Carla Strembicke
I have been around horses my entire life and if there is anything I have been overwhelmed by it has been nutrition: more importantly, what should I feed my horse. There are so many products out there, with twice as many opinions, which are mostly supported by fiction and not science. I managed to maintain my horses’ health with the feed programs they were on but was never 100% confident with what I was feeding, as nutrition was a big black vortex of the unknown to me. I then bought a horse that decided to question everything I thought I knew about nutrition. It did not matter what I fed this horse I was never getting ahead. He would not gain muscle, had no topline despite that I was riding 45-60 minutes 5-6 days a week religiously. His feed program was intense (competition program) but was not as successful as I envisioned. His coat was dull, he had a sweet odor that was slightly offensive, outbreaks of scratches year-round, lack of energy and overall just a dull personality despite all that I was doing. I went to the extent of getting blood drawn and getting a vet to do a work up 2 years in a row to figure out what was going on, but they found nothing obvious. One day someone recommended Amanda (ARK) and mentioned she could do miracles with her nutrition program. I, being the consummate skeptic, was like “right”, but at the same time will try anything in the name of “my pony”. She came to do her thing and as I talked to her IÂ totally picked up what she was laying down. It was based on science and not on popular opinion. Her passion and enthusiasm for her craft and the care she spent with the animals told me that this individual wasn’t here to do a job but rather to make a difference.
I took her program, applied it religiously and in 3 months I noticed a difference in my horse’s energy and personality. My horse was maintaining his energy in the competition and instead of being dull in personality, appeared more engaged in his surroundings and became cheekier in his interaction. His scratches all but disappeared without any special treatment and he didn’t have a foul odor anymore when he would sweat. A year later I have not missed a feeding and have a totally different horse. His body composition is completely different in that he now looks like a competition horse and not a pasture pony. We have maintained an aggressive show schedule and have been able to move up in divisions without injury or any extra maintenance. He begins the show and ends the show with the same amount of energy if not more. I am so happy with the results, I don’t have enough words to express my appreciation. I have now applied ARK nutrition to the rest of my horses and have seen amazing results in the herd’s overall health and condition. Amanda has been a wonderful professional to work with and truly has the best interest of the animal’s health and their overall performance in whatever they are doing as her priority. Her enthusiasm is truly a joy to witness and work with, and I would recommend her to anyone who wants to commit to the program to see their animal improve.