Stubben

A few years ago, my dressage instructor, Gerd Reuter, put me in a Tristam special Stubben dressage saddle. Its deep seat and completely flat flaps changed my dressage position forever, allowing me to find my balance solely by sitting deeply into the horse's back and not clinging to clunky, ridiculous looking blocks on the saddle flaps. I was hooked, and now I am sponsored by Stubben saddles and use them extensively for all my dressage and jumping.

The rest of their products also play an integral part in my training and competition program, especially their bridles, martingales, girths, pads, ice wraps, and studs. The best company on earth for all your horse's training needs.

Dover

There is nothing in your arsenal that can not be replaced or improved by perusing a Dover catalogue. The most complete saddlery on the market. For all your horse needs.

Equissage

This machine has improved my horse's back health tremendously. In a sport where the demands of fitness are often quite intense, I am a firm believer in maintaining healthy backs in all my horses. Equissage provides the necessary relief from tension, tightness, and fatigue that can keep a horse's back from developiing soreness and encouraging muscle building.

Wardley and Martin Arenas, Ridesmart Footing

I resurfaced my arena this year with a new product. Having ridden in Europe a number of times at various jumper dealer yards and some international jumper shows, I had become familiarized with their level of excellence in the area of footing. Usually they achieved superior results with a specific type of sand that holds moisture, provides incredible concussion relief, and improved resistance to keep your horse "on top of the surface."

Until now, that material had not been available to us in the United States. Shawn Wardley and Craig Martin found the necessary product, and have opened the door to European-style footing for America, at a price that is affordable, especially when compared to its competitors. My new arena is truly world-class, and my horses have benefitted hugely from this outstanding new product.

MDC Stirrups

For eventing, as in any equestrian discipline, sound technique and balance breed good performance for all three phases. With the MDC Line of rotating stirrups, I am able to move efficiently, maintain an effective leg position and the correct rider balance whether I am riding dressage, show jumping or galloping cross country.

The solid base of support and technical improvements which I feel in these stirrups have convinced me that they are, without a doubt, the most advanced stirrups on the market today.

Charles Owen

Not a lot needs to be said about Charles Owen. The world's best helmet company has been one of my greatest and earliest supporters. They have repeatedly pushed the envelope and been on the cutting edge of providing the world's best riders with the safest and most advanced riding helmets and vests on the planet.

They also partner with Roeckl gloves and Sergio Grasso boots to help these same riders look their best. This year they will unveil an exciting new line of products which will propel them even farther ahead of the rest of their competitors. When choosing a helmet, there is no choice. In my mind, there is only Charles Owen.

Old Dominion Jumps

For the past few years, we have turned to Old Dominion Jumps of Sperryville, VA for all of our show jumps. Without question, they provide jumps, standards, and rails of the highest quality.

We pride ourselves on presenting our ring and our training bases in the most professional manner possible, and OD Jumps gives us the training jumps we need with that classic look that never fails to impress. I couldn't recommend them more highly to anyone looking to outfit their ring to suit any and all of their training needs, be it eventing, show jumping, or hunters.

Thera CellEQ - Whole Food Organic Supplements Formulated for Performance Horses

Whole food organic supplements formulated for performance horses. Theracell is Made in the USA. Whole Food: It's Alive!

Interview with Will Coleman: Theracell's Featured Rider

1. Will, what inspired you to switch from commercial feeds to a whole food feed program?

For a couple of years now, I felt that my nutrition program for my horses was lacking in some ways. While many of our horses still looked the part, inconsistent energy levels, a lack of quality control with our grains, and the fillers/processing involved with producing most generic sweet feeds worried me, and made me wonder about how my horses might perform better with a food program that was more adaptable to some of their individual needs. Conversations with Dr. Tim Ober concerning one horse in particular led me to Tigger's whole food supplements and a different approach to feeding equine athletes.

2. What are some of the differences you've seen in your horses since going to whole foods?

A more consistent energy level and increased flexibility have been apparent in all the horses since the switch. They warm up better, get looser faster, and feel more limber in general. Their backs, in particular, have felt better. I do think there is some relation between gastrointestinal digestive stress and the ability/desire of a horse to use his back properly in his work, and with the reduced stress on their gut and body systems, I think my horses have improved dramatically in this area. We travel a lot as well, and I've noticed that my horses, even when on the road, continue to eat happily and normally, and seem to keep their condition better.

3. Please tell us about Twizzel, your Four Star horse. Age/breeding/personality:

Twizzel is a 13 year old, Westphalian-Australian TB X. By the great Argentinus, Twizzel carries with him the strong personality and character of his father, and training him has always been a balance between allowing that personality to shine and keeping his ego in check. He's a wonderful horse, and sincerely loves competition. A good friend of ours in Germany brought my attention to the horse several years ago, and we bought him with the hopes of producing him for the US. He has taken a while to bring that dream to fruition, largely because of a shoulder cyst we found not six months after we got him. Nonetheless, a miracle surgery and excellent management since then have brought the horse back with a vengeance, and his performances over the last year have been stellar. He is now generously owned by Jim Wildasin, a wonderful supporter of mine, and both he and I are thrilled with the prospects for next year and beyond.

4. What are some of the qualities you look for in an event horse prospect?

Event horses have to be athletes in every sense of the word, and certainly we look for horses that talent-wise and confirmationally fit that mold. But, there is another intrinsic quality that an event horse must possess. It's a tough sport, and these horse have to love to work. Their trainability is so important, not just because of the rigorous demands of our dressage and show jumping, but also the increasingly technical cross-country. On the big day, they need to have that drive, that "fighter" mentality, and it's not easy to find a horse that has all the physical skills they need, as well the mental integrity to perform at four-star level.

5. How does the whole food feed program and Theracell supplements fit into your training program and your training philosophy?

Our horses are athletes, and we treat our horses as athletes in every sense of the word. Their training programs are specific and extremely detail-oriented. We try to control as many variables of the training process as we can to maximize efficiency and results. This approach carries over into everything, from the footing we use on a daily basis, to the way we get the horses fit, to the competitions we enter, and to the horses' everyday management. Nutrition is as important to the athlete as any of these other factors. The whole food feed/Theracell supplement programs we've designed for each of our horses allows us to account for everything our horses eat, with no wasted calories or the empty "mystery fillers" that are a part of all processed sweet feeds. We can tailor the feed to their needs with expert accuracy and know with 100% confidence each component of their meals. Everyone wants a healthy horse, and for us a healthy horse performs better as an athlete. This program allows us to sincerely treat our horses as athletes, by feeding them within a nutritionally-conscious diet.

6. What can riders expect to see in their horses when they switch to whole foods and Theracell?

Not immediate results. There is an adjustment period. Switching the horses from a generic sweet feed with tons of sweetening molasses to a whole food program does take some patience, and the results take a few weeks to appear. But, the results are true and lasting once they set in. Increased athleticism, mental and physical consistency in work, and better overall condition were apparent in all of the horses after a few weeks, and since then, our ability to tailor the program to fit individual needs on a far more influential level has given us a new edge in training and competing our performance horses.