Ep. 099: From Wrangler to PhD: Dr. Kelly Vineyard’s Journey in Horses and Equine Nutrition

Episode Notes

Ever wondered what it’s like to go from wrangling cattle on a Colorado guest ranch to developing some of the most recognized equine nutrition products in the world?

On this episode, host Katy Starr chats with Dr. Kelly Vineyard, PhD equine nutritionist, dressage medalist, and founder of EquiVine PhD Nutrition about her personal experiences with horses along with helpful tips for horse owners. 

She shares:

• One of the most common feeding mistakes horse owners make 
• The importance of pairing science with real-world horse experience for better feeding solutions
• Her top piece of advice for horse owners when it comes to choosing nutrition strategies for their horse

Balancing career, family, and horses isn’t easy. Dr. Vineyard also opens up about why she chose to step away from riding horses for a season, and how she found her way back in the saddle – a reminder that even when life gets busy, there’s always a way back to the barn!

🎧 Listen now on the Beyond the Barn podcast

Have a topic idea or feedback to share? We want to connect with you! Email podcast@standlee.com

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*Views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Standlee Premium Products, LLC.*

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Read full episode transcript

Katy Starr (00:01):

Hi, I'm Katy Starr and you're listening to Beyond the Barn. Join me on this journey as we bust equine and livestock nutrition myths and sit down with some of the most intriguing experts from across the country. We'll also take you behind the scenes of how premium western quality forage is grown and brought to your favorite farm and ranch retail store. I'm so glad you're here.

 

Katy Starr (00:27):

Welcome back to another episode of Beyond the Barn. I have a new guest joining us today. Dr. Kelly Vineyard is a PhD equine nutritionist who has spent more than 16 years turning complex science into real world feeding solutions for horse owners. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal and Dairy Sciences from Auburn University and her master of Science and Doctorate in Animal Sciences with a focus on equine nutrition from the University of Florida with previous roles in research and development and technical services at Purina Animal Nutrition. She's now the founder of EquVine PhD Nutrition and joining Standlee as a PhD equine nutrition expert. Her experience in the saddle is as equally impressive as her professional career. She was a charter member of the Auburn University equestrian team, worked as a wrangler on a Colorado guest ranch and is a United States Dressage Federation, bronze and silver medalist. Dr. Vineyard, thank you so much for joining us on the Beyond the Barn podcast today.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (01:30):

Well, thank you Katy for having me and I'm excited to be here.

 

Katy Starr (01:36):

To kind of get us started, the whole purpose of this episode is I kind of wanted to just talk to you a little bit about your background and experience in the industry and kind of what drives you to be, you know, in your career role and path. And so, can you just talk to us a little bit about where you grew up and your background with horses?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (01:55):

Well, sure. So, I grew up in the south, in Alabama, so if you hear a little bit of a southern accent, that's where that came from. And I did grow up in a non horsey family, so neither of my parents are in the horse industry. No one on either side of my family had horses, although I will say my great-grandfather was a horse vet back before you could even go to school to be a vet. He was kind of grandfathered in, in the state of Alabama as practicing animal medicine and veterinary medicine. He didn't go to school for it technically, but he was trained by another, another person and he got grandfathered in and my dad used to tell me stories about him traveling around getting to treat horses and cows and all, all the animals in Clay County, Alabama. So, that's kind of a fun fact.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (02:46):

But I unfortunately, never got to meet him. He passed away before I was born, but I think he's my only equine connection on both sides of my family. So, what that means, and I'm sure a lot of people can relate to this, is I had to beg and plead my parents to take riding lessons. When I was a kid because I got the horse bug from watching the horse movies and reading horse books. I had a friend who rode horses, so that's where I got introduced and I finally wore them down and I was able to, you know, find a local stable. I cleaned stalls in exchange for riding lessons and you know, the rest was history. I just, I never gave it up after that.

 

Katy Starr (03:24):

That's so awesome. And that's really a cool connection about the veterinarian and everything, especially not having schooling for it and everything. That's fascinating.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (03:33):

Yeah, it really is. At some point I think I'm not quite old enough yet to go back into family history and genealogy, but I know everybody reaches that point in their life when they learn all about that and like he's the first one I'm going to go study and yeah. Learn about the history there.

