Famous Equine LLC Conditioning and Rehab Center
- February 3, 2017
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- Lynn Kohr
Posted in: Featured, Horse Care
Famous Equine LLC Conditioning and Rehab Center, is a great solution for the dangerous and inconvenient winter conditions when you are needing to get competition horses in shape. Famous Equine is a healthy, convenient, and affordable solution to our cold, icy, winter conditioning choices. AquaTred, Indoor Arena, 6 Horse Preifert free-style exerciser, Equi-Vibe, Nebulizers, and more are available.
Famous Equine is located in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, just 10 miles from Rapid City, at 21955 Horseshoe Road, Piedmont SD 57769.
Famous Equine LLC Conditioning and Rehab Center is owned and operated by Razen Merrill and Kali Olson. I took a visit to their facility the other day, and they were kind enough to answer a few questions for us.
What got you started?
“We have both been involved with and shared a deep passion for horses our entire lives, and both always knew we wanted to pursue careers involving horses. After getting engaged we moved to Texas, (Razen originally from Chadron, NE, and Kali from Buffalo, SD.) As avid rodeo and team roping competitors, we are always looking for ways to improve our equine athlete’s performance! We had been coming off a couple years, plagued by devastating equine injuries. We were introduced to Equine Hydrotherapy and were able to witness first-hand the incredible benefits not only for rehabilitation purposes but also overall conditioning. The performance advantages were undeniable in the horses being treated. In the Southern States there are numerous conditioning and rehab facilities available, but in the Northern States they are much more limited. We knew Northern States would benefit greatly from a similar facility due to the harsher winter weather that can leave people unable to ride or compete. We felt the Black Hills would be a great location to offer these services due to the growing number of equine competitors and competitions, as well as the fact that the area’s leading Veterinary Clinics operate here.”
Tell us about Famous Equine? I picture your customer coming to you and telling you what their end goal is, then can you help them get their horses there?
Kali responds, “Our facility includes 14 12×12 box stalls, walker, wash bay, 70’ round pen and 70’x135’ indoor riding arena. Our box stalls all contain ground corner feeders which help to promote eating and proper body mechanics, decrease hay waste, and the ability to offer salt blocks and other supplementation to aid in the horse’s nutrition during their stay. The horses that go through our program are turned out in the riding arena daily while being monitored, to help self-exercise, roll, and spend more time out of their stall, which we feel is important. Our treatment room is fully enclosed and insulated with non-slip rubber flooring, allowing us to provide safe treatments year-round.
Our Treatment programs are based around the AquaTred. The AquaTred is a combination of treadmill and whirlpool with temperature controlled water and Jacuzzi jets. It provides a safe and proven way to condition or rehabilitate your horse. The AquaTred provides the ability to adjust water depth, adding or decreasing buoyancy depending on the horse’s individual needs. With our 5’ model we are able to add more water allowing us to accommodate taller horses as well as provide more buoyancy and a safer environment for all sizes of horses. Combining a treadmill with hydrotherapy encourages an intense cardiovascular workout, allowing the lungs and heart to reach maximum capacity, while maintaining less strain on joints, tendons, and ligaments. Unlike other forms of hydrotherapy, namely swimming pools, the AquaTred provides an exercise in a controlled environment using the horse’s natural gait, while allowing them to stay in contact with a solid surface beneath them. This allows them to work the same muscles, ligaments, and tendons they would in conventional training, while still providing sufficient concussion to promote bone density and muscle development. The Jacuzzi Jets paired with temperature controlled water provide a therapeutic effect the horses really enjoy. Whether the goal is to safely rehabilitate after an injury, or to increase muscle mass and lung capacity, the AquaTred provides an answer for your equine athlete.
While our treatment programs are based around the AquaTred, at this time we also offer EquiVibe sessions, and a Priefert 6-Horse wire mesh Panel Walker. The Panel Walker allows us to give the horses a customized workout in safe sandy footing while introducing more low impact concussion back into their training program. As an added bonus, the horses are able get a great workout while enjoying fresh air and sunshine.
The EquiVibe is a whole body vibrational plate, which unlike other vibrational platforms, provides true-vertical vibration. This is the preferred and most natural form of vibrational therapy. It can be used as a performance enhancer, for rehabilitation, or preventative care, all of which make it a great addition to our treatment programs. We have been so impressed with the results we are seeing that we became an EquiVibe dealer.”
You said all of your Famous Equine packages are custom-do you help design the workout package?
“Our Treatment Programs are fully customizable by services and duration. Each treatment is based on the horse’s individual needs as well as the owner’s budget. We realize each horse is unique and work with the owner and Veterinarian to provide the best possible treatment for each horse. In most cases we recommend starting with a two-week program. This allows us to utilize the AquaTred 10 times during the stay in a 5:1 or 5:2 schedule, meaning 5 days on and 1 or 2 days off. In some rehabilitation cases the duration may be much longer, while a program customized to aid in maintaining condition can be shorter. Incorporating the EquiVibe and Panel Walker can help to increase results. We firmly believe every horse can benefit in some way from our treatment programs.
In addition to the AquaTred, EquiVibe, and Panel Walker we offer Flexineb Nebulizers (services and we are a dealer). We also offer the full product line of both OE Nutraceuticals and Woody’s Performance Horse Feeds. “
We have huge goals and plans for Famous Equine. We look to offer additional services and products in the near future. We plan to grow and evolve to best fit our clients and their horses’ needs, by incorporating the most current conditioning and rehabilitation methods. We are incredibly motivated and excited for what is to come in the future!”
Posted in: Featured, Horse Care
About Lynn Kohr
I am a barrel and pole horse trainer, giving springtime barrel racing and pole bending clinics and workshops, competing in barrel racing and pole bending futurities while marketing our horses for sale. I am a Mom of 3: Sage, Cedar, and Stratton. And wife of...