FAQS

Q: Why is Synergy Compete packaged in 2 different pouches?
 
There are certain nutrients that should not be stored together.  Doing so would cause them to possibly react or prematurely breakdown. The pouches separate the fat and water soluble ingredients. This is allows for better stability and purity.  Once fed together these nutrients work together synergistically for the nutritional benefit of your horse.

Q: What makes this supplement so effective?( With other products I have never seen actual results!)

Velocity Formulas offers quality natural forms of nutrients. We use several certified organic ingredients, and we have a proprietary blend of organic enzymes and prebiotics in an herbal base. There are no fillers used. The ingredients are in the most bio-available form, in the levels needed for performance horses.

Q: Why is this product superior for an equine athlete?

By making this complete, it ensures you have supplemental needs met with one supplement. 

Synergy Compete replaces these 12 different supplements:

1-Organic source of Essential Fatty Acids
2-Prebiotics
3-Hair Coat Conditioner
4-Serious Joint Support
5-Proprietary Blend of Organic Enzymes
6-Performance Levels of Vitamins and Chelated Minerals
7-Selenium Yeast with 2000 IU Vit. E
8-Electrolytes
9-Natural Anti Inflammatory & Healing Ingredients
10-Concentrated Biotin for Hooves
11-Support for EIPH “Bleeders”
12-Aids in Ulcer Management

See this link for more information >

Q: What type of hay can I feed with Synergy Compete?

Any type of hay! We suggest feeding a quality mixed forage to provide adequate Calcium and Phosphorus.

Q: Where did the product Synergy Compete originate? Answered by Heather Coombs, president of Velocity Formulas and creator of Synergy Compete.

I am a competitor myself, so it originated out of need.  I have my education in equine nutrition, backed by a long family history of nutritional genius in the human herbal supplement industry.  As a competitor I was disappointed with the supplements available to us for our horses, and unimpressed with the results. It took me 15 years of education, research and development to create what I believe to be the perfect performance supplement. I am very proud of the quality and results offered by Synergy Compete!

Q: How can I get Synergy Compete for my horses?

Simply contact www.velocityformulas.com for secure online ordering or call 1-775- 427-3802

Q: We don't have a selenium deficiency in our area, do we still need selenium, and what is selenium yeast?

As far as the selenium is concerned, you are safe. The form of selenium in Synergy is called Selplex- selenium yeast. Selenium yeast is naturally chelated, produced by adding selenium salts to yeast during fermentation and incorporated into the yeast cells in association with their proteins.I is a safer form than the traditional sodium selenite to feed. Due to the past problems with selenium toxicity Alltech came up with selenium yeast. ((his happens to be the same selenium they fed Barbaro) Toxicities arose from having selenium concentrate in an organ, with selenium yeast it is distributed throughout the entire body, especially the muscle tissues. This will avoid the toxicity issue and also obviously aid in the prevention of tying up since there will be selenium to support the muscles. There are 2mg per dose in the performance dose(2 scoops of each side). You can feed a lot more than that, I had originally formulated it at 4mg per dose. Toxicities aren't good, but back when I was in college was when the USDA put the parameters on selenium levels and they are VERY conservative, to the point that there are hardly any supplements out there that actually address selenium effectively.

Q: We also have copper in our area, does my horse need copper?

The minimum requirements for daily copper range from 82mg for maintenance, to 115mg per day for the performance horse, though optimum amounts may be somewhat higher. Horses can tolerate much higher levels of copper than the minimum requirement. Forages usually contain between 4-11 mg/lb of copper BUT the availability of copper in forages is only in the 6%-34% range. Most feed therefore, does not contain enough copper for most horses especially horses on high carbohydrate diets. Synergy Compete has the minimum of 115mg per performance dose.

Q: What can Synergy Compete do for "tying-up"?

As mentioned above we have the selenium yeast, we also have 2000IU of Vitamin E per performance dose. I am an avid Vit. E fan! You can usually tell the caliber of a supplement by the level of Vit. E in it. It is an expensive ingredient. However if I were to only be able to supplement ONE ingredient it would definitely be Vit. E. Dr. Beth Valentine (who first described tying up in horses),in the 2001 issue of Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association stated " Vitamin E is recommended at a min. of 1 IU/Lb of body weight/day and at least 1 to 2 mg of supplemental selenium." Also included in the Synergy Compete are the Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids. "There is also some evidence that fat in the diet enhances the muscle's ability to burn fats instead of carbohydrates."Horse Journal 2002. synergy also contains 1000mg Vit. C per performance dose, which is another important muscle antioxidant. Magnesium is a big factor in tying up, Synergy has 3000 mg per performance dose. "Magnesium is a common mineral deficiency that results in increased muscle irritability/spasm, which can be a significant risk factor for tying-up." Horse Journal 2003. Synergy Compete includes the electrolyte magnesium chloride as well as potassium choride. "Maintenance of good hydration and normal electrolyte levels inside and outside the cells is critical to avoid irritability/ spasm of muscle cell." Horse Journal 2003. There is no added sodium chloride(plain white salt) in Synergy Compete. During trial testing we found that horses regulated their own salt intake depending upon such factors as the weather or work load. At first we had the salt in the formula, but depending upon the day, the horses bodies would tell them "yes, eat the supplement, or no don't eat the supplement". So the individual horses systems were indicating how much salt they needed that day, and sometimes it would limit the intake of the entire supplement.(They actually need 1-2oz. per day in cool weather, 2-3 oz. per day in hot weather). So I just took the plain white salt out, and left the other electrolytes. The directions on the bag say to make sure your horses have access to plain white salt. Last but not least are the B Vitamins. Mostof the B vitamins are intimately involved as cofactors in energy generation and highly stressed horses are unlikely to have optimal B Vitamin levels without supplementation.