 

Katy Starr (03:49):

That is so cool. And you, you know, being, you know, a young girl just fascinated by horses, do you have a heart horse? Can you tell us more about them?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (04:01):

Well, sure, I mean I feel like every horse in my life has been my heart horse in some way or another. But definitely when I think of heart horse, that has to be my horse named Roman. And so, I actually got Roman as an adult. Roman was the first horse I bought after I finished grad school actually. So, I bought him in 2008 right as I finished my PhD. I guess in a way it was like my present to myself after finishing my PhD. And so, Roman was an off track thoroughbred and he was only 15.3 hands. He was not very tall. And he ran 22 races, which is really cool, but he only won $6,500 in his lifetime. And so, another person bought him off the track and she actually trained him to be a dressage horse.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (04:54):

Okay. And so, he became a very successful thoroughbred dressage horse, which is kind of unusual. And I bought him when he was 14 years old. So, he was a school master at the time I purchased him and he was the true definition of a, of a school master. He patiently took me from first level dressage all the way up to FEI level pre St. George. I earned both my bronze and silver medals in dressage on Roman. And he and I showed, you know, all through Florida, we went to regional championships together multiple times. I got to, you know, take clinics with him and learn from many different instructors and he was just such a steady Eddie for me. But also, I mean he was a thoroughbred so he had an opinion about things and he, he definitely had a little spunk to him. And what was really cool about him too is you know, people would see him in the show ring and they wouldn't believe me that he was a thoroughbred because he just carried himself with such presence and such expression that's not typically thought of with like off track thoroughbreds. But they're such incredible athletes and he was a great ambassador for the breed for offtrack thoroughbreds that sure if this horse likes to show off, he'd make a great dressage horse ,

 

Katy Starr (06:11):

Find somewhere other else to do it. Yeah,

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (06:13):

Yeah, that's right. So, yeah, definitely Roman, you know, sadly he passed away at age 22 unexpectedly. I was riding him, he was sound, I mean that horse was sound as the day is long and he had a very rare thymic tumor actually that took his life unexpectedly, kind of there at the end. But up until that point, I mean he was about to start being a school master for another rider at age 22. So, he was such a cool horse.

 

Katy Starr (06:39):

Aw, that's so amazing when you can have such a good relationship with a horse like that and really just this strong connection. It's interesting getting to talk to different folks on here about their experiences with horses. And a lot of people have that same experience that you do where you feel like you just have really good strong connections with the horses that you've had. And then I also know that there's some, just depending, I think how involved you are in the industry with like training and things like that. Because often you can go through more horses and so, you may have some that just connected with you so much better than others. But it's just, it's so interesting to hear about people's relationships and where those horses took them and what they taught them. Especially for him to be an off the track thoroughbred too and have a completely different life in the dressage world. Like he just made a thing for himself in something completely different. And I just think that's really cool.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (07:33):

Oh yeah, for sure. You know, certainly every horse teaches you something new, you know? And it's, you know, sometimes it's something about yourself. Sometimes it's something about horsemanship, but you're always learning and that's, I mean, that's why I love horses. Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (07:48):

That's so cool. And another kind of interesting thing that you shared with me is you spent not one but three summers working on a guest ranch when you were going to school. What inspired you to do that? Especially being, you know, having a dressage horse and doing that and your English background. What brought you back to even come back and do that for multiple summers?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (08:10):

Yeah, I guess I wanted to be a cowgirl down deep inside because I definitely got to play cowgirl for three summers. Yeah. But it was incredible. You know, the first summer that I signed up to be a wrangler at the Focus Ranch in Slater, Colorado, it was for an internship actually while I was at Auburn. I could get some school credit for, you know, doing an internship. And so, I looked for something to do with horses. There was literally an ad in the classifieds in our school paper. And I read it and I knew like without a shadow of a doubt, that was something I needed to sign up for. That was back in the days before the internet, I'm going to age myself, but I couldn't Google them. You know, I couldn't do anything, so I had to call them.

 

Katy Starr (08:52):

That's a little scary.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (08:55):

So, I had to pick up the phone and talk to the owners of the ranch and learned about what the job entailed. And I just thought it sounded incredible. They had about 30 to 40 horses. They ran 15 head of stocker steers on National Parklands in Colorado and also parts of Wyoming. The ranch kind of was in both states. And we moved cattle around throughout the summer to graze the different lands. And then we would have up to 10 guests at a time that literally had to help us move the cattle. I mean, they had a job too. It wasn't just a trail ride. The guest would come and got, it was a working cattle ranch is what we called it.

