Knowing what the right supplements are to give to your horse can be a tricky road. You have to be sure of the quality, purity and potency of the supplements you choose in order to ensure that they have the positive effect you wish to see in your horses well-being and performance.
And who better to give you feedback on equine supplements than real-life cowboy and Hollywood sensation Taylor Sheridan?
A trailblazer in the world of storytelling, Sheridan is not just an actor, director, or producer; the creator of smash hit Yellowstone is also a horseman himself?
Sheridan is someone who regularly rides athletically trained horses who require constant care and good upkeep to ensure their high-level performance and success.
Taylor Sheridan sat down to have a chat with Dale Steege, founder and president of Med-Vet Pharmaceuticals, and the visionary who had the idea of coming up with supplements for horses about 40 years ago.
“We just used good alfalfa and good oats at that time to keep our horses in top condition,” said Steege. “We had some vitamin products and trace minerals available, but we were struggling with the game because we were beginners in a sense, too.”
It was then, as Steege tells real-life horseman Taylor Sheridan, that along with a team, Steege began putting his energy towards more scientific research into their products. They started by looking into components like hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, and MSM.
“While these are not vitamins or minerals,” Steege says, “these components are active ingredients that provide a benefit to help support horse’s joint function, better gastric function, etc.”
Through a combination of scientific research and field testing, MVP became more knowledgeable about recognizing the needs that some of these components could address in equines. Steege reiterated that there was an urgent need to create supplements that made your horse feel a positive difference and made you see the difference, as well.
“Our biggest challenge as a manufacturer to remain a leader and stay a leader in this industry is that we use ingredients in these products that have purity, potency, and in a high enough level,” Steege said.
“There are multiple products in the market that are mixed and sold to make your equine better, but there is no knowledge or awareness about their potency or purity.” As a consumer, we tend to see what is on the label, as Steege mentions in his chat with Taylor Sheridan.
“The end product is only as good as what is put in it,” Steege says. “Our philosophy at MVP is that if the product does not work 90% of the time, or even 80% of the time, we’d rather not have it in the marketplace.”
As the president of MVP, Steege rightly tells Sheridan that the customer will tell you if the product is good or if it works. “We believe that the customer has got to see the difference and feel the difference.”
Taylor Sheridan, who is a cowboy in real life, has had plenty of experience with horses.
Sheridan says, “When I feed MVP supplements to my horses, I look at it like this. You want your equine to feel comfortable and like their jobs. And the least expensive thing you can do is to give them a quality supplement because the vet is going to be way more expensive, no matter how you slice it.”
“My horse, Stopper,” tells Sheridan, “is a wicked horse. When we first got him he would dive in quite a bit on his circles to the right and just lean his shoulder in. We were unable to find anything wrong, even after multiple checks. There was no bone spurs, chips, or anything. We did ultrasounds, X-rays, everything.”
That ultimately led Sheridan to put his horse on different supplements.
“ Exceed 6-Way is the one that we put Stopper on, and whatever the issue was, soft tissue etc, that horse was just way more happier,” says Sheridan. “He had put on weight, which we had trouble with in the past because he used to be uncomfortable. And when you are uncomfortable, you don’t really feel like going and having a big meal.”
Sheridan says that Stopper is a happier horse altogether now that the issue has gone away. Stopper also suffered from gastric issues, which MVP’s Gastro-Plex help to sort out.
“The frequency of trips to the vet has gone down, the frequency of injections has gone down. We deal with less gastric issues, horses are staying sounder,” Sheridan states. “These have been great products that I use, and I have never endorsed a product in my life!” laughs Sheridan.
You can watch the interview by clicking on the link below.
See the difference and feel the difference in your horses with Med Vet Pharmaceuticals.