Photo Courtesy of Noelle Floyd | Danica Taylor
Valerie Breslow started Equestrian Wellness with the goal of providing equestrian athletes with better ways to nourish their bodies, inside and out.
STRIDER chatted with Valerie about being inspired to help riders, tips for taking better care of ourselves, and more!
STRIDER: What inspired you to help riders make better food/ lifestyle choices?
VB: I used to work in the Startup world, doing marketing and PR for Tech Companies. We were in Vegas, and everyone just looked totally drained, you could tell people were tired and not taking care of themselves.I was in nutrition school at the time, and I ran down to a Whole Foods and grabbed everything I could think of to nourish them.
I realized that I cared more about the humans behind the businesses we were representing more than the businesses themselves. I was intrigued by what propelled them from meeting to meeting.
When I became a practicing nutritionist, I was living in San Diego. Many of my first clients came from the stable where I was riding. I realized then that I love nutrition and I love talking in my breeches about nutrition even more.
At the end of the day, riders are athletes. We require a certain kind of conditioning and energy support each day which includes well-rounded meals & snacks as well as supplements to fill in nutritional gaps.
STRIDER: So, tell us about how you got started giving riders the body and skincare tools they need to begin to make more healthful choices?
VB: People tend to eat mindlessly, we’re in a hurry and get caught up in the vortex of busy. But I realized that people get very defensive about their diets and what’s in their pantry. It’s easier to get to the kitchen by way of the bathroom. We’re all very open about cosmetics and products; with food it’s contentious. That’s why I decided to come up with a line of skin and bodycare products. If we can begin the conversation about cleaning up these products, it will be a whole lot easier to move the conversation over from the bathroom to the kitchen and talk about how we’re nourishing ourselves with food.
With the Equestrian Wellness products, we all share the same experience of extreme heat, cold, sweat and pain. There’s itchiness, chafing, etc. Wait a minute…why do we do this we often ask ourselves? LOL! We love the horses, right??!!. So, I started to research clean beauty care products. I worked with an herbalist to develop useful products for riders, and the first one was the Essential Helmet Spray. Now we have more than 28 different products and growing and will be introducing a line of wellness/immune boosting products shortly!
STRIDER: How can we provide better care for ourselves as equestrian athletes? For the most part, we take better care of our sport horses than ourselves!
VB: We all rifle through our food when we are over-hungry or over-thirsty. It’s easy to go the whole day without eating or drinking because you get involved with something, like riding for five hours straight.
One big thing I like to teach people is about drinking water. Not all water is created equal. There are ways to encourage your body to take in the hydration you’re providing.
You can make an all-natural electrolyte drink (like Gatorade or Powerade) to make your water palatable and nourishing. I’m going to be launching a new product called RiderAide that will include all natural forms of Vitamin C + electrolytes so it will give you the right tools to deeply hydrate the body as well as boost the immune system. In the meantime, here’s one of my favorite recipes you can add into your water bottle:
Try This:
Squeeze lemons and limes into a container or glass with 16 oz. of water.
Add himalayan salt (or a sea salt of quality). These are naturally well-balanced in minerals, that’s why we give them to our horses!
Add some maple syrup (which is rich in minerals), honey, or coconut syrup as a sweetener
Mix well and enjoy!
STRIDER: What a great trick for drinking more water, and making it taste better! Can you tell us a great snack for long horse show/ barn days? We know we need sustainable energy for marathon riding days, but how do we get it?
VB: I think it was the Boy Scouts who always said “be prepared,” and that applies to everyone. As riders we’re prepared for everything. Our horses are beautifully turned out, it’s show day and everything for them is packed… but what about food for ourselves on such important days?
Remember: Learn that a snack doesn’t have to come in a pre-packaged bag. You can create your own trail mix containing raw nuts and seeds with dried fruits. These are easy to take with you. .
Try to keep your snacks balanced, including a little protein and fat;, if you’re riding a ton- try to steer clear of heavy foods that will weigh you down. I love nut dips and spreads with fresh fruits and vegetables like carrots, celery, radishes, jicama, apples, etc.
Don’t be distracted by a vending machine! Make your good snack choices something you enjoy.
Ask yourself “is my snack getting me through my ride all the way through grooming to tack & stall cleaning?” Do I need to plan better so I don’t lose steam half way through?
Try This:
Use your weekend or day off to plan ahead. Valerie told STRIDER, “in the winter I’m big into roasted sweet vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potato, onions and carrots. I roast them in a big pan with some parsley, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. And I try to make a bunch so I have them to mix in with salads and wraps for the rest of the week”.
Stay tuned for more Rider Tips from Valerie & the Equestrian Wellness Team!
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