 

Katy Starr (09:30):

You pay us to move.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (09:32):

You pay us.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (09:33):

And you come work . I'm telling you, it's the best vacation ever.

 

Katy Starr (09:37):

I'm sure most people absolutely love that though. Because that's what they went there for.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (09:41):

Oh. I mean it was definitely not a nose to tail, you know, kind of trail ride type of situation and yeah. And people absolutely loved it. And we had guests that came back. I mean there was one guy from Germany who had been coming for 10 years. I'm sure he is still there now. He's still going , you know, he's still going because people loved it that much. But I learned so much, you know, about a different side of horses for moving cattle and for serving a purpose. And I mean we spend, you know, seven, eight hours in the saddle a day sometimes. And that's very different than going in the arena for 45 minutes . And so, you have to pay attention to your horse, you have to have a really good relationship with them. And then I had to learn how to teach other people to do that in a very short period of time because they had to get along with their horses too, you know. And so, what kept me coming back was the people I, I loved Terry and Maureen who owned the ranch. They were true western lifestyle. They raised the cattle, they lived off the land. I really was attracted to that. They were tough good people. And then the beauty of Colorado, I mean it's so gorgeous out west with the mountains. I mean, coming from the south I had a little bit of mountains, but not that many to appreciate.

 

Katy Starr (10:58):

Yeah, it's a little different.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (11:00):

Yeah, the Rockies are a different story. I mean there's just something about it. So, yeah, that's what kept me going back.

 

Katy Starr (11:05):

That is so cool. And so, when you got interested in horses initially, what drew you to dressage in general? Was it because you ended up getting Roman and he was a dressage horse and that's what led you into it? Or what drew you to that discipline?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (11:21):

Yeah, well I actually was introduced to dressage when I was in high school, so long before I met Roman before and long before I was on the Auburn Equestrian team. And long before I went to Colorado, I very randomly found a little dressage farm in Alabama, which at that time was pretty rare. And that's where I got into dressage and started doing some dressage shows and learning the discipline of dressage. And for me, and I think most people who ride dressage understand it's really about bringing out the best in your horse, whatever that may be. Whether he's an off track thoroughbred or a fancy warm blood or something in between. It's about riding with your horse and not against them. And you're not going to be successful if you don't. Try to get in sync with that horse. And that's the addictive part of dressage is that feeling when you're in sync with your horse, whether you're riding a first level test or you know, pre Saint George test or Grand Prix movements, that feeling of being in sync and sort of bringing the best out of what that horse can do, whatever that may be, there's just no better feeling in the world.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (12:32):

And I just, I'm a lifelong learner too, and I think dressage really fits well into that because there's always more to learn. There's always more to perfect. You can always be better. So, that's the other part of dressage, you know, that feeling that you get when everything's working right. And then also just this constant striving of being better is what draws me to it for sure.

 

Katy Starr (12:57):

That is really neat. And then you currently ride and train your gelding Dibadoo?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (13:06):

That's right. Dibadoo. .

 

Katy Starr (13:07):

And you get to show him a few times a year. I mean, you show him at multiple shows, but you mentioned that you get to show him at the World Equestrian Center, which I think is really neat. Because I don't know that everybody gets the experience and opportunity to go to the World Equestrian Center and you don't live very far from it either, like less than an hour away. So, talk about your experience there a little bit. What has been maybe your most memorable competition that you've had there?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (13:36):

Well, yeah. So, I am very fortunate. I live very close to Ocala, Florida and the World Equestrian Center in Ocala happens to be one of the few places that have the dressage shows that we go, and we are trying to earn our scores. We had regional championships there last year in 2024. And so, why would I not show there ? It's just like an incredible, it's an incredible venue for many reasons. You know, if you've heard about the World Equestrian Center, it's everything they say it is and more. It's beautiful, number one, it's very horse friendly in my opinion, because the air conditioned arenas, it's the first time I've ever shown in an air conditioned arena going there. But the sound is like, everything's muted. There's not a lot of echoing, there's not a lot of, the footing there is just perfect. My horse loves it.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (14:29):

Dibadoo loves showing there. He just perks right up and struts his stuff. And he's very relaxed, but also like on his game. Like it's both, that's what you really want. You don't want it. He's not nervous about things, but he's ready to go, which I just love. But then you've got your restaurants there and you've got the hotel there and you've just got all the little human perks that you don't get at a lot of show venues. I mean I definitely, we show at some other venues too that, you know, maybe it's a little more low key and they're fun in their own way, but you know, you're certainly not going to go to the wine bar , you know, after you ride. So, the equestrian center kind of takes it up a notch and sort of makes you feel like a queen when you're there. So, I love it.

