SmartPak Health for Western Riders > Profile on High Point
High Point Performance Horses
Entering the office at High Point Performance Horses, you’re immediately struck by the wall full of World Championship trophies, Congress bronzes, belt buckles and trophy saddles. Awards which many of us wait a lifetime to win, are plentiful at High Point. At a time when AQHA trainers are becoming more and more specialized, head trainers Charlie Cole and Jason Martin are still involved in a variety of events from Western Pleasure to Western Riding, Trail, Hunter Under Saddle and Pleasure Driving, to name a few. Both are AQHA Professional Horsemen and Charlie is a certified AQHA judge. They’re also part of Team Horse and Rider and regular contributors to the popular western magazine.
The Trophy Wall at High Point
With such an array of world champions under their guidance, it’s no surprise that solid nutrition is an important aspect of High Point’s horse care regimen. Every horse at High Point gets a hoof supplement. “The old saying is no hoof no horse; no matter what, you have to take care of their feet,” said Charlie. They also give a daily dewormer, joint supplements like Cosequin and Peppermint Snacks as a special treat!
High Point started using the SmartPakTM supplement feeding service about 5 years ago. After seeing a SmartPak for the first time, Charlie thought it was “the best invention in years.” Instantly he said “that’s the only way to go. It’s what we’re going to use” to feed supplements. With over 70 horses on the property, they’d struggled with an overwhelming number of supplement buckets from clients. Their staff had to keep track of everyone’s buckets and make sure each horse was getting the right supplements every day. Traveling was especially hard, since they had to bring all of those buckets along to shows. Finally, Charlie and Jason were forced to tell their clients that they wouldn’t take buckets to shows. Spending roughly 40 weeks/yr. at shows, it just wasn’t feasible. Since they started SmartPak, Martin notes that traveling is so much easier. “Our staff can easily grab a handful of SmartPaks for each horse and go. No more lugging heavy buckets.”
Charlie Cole and multiple AQHA World Champion Harley D Zip.
Making the switch to SmartPaks was surprisingly easy for such a large barn. As established horsemen, with proven track records, Charlie and Jason’s clients trusted them. When they told clients they’d no longer be able to feed out of buckets and would only be using SmartPak, they got few complaints. All they had to do was show clients the SmartPak packaging. As Charlie said “when you see it, it makes so much sense. Perfect doses-you just can’t make a mistake. It’s hard for people to argue it.”
When asked what the top benefits of using SmartPak have been for High Point Performance Horses, Charlie quickly responded “Convenience (the ease of feeding customized supplements to each horse) and no mistakes. It’s hard not to give it and you can see if someone’s been making mistakes and not feeding the supplements correctly. If there are extra packs, you’ll know!”