know. I wouldn’t fed anything else unless you quit making it,” Morgan said.
**Note from the company: Today, VitaFerm is not labeled or recommended for horses. Early on, all of BioZyme’s products were “VitaFerm” with a designation for cattle, sheep, equine, etc…Only in 2008, did the company change the name of the horse line of products to Vitalize.