 

Katy Starr (15:13):

That's awesome.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (15:14):

You ask about the most memorable show. I guess it was almost exactly a year ago from now. Last August. So, my birthday's at the end of August and they always have a dressage show right around my birthday in August. So, I was at my birthday show, I like to call it, I'm about to go again in a couple weeks. And we were doing a musical freestyle to Madonna. It was a Madonna themed freestyle and we won the class. And so, of course like that was like a big memorable moment for me because it was one of those freestyle classes where they put everybody in a, like first-fourth level, we were in a second level. But for me to kind of win the whole class, that was one of those test of choice classes was kind of a big deal. It was at night, everybody comes to watch. And so, I remember when we had that experience, I'm like, I better remember this. Because dressage doesn't always go your way. . Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. And so, those times when it does go your way, it's just good to savor it for an extra moment.

 

Katy Starr (16:10):

That is so great. And you get to go back here shortly, so that'll be fun.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (16:15):

No pressure, no pressure to repeat performance. Now we have a third level Taylor Swift themed freestyle, so.

 

Katy Starr (16:22):

Oh yeah. Really trending with the times right now then with the Taylor Swift.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (16:27):

. That's right. Yeah, that's right.

 

Katy Starr (16:28):

That's awesome. . And I think this also last year was probably a really sweet moment for you too, because there's a time that you took a break from riding in competitions and you recently, the past few years had gotten back into it. And so, talk to us a little bit about what it was like making that decision, why you felt like you needed to take a break and how it actually felt making a comeback with it.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (16:56):

Sure. So, yeah, after my horse Roman died, and that was 2016, I was kind of faced with a really, I, I think a decision that a lot of adult amateurs find themselves with. I was, at the point in my life, I had two young children that required a lot of time and energy. I had a job at the time I was with Purina Animal Nutrition and I had to travel quite a bit with that job also. And those were two very big things in my life. And to bring in a, a horse in and find a new horse and start riding training a new horse was going to be too much I thought. And something had to give. And I, I wasn't really willing to sacrifice my family. So, I, so I sacrificed the horse at the time and that was a hard decision, but not that hard because I think I knew at the time it, it was a season, I kept telling myself, this is a season, it won't be permanent.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (17:49):

I'll get back into horses when the time is right. And so, I always told myself when my youngest went to kindergarten, okay, then I can start thinking about horse shopping again. And I think he was actually closer to first grade when I ended up horse shopping. But the time came and I did have to make a conscious decision, okay, time's going to be short, I'm going to have to be very organized because I still have this job, I still have these kids, they still have to eat every day. They still have to go at all their things they need to go do.

 

Katy Starr (18:20):

For some reason. ,

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (18:21):

Why do they have to eat every day three times a day for that matter.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (18:28):

I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but I'm so glad I decided, you know, in 2022 to just go horse shopping. And I was on the lookout for the right opportunity and Dibadoo literally fell into my lap. He is an amazing horse. I just am so lucky to have him. And what was, you know how the sometimes you just know things are right at the right time. When I found him online, I'm like, Dibadoo, Dibadoo that name sounds really interesting and familiar. Because that's an unusual name. Well, it ended up, I had actually done a nutrition consult for him a year earlier. Because his owner and rider is a professional down in Wellington. And I often work with professional riders on horse nutrition and that was one of the horses that I had done a consult for. I looked him up in my files and sure enough there he was. And then lo and behold, a year later I'm looking at buying him and it was just meant to be, it was totally meant to be. So.

