BLUE, a 15.1hh grey cob mare nearly lost her life to laminitis following a toxic infection, but after a miraculous recovery she is now on her way to the top in the world of Para-dressage with owner Geraldine Savage.With her new feeding regime from TopSpec, gone are the days of worrying about Blue’s laminitis and her feet, which were in very poor repair following the infection.
Here Geraldine shares their story…Thirteen years ago I did not expect to stumble across my future champion when I met a scruffy little six-month-old black cob in a field. I was with a friend looking for a new gelding at a yard and we were shown a field full of youngstock that had just been bought in and there she was.She chose me and she would not leave me alone. I fell in love with her there and then and I actually bought her, although not to my husband’s knowledge! I took my husband to see her and I had to confess that I had actually already bought her.At the time I had two other horses which I competed on in the showing world and was keen to get Blue to a point where she would be good enough for the show ring. I handled her a lot and backed her myself.Then suddenly I was struck down by a neurological disorder in 2006 and I thought I’d never be able to ride again. But after contacting the RDA and with some help I got back in the saddle in 2008. It was hard, I knew how to ride but I had to teach my body how to adjust as the disorder had affected my balance and co-ordination severely.Blue, now 14-years-old, was a real star and she was coming along leaps and bounds after readjusting our training and focusing on Para-dressage to cater for my disability. She had always suffered with bad feet and was prone to laminitis.I had tried most supplements and feeds to try and help keep her laminitis at bay and it was just over a year ago I came across TopSpec AntiLam, and like other feeds I had tried I was not sure I would get the results I wanted.However I was totally wrong, the difference is amazing! Her feet are in great condition and she has enough energy without putting excess weight on. TopSpec AntiLam combined with TopSpec FibrePlus Cubes and TopChop Lite provide Blue with enough energy to compete at the highest level without her gaining weight and she gets all the supplements she needs in one feed.Since feeding TopSpec we have represented our country at the London 2012 Para Olympic Games securing a bronze medal and her dressage scores have been increasing and increasing each time she competes.Recently we finished third in the Nations Cup team dressage at Deauville and we have qualified for the British Dressage Summer Para-Championships in June. We are now aiming to continue our success and have a lot of major events coming up including the International CPEDI*** at Hartpury in July, and the Europeans at the end of the year before we hope to make the World Equestrian Games next year.I would not feed her on anything else, it is amazing the difference TopSpec AntiLam has made. I also feed my other two horses, a 27-year-old hunter and an ex-eventer on TopSpec, it truly is a brilliant feed and you can really see the results.