Fiber Fresh sponsorship gives endurance sport more stamina

 
Fiber Fresh sponsorship gives endurance sport more stamina

Image: From left to right; Ian Pryor (GM – Equine Division, Fiber Fresh Feeds); Barbara Avery (Endurance Board Coordinator – Equestrian Sports New Zealand); and Michael Bell (Managing Director, Fiber Fresh Feeds).

Fiber Fresh Feeds Limited (in receivership, administrators appointed) has partnered with ESNZ Endurance as the major sponsor of the New Zealand National Endurance Championships for the next three years.

The sponsorship covers the naming rights of what will now be known as the Fiber Fresh ESNZ Endurance National Championships from 2013 to 2015, including the main class at the event: the CEI 160*** Open. Held over Easter each season, the National Endurance Championships attracts top New Zealand riders and a number of international riders aiming for National titles. The 2013 Fiber Fresh ESNZ Endurance National Championships will be held at the Fiber Fresh National Equestrian Centre in Taupo.

The sponsorship agreement also covers the CEI 120km** Open Endurance class at the North Island Endurance Championships from 2013 to 2015, and the CEI 120km** Junior/Young Rider Endurance class at the South Island Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding Championships in 2013. In the following two seasons (2014-15) Fiber Fresh will sponsor the CEI 120km** Open Endurance class at the South Island event.

ESNZ Endurance Board member Barbara Avery says the Fiber Fresh sponsorship will benefit the sport of endurance by promoting a product that provides proven benefits to horses ridden over long distances.

Barbara says, “The welfare of the horse is paramount in our sport and the moist roughage in Fiber Fresh is very important for helping them stay hydrated. We really appreciate Fiber Fresh investing in such a long-term commitment with us. The sponsorship will definitely benefit endurance, with our main aim to further promote their many varied products.”

In 2009 researchers at LWT Animal Nutrition and Massey University confirmed that the HNF Fiber® contained in Fiber Fresh feeds improves horse hydration and provides more slow release energy than dry chaff feeds, which is critical for sustained performance.

Ian Pryor, Fiber Fresh Feed’s General Manager – Equine Division says, “Supporting endurance in New Zealand is a direction we want to take as Fiber Fresh produce a unique fibre with an energy and nutrient profile that perfectly suits the requirements of the endurance horse”.

The moist HNF Fiber® generates energy from natural volatile fatty acid production in the hindgut, and helps ensure good digestion and complete digestive health while hydrating the endurance horse through its feed.

Ian says Fiber Fresh is also very palatable and will help horses eat and hydrate during the compulsory hold times between loops, when it may be challenging to get them to take other food.

Champion rider Frank Aldridge agrees. Frank and Merimindi Finale won the 2012 National Endurance Championships 100km CEI* class, and Frank credits Fiber Fresh for helping his horse go the distance.

Frank says, “I have used Fiber Fresh products since first getting into Endurance riding three years ago and they are the foundation of my feed regime. Finale, being a stallion is sometimes hard to get to eat properly during an endurance event. It is essential that he eats to be able to keep going over the distance. In last year’s Nationals I gave Finale a choice of three feeds at the breaks between loops. He chose Fiber Fresh every time and ate really well; the best I’ve seen him do. The fibre and the moistness make Fiber Fresh an outstanding product for horses and we are never without it. I think the product is great. I’m very pleased that Fiber Fresh has made an on-going commitment to our sport through their generous sponsorship.”

The first event to benefit from the new Fiber Fresh sponsorship of ESNZ Endurance was the CEI 120km** Open Endurance class at the North Island Endurance Championships hosted by the Waikato Endurance Club at Kuratau, on January 19 and 20. This will be followed by the CEI 120km** Junior/Young Rider class at the South Island Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding Championships, hosted by the Marlborough Endurance and Trail Club on February 16 and 17.

For more information please contact:
Ian Pryor
Fiber Fresh Feeds Limited (in receivership, administrators appointed)
General Manager – Equine Division
Ph: 021 741 376
Email Ian

Barbara Avery
Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ)
Endurance Board Coordinator
Ph: 03 312 5890
Mob: 0274 881 600
Email Barbara