 

Katy Starr (19:29):

That's awesome. Well and thank you for sharing that because I think there are actually a lot of people that find themselves in a situation like you just, especially when you're like starting a family. And that's a question that comes up. Like, how do you find time to ride? How do you find time to do all this stuff? And knowing and understanding that it is a season. And if it is important to you, it is something that you can come back to and that's okay. It's okay to take a break from things, make sure that you can manage, like juggle all of the balls, the glass and plastic balls that kind of come in life and making sure that we don't shatter the things that are most important. And so, I'm really glad that, I just feel like this is like kind of an encouraging message for those that maybe find themselves in a similar situation and knowing that you can come back to it, it's okay to take a break if you say you know, goodbye for a moment. It doesn't mean it's like for all time. Right.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (20:27):

It's not forever. That's right. Absolutely.

 

Katy Starr (20:30):

Yeah. That's so good. And when did you feel like, I mean obviously you kind of got the horse bug and everything, but when did you actually realize and feel like I want to work with horses as kind of your future career path?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (20:43):

Well, I do think it was always in my head. I wanted to work with animals. You know, like many people, I always wanted to be a vet growing up that was what I wanted to do was be a veterinarian. And it really didn't happen until I got to college at Auburn, I was on the equine veterinarian path until I had a really good professor who introduced me to the concept of going to graduate school and studying nutrition. I didn't realize that that was possible at the time. So, thankfully I had a very good advisor who saw in me, you know, I, I really, I had an aptitude for science, I loved science, I loved research. I actually helped him. I was a TA in one of his classes and he got me a job working in the department, you know, running like protein analysis for some poultry research actually.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (21:31):

So I've dabbled a little bit in some of that type of work and, and he's like, you could go to grad school. So, I really credit Dr. Bob Coleman at Auburn University for helping me understand that there are more career paths with horses than just being a veterinarian. And certainly there are more career paths than just being a nutritionist as well. There's just, there is a lot out there for us horse crazy folks. I hate to say horse crazy girls. Because I know there's horse crazy guys too, right? You always think it's just a horse trainer or a veterinarian and that's the only thing you can do, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. You know, there's so many more things even in agribusiness and marketing and sales and pharmaceutical industry, feed industry, you know, tack, I mean you name it, you can do something with a skill and pair with your interest in horses.

 

Katy Starr (22:20):

Yeah. Well and I think if you're able to find and connect with people in the industry, like for people to not take lightly, how much of an impact in your future career could be just introducing yourself and connecting yourself with individuals in the industry. Because you never know what kind of connection someone else has with another person that might set you on your path that you never even knew was possible.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (22:48):

Absolutely, I love that. And always keeping an open mind to, if you have your heart set on one thing, but another opportunity shows itself that may be a little bit different, be open to it. You know, everything has a season you can always change. But you never know where some of those opportunities will lead.

 

Katy Starr (23:05):

Yeah. That's really cool. And so, what has been your absolute favorite experience you've had in your career involving horses so far?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (23:16):

So, that's almost an impossible question because , there have been so many wonderful experiences. But in terms of my professional career, I started about 16 years ago with Purina Animal Nutrition. And I started out with a focus strictly on research and development. And then I expanded into technical services, you know, later on. And so, kind of thinking about that, being involved in the research and development process and specifically I helped design and lead research projects that led to a product called SuperSport Amino Acid Supplement. And also a product you might have heard of called Outlast Gastric Support Supplement. And being at the beginning of those and knowing this could really help horses, I think this could work. And then designing, in the case of outlast, several years worth of studies that led to the launch of that product. And then now it's both of those products and many other ones that I've worked on have been out in the market and they're being successful. They're helping horses be more athletic, be healthier, have more success, and also having a hand in something that helps make the horse owner's life a little more easier to help simplify the feeding process that is so absolutely rewarding. I mean, I can't even hardly put words around it and nothing really can top being able to know that, you know, all of this work and effort I put in on the front end here is paying off dividends to help horses and their owners. It is absolutely amazing.

 

Katy Starr (24:50):

Aw. It's like a nice way where you get to make a living, but you're also giving back in a sense too. It's kind of a, a good balance of the, by helping.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (24:58):

I definitely feel very blessed to be able to do that. And very fortunate because I don't take it for granted. I'll put it that way.

