Lauren Birchall
I grew up on an acreage where the classic line was “feed a good hay and oats and your horse will do well.” I always questioned this old-school “cowboy thought” but didn’t know enough about equine nutrition to suggest anything else. Nutrition was scary, and everyone has a different opinion on what is right or wrong, so it is very hard to make calculated decisions on what is best for your horse! 5 years ago, I purchased a beautiful Andalusian, not knowing the kind of health issues he would come with. He was very hot when I purchased him, his glands were always swollen, and he had horrible reactions to all sorts of feeds and hay. He would cough and wheeze to the point where I would have to get off him because he was having so much trouble breathing. I saw the vet after vet, respiratory specialists, osteopaths and explored holistic medicines trying to help him.
I received Amanda’s name from a friend and decided to contact her. She came out and analyzed my boy and had science to back up everything she was saying to me. At first, it was very overwhelming, but I decided that it couldn’t hurt to try her program. We switched Sebastian’s hay and she formulated a rationing program for him that had all his essential nutrients in it. After about 1 month of being on her program, his respiratory issues almost disappeared and after 1 year of being on the program, he is doing better than ever. My dad also purchased a Shire weanling who came with his own set of issues. Danny could not put on weight. We were free feeding him hay, stuffing him full of all sorts of “goodies” trying to get some weight on him. He looked like a skeleton and very unhealthy and unhappy. He was grumpy and mean. When I suggested to my Dad that we put Danny on Amanda’s program, he was very skeptical being a small-town farm boy. He humored me and after about 3 months of being on Amanda’s program, Danny started to look like a normal horse. He is now 3 years old, 18h3″ and happy as can be. He has filled out to be a beautiful horse thanks to Amanda. My dad is now a firm believer in Amanda’s program and we have since put the rest of our herd on her program. Thanks, Amanda!