Practically all horses, no matter their career, have a farrier or hoof trimmer and veterinarian on staff. Some may have two veterinarians. One for everyday care and another performance specialist. Many are also seen on a somewhat regular basis by a massage therapist and or chiropractor. Possibly an acupuncturist. We understand as owners that these professionals are a necessary part of keeping our equine athletes at the top of their game, ready for the competitive challenges our sports demand. It truly takes a team to keep a horse at the top of his game. Why then do so few performance horses have an equine nutritionist as part of their performance team?

This is especially perplexing when we consider that diet, and the nutrients our horses consume impacts the function of every cell in their bodies. Human athletes have long understood the importance of diet on performance. In fact, nearly all major sports teams have dieticians and team chefs on staff to make sure that team members are consuming exactly what is needed for peak performance on the court, pitch or field. They are just as important as the physical therapist and team trainer.

Here at EnviroEquine we understand the importance of diet and that it isn’t just a matter of selecting the best supplements and feeds, it’s also about how those supplements and feeds work together and how they in turn work with the forage in the diet. In fact, we believe that it all starts with the forage and builds from there. Yet very rarely are all the pieces of the diet considered for how well they fit together and whether they are in fact providing a diet that meets the horse’s requirements in a balanced way.

The representative from your feed company will help make suggestions of feeds that might suit your horse, and the representative from a supplement company will do the same for their products, but rarely do they ever consider what each other’s products are bringing to the ration to ensure that the diet is actually balanced. This is where a specialist equine nutrition consultant can add that final missing link to your horse’s care.

While all horses can benefit from having their rations evaluated by an equine nutritionist, those that have medical complications such as ulcers, digestive disturbance, allergies, metabolic conditions or are performing under expectation have a special need.

We are excited to announce a new partnership created with our long-time nutrition consultant Dr Clair Thunes and the release of our new services. Dr Clair has been providing consulting services to owners, trainers and veterinarians and some of the top horses in the country, including competitors at the Rio Olympics and 2018 WEG, for more than 10 years. In Dr Clair you now have access to an expert who truly understands the nutritional needs of today’s performance horses and can work with you to ensure that the horses in your care are receiving exactly the diets they need.

No more guess work and hours spent in front of the computer trying to figure out whether your program is meeting your horse’s needs in a balanced way. Dr. Clair removes the guesswork for you and provides strategic individual plans that ensure everything in your program is working together the way it should. Her programs are known for being straight forward and easy to implement and she believes in making sure you understand the reasoning behind each product selection.

Available services include diet evaluations and reformulations as well as an exclusive service for those travelling with their horses, our Re-Diet program. Here Dr Clair will help ensure that when you travel with your horse, no matter whether it is within the United States or overseas, that the diet that is working so well at home is matched as closely as possible while you are away.

The final piece of our new services offering are educational talks at a location of your choice. Do you want to learn more about gastrointestinal health, feeding for performance, forage composition, management of horses with metabolic disorders or a history of ulcers and colic and other relevant topics? If so then be sure to schedule an educational event with us today.

Fill in that missing piece in your horse’s care team. Add the services of our equine nutritionist and give yourself the peace of mind that your horse has all the nutritional building blocks he needs to reach peak performance.

To book a feeding consultation with Dr. Clair Thunes click here!