 

Katy Starr (25:07):

That's good. That's so good. And so, like you've mentioned, you've spent much of your career as a nutritionist with Purina and earlier this year you transitioned into your new adventure EquiVine PhD nutrition. So, what are you most excited about with this new endeavor?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (25:25):

Right. So, yeah, I am so grateful for the time that I spent at Purina. I learned so much about the people I've met, the experiences I had, and now kind of leading into my own independent consulting business with EquiVine. I just want to build on that experience and basically broaden my focus, you know, maybe to other aspects of the nutrition industry, including forage nutrition, which is how I came to Standlee and now partnering with Standlee. I mean there's nothing more important than forage in a horse's diet. I mean, that is key. And so, I'm so excited to be able to broaden my focus to support Standlee, to support other companies, to support veterinarians is another part of my focus with EquiVine. I really also have had a lot of experience working with veterinarians, you know, on the, the tricky cases on the ones that the textbooks aren't written about. And how can I use the, you know, basic course physiology and nutrition knowledge I have paired with the experience, paired with understanding of the, you know, different products that are out there and available to utilize to really help these specific cases. That is what I'm looking forward to. Being able to have more freedom to do that type of work. And at the end of the day, it's all about taking the science of equine nutrition and pairing that with your practical experience. Because sometimes you also have to have the practical.

 

Katy Starr (26:52):

For sure. For sure.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (26:54):

And then putting that into, whether it's a process or a product or just information that horse owners can take and make their lives better and make their horses' lives better. That's really what it's all about.

 

Katy Starr (27:07):

That's awesome. And so, I know that this might be a little bit of a tough question. I know you've had a lot of great individuals in your life that have influenced you in your career and work with horses, but who kind of pops into your head when you think about who has had the greatest impact on you in the equine industry?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (27:29):

Well, yeah, that's another impossible question. I mean, as far as like my personal journey with riding and with horses and horse training, that's an easy one to answer because that's my first dressage instructor. Her name was Nora Lee. She was, I met her when I was in eighth grade. My parents were driving past her farm and saw a horse riding arena. And literally my dad pulls in and says, Hey, do you ride horses? Hey, my daughter does. Can she come ride here ? I mean, it was literally like, that's how we've met her. And she was kind of like she was probably a little bit like, who are these crazy people? . But she agreed to let me come ride with her. She didn't have an official like riding program or anything like that, but she took me under her wing. She was where I learned about dressage.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (28:14):

She was a dressage rider. More importantly, I learned good horsemanship. Her husband was a professor at a college and she was very academic minded also. So, she, I remember like even the feeding programs of every horse was different there. And like that was my early introduction to horse nutrition and how to take care of your horses properly. She always took the best medical care of her horses. And then certainly with the dressage, she would take me to meetings, she would take me to horse shows, she would take me to clinics. She didn't have to do that. But she did. And it made a lasting impact on me. And like, I probably haven't seen her and at least 10 or 15 years, but I, I think about her all the time. So, there's always going to be people in your life that have those lasting impacts. And I think now I am in a position to where I hope I can have that type of impact on other people and it, it just kind of pay pays forward. And that's the wonderful thing about horses that connect us in so many different ways.

 

Katy Starr (29:15):

Yeah. And I love that so much the, like what you said about she didn't have to do it. But she chose to. Like that's when you really make a difference. And that's such a great positive, good start to your experience that I think really just made you who you are today. So, that's really cool.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (29:33):

For sure. For sure.

 

Katy Starr (29:36):

Then looking back on the moment that you earned your PhD, you were starting out, you know, in your career as an equine nutritionist. What's one thing that you wish you had known then that you know now if you could go back and talk to your younger self?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (29:52):

Right. Oh, oh, so many things. , I think coming out, I spent seven years in graduate school studying equine nutrition. Three years on my master's degree and four years on my PhD. So, I was technically in school for longer than a DVM .

 

Katy Starr (30:09):

Longer than you would've been if you had been in Vet school.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (30:11):

. Right. I should have just gone to vet school and I've been done quicker. So, and you know, a lot of that is because research takes time and when you have multiple studies and so, you come out of school and I'm like, okay, I have my PhD, I'm Dr. Vineyard, I just got hired by Purina. Like this is it. Right. But I wish, what I know now is at that point I'd barely scratched the surface of what I knew. I kind of knew nothing . I mean, I knew the book stuff, but I wish at that point I had known, I still have so much to learn. Take in everything you can, you don't know anything. I remember when I got hired at Purina, one of the guys who hired me told me, it's going to take you at least a year to be able to find the bathroom .