Q: Why doesn't Synergy Compete have added Iron?

I supplemented with iron for a long time because I had a horse that was anemic. Well, studies now have shown that you can actually cause anemia with iron. Here is a basic run down from the Horse Journal 2002 on iron: "Anemia related to iron deficiencies is rare in horses. the common belief that iron supplements are needed by performance horses or can help "build blood" are wrong. Consider that: Excess iron in the tissue is a poison. Iron is a potent oxidant and generates damaging free radicals. Degenerative diseases, like arthritis have been associated with iron. In the tissue and intestinal tract, iron helps feed bacterial infections. Too much iron rapidly depletes the horse's body of key antioxidant vitamins and minerals, leaving the horse vulnerable to allergy, infection, muscle, tendon and joint soreness or damage with exercise. The horse really only needs a dietary iron level of about 50ppm, but many are fed feeds or supplements with levels up to 5,000 ppm per day. (Platinum Performance if fed at levels indicated for a barrel racing horse contains 792mg.) Once absorbed into the body iron is there for life. Only by phlebotomy can lower his burden. Blood- iron levels don't accurately diagnose an iron overload, as the body tucks the iron away inside it's tissues. If you're deliberately feeding iron supplements, stop. If your horse has problems with chronic muscle soreness, tendon/ligament damage or arthritis, determine the horses total dietary intake.....

Q: What can Synergy Compete do for colic and ulcers?

The first ingredient we can discuss is the "pre-biotic". The pre-biotic in Synergy Compete is actually a human grade ingredient (proprietary formula) that let's say is very expensive! If it didn't work so well I would not even dream of adding it to the formula, but I did! In short a PRE-biotic is food for the good bugs in the horses gut. (It is actually a fructo- oligosaccharide.) A PRO- biotic are the actual bugs. The problem with the actual bugs is that they are often not viable (dead) by the time you feed them. My family has a human supplement company and the only pro-biotic they sell is constantly refridgerated and shipped on ice to maintain viability. Our horse supplements are not refridgerated very often are they? At any rate new studies came out this spring at the European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress, which is held in Belgium. Veronica Julliand head of the Laboratory of Nutrition of Monogastric Herbivores from the Higher National School of Agronomy in Dijon, France discussed the use and status of pro, and pre-biotics in horses. Julliand presented the findings of two studies that looked at the benefit of oligofructose as a prebiotic in horses." In both studies, it was found that the incidence of colic decreased and the level of putrefactive (lost to digestion and undergiong breakdown in the colon) ompounds decreased in the manure." In other words it reduces incidence of colic, increases digestibility of feeds and reduces "hay bellly".

The premium stabilized fortified flax seed is another ingredient to help prevent colic. The flax in Synergy Compete According to the studies by the manufacturer, "contains a high mucilage (soluble fiber) content that swells and takes on a gel-like consistency, helping prevent sand colic and impaction. Flax mucilage traps and suspends sand, carrying it out. The flax also acts to buffer excess acids and aids in the stabilization and modulation of blood glucose." We could go on for days about the benefits of the Omega 6 and 3 essential fatty acids in the flax also.....

The enzymes are a group of organic human grade enzymes, which happen to also be very expensive and are a proprietary blend. Along with possibly the flax, yucca, citrus bioflavaniods, and the prebiotic, I believe this is probably the ingredient responsible for aiding in ulcer prevention and management. The enzymes have proven to aid in colic prevention, joint inflammation, wound, tissue and muscle healing, digestibility of feed, and reduce gas production. According to the manufacturer, "These enzymes are effective for an actve athletic animal to ensure a prompt recovery from soreness and inflammation due to overactivity." Yucca is supposed to help maintain a healthy digestive system. Citrus bioflavaniods are supposed to help prevent stomach cancers. Honestly it is probably a combination of all of these things.

Q: What do you have in Synergy Compete to support "Bleeder"?

As far as Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemhorrage (EIPH) goes, here is what I know. So far, science has not figured out exactly what causes "bleeders" or bleeding from the lungs. So, the next best thing is to find out what the people who are loosing the most money from the disease are doing about it. The race track folks spend a ton of money on research. (Studies show that even our barrel and polo horses suffer from EIPH. Up to 75% of them. Usually we don't even know They are bleeding.) I contacted an individual who trained a horse that won the All American, and asked her what they do about "bleeders" on the track. She said their first line of defense was nutritional. They supplemented with Vit. C, Riboflavin, Citrus Bioflavaniods, Rutin, Vit. K. and electrolytes. She said this helped a lot of horses. Luckily for us, these ingredients are already beneficial in other areas of nutrition. Citrus bioflavaniods as well as some of the other enzymes are "beneficial in hypertension; helps hemorrhages and ruptures in the capillaries and connective tissues and builds a protective barrier against infections.(a serious sometimes life threatening effect of bleeding)." Austin nutritional Research.