Rider Testimonials
12/13/21
“If an Olympian is endorsing a supplement, does that mean it’s a good product?”
This question was recently submitted by a group member and it's a great question to discuss!
Everyday I see ads and websites with images of professional riders endorsing different products. Some of those same products that I've reviewed and know are total garbage. But that doesn't stop people from feeding them or the pros from being sponsored by these companies.... let's discuss.
**Before you read, this post isn't about bashing professionals... they are doing the best they can with the information they have like all of us. I strongly believe that the willingness of some to endorse products comes from a place of wanting to help their horses. So it comes from the right place... I can't fault them for not knowing if the product is good or bad. Please keep negative thoughts on the equine professionals themselves off this thread. I love these people, they are my clients and they are doing their best.**
So, if your idols are feeding it, does it mean it's the best?
Sometimes yes, many times no.
The supplement and feed industry, like any industry, has good and bad. And for any product to stay in the market, it MUST sell. Nothing happens for a company unless they sell something. When they don't sell something, they eventually go bankrupt.
Part of selling a product means attracting the influential riders that people like you and me look up to. We see these riders win and do amazing things and we think, "Wow, they're definitely doing all the right things! Whatever they're feeding their horse to do those things at THAT level must be amazing and I should also feed it!"
Truth be told... their success is largely due to the extremely talented horses they ride, their insane amount of talent as a professional, their entirely optimized program (vet, farrier, bodywork, care), genetics of the horse, a strategic training program, and yes, good nutrition - but it truly is all the things.
Yet... feed and supplement companies know we're watching these riders and want to recreate their magic, so they will target these individuals to get them on their products.
This targeting isn't malicious, but it is strategic. And it actually benefits the rider, because they can end up with a great program from a rep that can help them properly feed their products. *Properly* is the key word. . . many riders (amateurs and pros) don't feed their products correctly and benefit majorly by having a specialized rep pair the right products with their horse.
So, when a reputable company comes along and gets these competitors on the right products at the right feeding rate, it can be a win all around. And in the case of feed, often these riders can see and a feel a difference in their horses when they're on the right program - so these can be good partnerships between riders and feed companies.
Here's the not so pretty side.... feed and supplement companies will sometimes "buy" the name of a professional to endorse their product. They may approach Professional Rider A and tell them they will donate this great product to their barn if they can use their name on their website to endorse it. They then slap the rider's name on their website and all looks well, so consumers like you and I think it's great and we buy it too. Sometimes pros end up on not-so-great products for this reason.
And I'm not knocking professional riders and their knowledge of nutrition, but many are in the same boat as most of us when it comes to knowing whether their supplement is working or not. It's often a guess and sometimes things seem to be "working" due to other factors unrelated to the nutrition program.
So you do have to take some of these feed and supplement endorsements with a grain of salt...
Further confounding the issues, sometimes feed/supplement sponsored pros like the products and truly believe in them, sometimes they don't notice a difference but keep feeding them because 'why not?', sometimes they aren't feeding them at all and they're sitting in a feed room collecting dust while the rider is still listed on their website (two examples are running through my mind right now...). In all of these cases, the rider is on their website endorsing said products (that they may or may not know is working) and the supplement company looks to have a miracle product for your horse.
So, what's the takeaway message here??....
Proceed with caution. Don't assume because the professionals feed it that it's good.
An independent nutrition expert will be able to help you weed through what's legitimate and what is garbage. Not all of the products out there that are athlete endorsed are bad, but remember this industry is just like any other. The goal of producing any product is to sell it. And professional rider endorsement is a great way for a company to sell more products. End of story.
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