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (30:58):

And I'll never forget that because he was right. You know, and basically what he meant is like finding the bathroom seems like that would be easy to do or seems pretty basic, but it takes you a long time to get to where things come easy and things are basic. So, 16 years later I'm still learning. I still don't know everything. I never will. And God help me if I ever think I do because at that point it's all over . You always have to keep learning. I always am open to new information. I'm always willing to read a new study or, or say that, okay, well that proves me wrong, that I thought that was the case, but this helps me understand that in a different way. And just keeping an open mind and always being on a learning path. I think if I'd taken that from the beginning, I'd probably even be further along in my quest for knowledge .

 

Katy Starr (31:49):

Yeah. Yeah. Well and that's, I mean, there is always so much to learn in everything that we do. And I think for anybody to close themself off to think that, oh, I have all the answers figured out, I'm good. I'm set. Like, and then even in like the horse world, I mean this can go for lots of different industries as well. But that's the thing is like, and every horse is different and knowing that just because something worked for one horse doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for another horse. I mean, just like with us in humans, like a lot of that stuff works the same as well. And so, being able to seek that information out, going to your good mentors that you can lean on and your professionals and your network that you can, I mean, one thing that we always talk about here at Standlee is just like the importance of having a really great team that you put together because you have your veterinarian that doesn't always know all of the answers on the nutrition realm.

 

Katy Starr (32:43):

And obviously likewise on the opposite side, the nutritionist there is to kind of be there to help with the feeding program and things like that. Especially when you're getting into those more detailed cases that you don't always know the answer right off the bat and you just really have to do some searching and you have your farrier, your trainer, we have all these people that are some great resources that we can lean on. And I think for horse owners to realize that you don't have to walk this alone, you don't have to know all of the answers. You just have to put together your team and trust them to work with you on those things that you need help with.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (33:17):

That makes me think of something you didn't mention, and I'm glad you didn't, it didn't mention it, is when you talk about your team and who you go to for knowledge, you didn't mention an internet chat room . And , you know believe me, I love me a good internet chat room. We're all on them. We're all looking for answers. But one of the things I see, and I just want to kind of address, it's very easy for horse owners to go to the internet as their first line of nutrition advice. And on the internet is where you find those people who think they know everything, right? They are not on a learning path, they are on a telling path. So, those internet experts, air quote experts, right? On these Facebook groups and on these chat rooms, they're trying to prove something.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (34:01):

And so, they're not actually best equipped to give you the best advice for your horse in that minute. The rest of that team, you mentioned, you're veterinarians, you're nutritionist or through the nutrition companies you work with that have nutritionist, even your, you know, knowledgeable sales reps, your knowledgeable feed store owner, your hay supplier, like those guys live in the industry and they are constantly learning and they can help you decide and make good decisions about your feeding programs. An internet stranger may have an idea, but you definitely have to do your homework before you, and you always need to take things on the internet with a grain of salt.

 

Katy Starr (34:40):

Sure. 100%. And knowing everybody's specific environments and how that influences the individual animals and everything. So, yeah, for sure. So, if you could share one piece of advice with horse owners as a PhD, equine nutritionist, and also as a horse owner yourself, what advice would you give?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (35:03):

Yeah, I think that if I had to pick just one thing to say, it would be don't over complicate your feeding program because I feel like that's what I see. One of the biggest mistakes that horse owners make is they feel like to be quote good, a nutrition program must be complicated. And actually a nutrition program doesn't need to be complicated. And it shouldn't be if it feels too complicated or if it feels like you're unsure if it's working because you have so many different things going on, it probably is too complicated. So, you know, the most important thing to get right in your nutrition plan is your forage program. Hands down, spending your time and energy, getting that right is your best time spent on whether it's stressing and best, you know, or reading or researching or whatever it is. Spend your time picking the right forage for your situation and for your scenario and how to and spending your money there and then filling in the gaps of that, whatever those gaps may be for your specific situation. It's not that complicated and you can always seek out support on that. Yeah. Don't overcomplicate your feeding program.

