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Peek in Our Paks: Ellen B. & Nemo

Posted on: June 03, 2025 by Ellen Brunelle

Ever wish you could take a sneak peek inside our horses’ SmartPaks? Now you can! Check out the supplements we love, for the horses we adore.

Get to Know Us

  • SmartPaker: Ellen B.
  • Department: Contact Center Communications Admin
  • Horse: Nemo, 21yo Morgan gelding
  • Discipline: Dressage

I know we all say it, but I really wasn’t planning to look for another horse. Even so, 14 years ago an ad in 2011 for a 7-year-old, 15.2 hand, old-style Morgan caught my attention. He had a kind eye, a sweet, relaxed nature, and a few weeks later he loaded up on a trailer to head home to Massachusetts with me!

In the last 14 years we've had countless adventures; many trail rides, to lots of open horse shows, beach rides, we even evented for a few years! And now, 2 weeks after his 21st birthday, we enjoy dressage together, even more trail rides, and really any kind of time we can spend together. Nemo has also been on SmartPaks since he became mine, and over the years they’ve shifted and adjusted to his activity level, lifestyle, age, and overall needs.

Get to Know our Supplements

Leg Up® Joint Senior Pellets

I’ve always started Nemo’s SmartPak with joint support. Though he's in his early 20s, Nemo is still active. He’s the field leader of a great group of geldings in a giant pasture, and they regularly can be seen galloping around playing together. I also ride him 4 days a week still, with 3 dressage schools and 1 low key ride and/or relaxing trail ride. Being a Morgan, and true to the breed, Nemo is happier when he has a job, lots of attention, and is in regular work. He’s been on many different SmartPak-brand joint supplements over the years, and I currently have him on Leg Up Joint Senior Pellets.

I chose this supplement because it has traditional joint ingredients such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM that he’s been on for years, combined with more herbal support from yucca, Boswellia, and turmeric, which have been found to help with a normal response to inflammation. Now that he’s a little older, I like adding those herbal ingredients to help offer him a new version of comprehensive support. I do also work closely with my veterinarian and have him on a prescription item to specifically support his joint needs in his 20s and both complement each other nicely to keep Nemo comfy, happy, and ready for adventures.

SmartLytes® Powder

I also always have kept Nemo on an electrolyte. He tends to sweat a lot when riding and naturally runs warm. His jet-black coat also attracts heat in the warmer months, and where he’s still so active, I like having peace of mind knowing that he’s getting any electrolytes lost in sweat replenished in his daily supplement program. I’ve chosen SmartLytes Powder for him, and he loves the tasty cherry flavor of it. Except for summer, he stays on the maintenance dose year-round, as he weighs approximately 1150lbs. In the summer months, I adjust the dose to a custom dose of 1.5 scoops, as it gets very muggy and warm in Massachusetts, which causes him to sweat more, and need a little extra support.

Fat-Cat™

Finally, I added Fat Cat to his supplement regime last summer, as we noticed that he was having just a little more trouble than usual keeping his weight in the summer months. Nemo’s an easy keeper, however, he prefers cooler weather if given a choice. In the summer months, especially when we get long stretches of hot, humid, muggy weather, he’s prone to dropping weight a little. Adding this supplement in, which provides amino acids and high-quality proteins has helped him maintain his muscle definition, paired with exercise, and I love that it has enzymes to help support healthy digestive function, so I know he’s absorbing the nutrients in his hay, grain, and pasture time as well. I give him a regular maintenance does in the summer months, and during the winter months, I do half a dose so that he still receives benefits from it, while balancing out other environmental factors. I’ve loved the results I’ve seen with this supplement.

Get to Know More

While it’s not in his SmartPaks directly, Nemo also enjoys lots of SmartCookies whenever I see him. He loves the peppermint patty flavor option, and I love knowing I’ve got a treat option for him that makes him happy and is also sugar free!

I’ve loved all of our adventures together in the last 14 years, and watching Nemo grow up from a green 7-year-old to a seasoned 21-year-old, while I evolved through my 20s into my 30s. It’s very important to me that he continues to stay as happy and healthy as possible for as many more years as he’ll allow us to, and I feel his supplement program has played a great part in keeping him going so strong. I’m looking forward to our next many years of adventures together.