MORE THAN A GUT FEELING
SOMETIMES YOU JUST KNOW THERE’S A PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH YOUR HORSE CAN’T DESCRIBE IT FOR YOU.
A
horse that is in pain—or even simply uncomfortable— will behave in unexpected and unpredictable ways. As a result, diagnosing subtle physical problems is
a formidable challenge for any horse owner. For self-described “Type A” dressage competitor Lauren Spreiser, it took some time back in 2007 to recognize that her new competitive partner had an issue that was more than simply excess energy. Lauren, who now operates Sprieser Sporthorse at Clearwater Farm in Marshall, Virginia, was just finishing college in 2006 when she purchased and imported Ellegria, a five year old Westphalian mare (Ehrentanz I-Patrizia/Philipo). Ellegria was not the first horse Lauren
had imported and she had already had the opportunity to train in Europe. After training with Lendon Gray while in college, Lauren took four months off midway through her college career to train in Germany with well known trainers Monica and Georg Theodorescu.
DIFFICULTIES MOUNT When her studies were completed, Lauren returned home to Chicago driving cross country from New York. En route, she and Ella, as she had nicknamed her new mare, were scheduled to compete at Training Level at a horse show in Ohio. It was there that she first realized something wasn’t quite right. “Ella was always high energy by nature, but she just lost
it at the show,” Lauren explains. “One day, for example, she broke loose from the crossties in the wash stall. Plus she was frantic in her stall and just wouldn’t settle. And she wouldn’t touch her grain. I didn’t worry too much, though, because I
56 November/December 2011
thought over time she’d work through it.” After a brief stint in Chicago and a winter spent working
for dressage Olympian Carol Lavell in Florida, the pair travelled next to New Hampshire, where Lauren was starting a job at trainer Pam Goodrich’s Foster Meadow facility, located in a small town outside the state’s capital, Concord. Ella was six by then and unfortunately, she was unable to settle into her new home. “She couldn’t handle turnout and she was often still so frantic,” Lauren explains. “I realized this had gone on too long.” Until that point, she’d simply considered Ella’s behavior “teenage drama” on the part of a young, hot mare. Now, despite Ella’s continuing success in the show ring, riding and handling her was becoming a frightening experience. Lauren began to look deeper for answers.
SURPRISING SUCCESS Lauren called supplement maker Uckele Health & Nutrition for advice. (Uckele is now one of Lauren’s sponsors.) After describing Ella’s behavior to an associate, in response, the company sent her a product called G.U.T. to try. Remarkably, the effect on Ella was dramatic. “I’ve never had a product work so
quickly,” Lauren says, noting that she saw behavior changes in the mare in three days. “Even Pam noticed the difference!” Soon, Ella was being turned out for half a day at a time, something that would have been unthinkable before. The change in behavior also helped the pair in the show ring. As a six year old, Ella won the Region 1 Championship at Second Level and was able to move up to Prix St. Georges two years later. Today, Ella is competing at Grand Prix,
having just moved into the open classes. Lauren and Ella were in second place in the standings for the 2010 Brentina Cup,
but they were unfortunately unable to compete at the annual competition held in Gladstone, New Jersey in September. Currently they are scheduled to take part in an upcoming USEF high performance training session. “I really have no idea how G.U.T. worked the way it did,”
Lauren says. “I’ve heard the term ‘it sweetens the stomach,’ but I can’t give a technical answer. I just know it worked.”
Above, Top to bottom: Lauren and Ella school some piaffe. Photo by Coree Reuter Practicing the extended trot. Photo by Susan J. Stickle Opposite page. Lauren and Ella in the show ring. Photo by Sara Lieser
By Pat Payne
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