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Happy party girl to dangerous she devil

The story of Fancy

Fancy is a 4yr old Appaloosa QH filly, I've owned since 7 months old and trained her up until 2.5 years old. Then sent her to a good friend who happens to be a brilliant horse trainer for 12 months to put the miles on her. Fancy has been the most challenging horse I have trained from the moment she arrived. She is very confident, dominant and smart, she has a high play drive (she’s a thinker). My friend knew the importance of Fancy being safe for me to ride after I had major brain surgery. At the trainers Fancy was well socialised with everybody and everything and became the party girl, when ever he had friends around out came Fancy for them to ride. Those who could ride, those who couldn’t, including those who shouldn’t. A boom box was attached to her saddle, nothing fazed her, she is also blind as a bat at night but out she went riding at night (her night blindness is hereditary).

For years now I have used Gotcha Equine Mag Max for when the spring grass arrives in the Northern Territory, I was introduced to the Gotcha Equine products by Fay Hatch in Alice Springs ten years ago and I have used a number of Gotcha Equine products over the years and swear by them. I then moved from the Northern Territory to Queensland, I had run out of Mag Max before I left the NT, but didn't worry as my property in Qld was just dirt. I bought Fancy to her new home and things were going great.

After moving I made a change in their feed regime by swapping the Speedi beet to a soy based feed, both horses loved the soy hard feed and held their condition, so I was happy. Then the rain came, and the grass grew, along with some changes in my horse’s behaviour. My super quiet party girl had turned into the she-devil and my other horse Sprocket who is a rig became a bit more arrogant. Quick phone call to Lucy to order Mag Max and De-Tox thinking this would do the trick. It did with my rig Sprocket but not Fancy, she had become bloody dangerous, she was anxious, rearing up, running over the top of me and didn't seem to be aware I was there. I couldn’t walk up and put a halter on as she would rear up at me, try and bite me at every opportunity, it felt like the aliens had taken my filly and left this one.

After a few weeks on Mag Max and De-Tox there was some change but something was still not right. My light bulb moment was when I read an email from Lucy about phytoestrogens in soy products affecting mares. That had to be it (another phone call to Lucy), she explained that the high estrogen levels in soy can cause the issues I was having.

I began a feed trial with Fancy and immediately stopped the soy feed and put her back on the Speedi Beet, after a week I started to notice she was a little calmer. I tell you my gelding was happier, honestly when she was at her worst you could see the look on his face “Oh No! the bitch is coming”. She would harass him continuously, biting him, backing into him to the point she would nearly fall on her bum.... as funny as it was it wasn’t. Prior to doing the new diet trial under Lucy's guidance, I had considered locking her up or parting with her. It had got to the stage I really thought she was going to hurt me.

After a month she was back and I’m back to loving her, I actually think she is even better in that she now takes her self to her stable, very respectful, even more affectionate as she has never been an affectionate horse but she actually looks for a rub. I can walk out in the paddock and put a halter on her, before she used to stalk me.

I believed she could be even better, so I started doing another feed trial following Lucy's feeding instructions which includes low doses of the Gotcha Equine ALL Vitamins+Minerals. After a week Fancy had improved even more, none of us can really believe it, it's remarkable. Fancy is quiet, respectful, loving, no stalking in the paddock or harassing Sprocket, now she not only takes herself into her stable she is waiting in her stable at feed time. Trial has ended, there is no need, it's a no brainer, she will be staying on the feed plan.

My heartfelt thanks to Lucy without her knowledge and help it could have been a long painful journey with her possibly ending up as a paddock ornament that I wouldn't even breed from.

Motto: Patience, persistence and think out side the square.


Kellie Thackeray
Charters Towers, Qld


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