 

Katy Starr (36:13):

Yeah. Well when you think about just how much forage, whether coming from pasture or hay, how much of the horse's diet comes from that? I mean that's why you say that is because That's like a significant portion of what they're consuming. So, if we get that right, it makes that fill in those gaps so much easier to figure out.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (36:35):

That's great. If you think about it, 80 90% of a horse's diet is, is forage. And if, if the hay and or pasture is poor quality, but the owner isn't focused on improving the quality of that and they're more focused on, well let me get another weight gain supplement, or let me find another hoof growth supplement. Whereas if you actually replace some of that poor quality hay with good quality forage, you don't need a weight gain supplement. You don't need a hoof quality supplement. Because if you're focusing on that foundation, it fixes a lot of problems you're trying to fix with supplements. Right.

 

Katy Starr (37:11):

We always like to talk about being proactive. Like yeah, there's so much that you can do with nutrition that I think can help solve a lot of problems that people end up finding later is just because if we just work on that foundation, it's just going to set you up so much better in the future.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (37:28):

For sure. For sure.

 

Katy Starr (37:30):

And then this is such an important question, and I love to ask this question to everybody who is obviously a horse person that comes on the podcast, but what is the most important thing that horses have taught you in your life so far?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (37:45):

A lot of things. I think horses teach us so much about ourselves, about life in general. But I think for me specifically, horses have taught me humility. Horses don't really like you coming in there with an agenda and telling them what to do all the time. Plenty of people try to do it that way and they're not always going to be very successful. And so, for me, when I catch myself having an agenda and not considering my horse's thoughts and opinions, he teaches me real fast that I better respect the other 50% of the equation in this relationship. And he teaches me to be humble. Like he's not on my agenda. Right? And so, I think that horses have a good way of sort of finding what lessons we need to learn in life and teaching it to us over and over again, whatever the season may be. .

 

Katy Starr (38:39):

Yep, yep, yep. That's great. And then the last few questions I want to ask you, these will be quick questions. So, it's almost like a little bit rapid fire so you don't have to like think too much about it. Just the first thing that kind of comes to mind and yeah. So, English or Western?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (38:57):

English.

 

Katy Starr (38:58):

Morning rides or evening rides?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (39:01):

Morning. That's easy. I live in Florida, so always a morning.

 

Katy Starr (39:04):

Describe your horse in three words?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (39:07):

Tall, , reliable and spectacular.

 

Katy Starr (39:12):

Awesome. Favorite horse movie of all time?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (39:16):

Okay. You've probably never even heard of this movie, but it's still my favorite. Danny. It's called Danny. It's from the 70s, late 70s.

 

Katy Starr (39:24):

I know that movie. Favorite horse breed?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (39:30):

Hanoverian

 

Katy Starr (39:32):

And bucket list place to ride horses?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (39:35):

Oh, that's long. That's a long list. I ride every vacation we go on, so, but I really want to ride the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

 

Katy Starr (39:45):

Oh, that would be so cool. Okay. Biggest pet peeve at the barn?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (39:51):

This is easy. Horses standing in the stall with no hay to eat.

 

Katy Starr (39:55):

. It's terrible. That's a good one. That's a good one. And if your horse had a theme song, what would it be?

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (40:03):

This one is hard, but my horse loves to show, like he gets very proud in the show ring. So, I think the song, “This Is Me” from the movie, the Greatest Showman, that's like a really proud song. And he's very proud of himself, so I think that fits.

 

Katy Starr (40:18):

That's awesome. Well, this has been so good, Dr. Vineyard, thank you so much for being on today and just giving us some insight into who you are, your background, like where horses have kind of taken you through your career and everything. And we are excited to be able to have you on occasionally to talk about some other future nutrition topics. But thanks for being here today, we really appreciate it.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (40:43):

Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be working with Standlee. I've always appreciated Standlee products like my whole entire career. And now to be able to come alongside you guys and the team at Standlee and what you're doing and really raising the bar for the conversation around forage for horses, that's so critical and I'm glad to be here and looking forward to the future.

 

Katy Starr (41:05):

Awesome. Well, until next time, we'll talk to you later.

 

Dr. Kelly Vineyard (41:08):

All right, thanks.

 

Katy Starr (41:11):

Thanks for listening to the Beyond the Barn podcast by Standlee Forage. We'd love for you to share our podcast with your favorite people and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite listening platform. Until next time, keep your cinch tight and don't forget to turn off the water.