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ABOUT US :: CONTRIBUTORS
Dr Nerida Richards
Occupation
Specialist Equine Nutritionist
Residence
Newcastle
Higher Education
Bachelor of Rural Science and PhD in Equine Nutrition
Interesting facts
I grew up on a beef cattle property near Tamworth, NSW. My kids ‘pony’ was a thoroughbred cross named Starlight. I have 3 brothers. The main focus of my PhD was the digestion of grain in the horse’s small intestine. I don’t like cake or wine. I have watched the Man From Snowy River Movies so many times I can recite them. I am married and have a dog, 5 chickens and 3 horses. I now own and operate Equilize Horse Nutrition Pty Ltd and have been studying or working as a specialist equine nutritionist full time for 7 years.
Why Dressage?
I don’t know why … I say why not! I was one of those kids born with a love of horses. I drew them, talked about them constantly and was lucky enough to grow up on a farm so I could ride whenever I liked. I didn’t actually plan to become a specialist equine nutritionist. It just happened, but I have to say I am glad it did!
I look forward to most in my day...
I love when I get a tough nutrition problem that no-one else seems to be able to solve. The satisfaction of being able to help the horse and their owner is awesome!
If I wasn't working with horses I'd be...
Working with dogs!
My most proud dressage moment was...
I don’t compete a lot, but my most memorable dressage moment was when I competed in my first ever horse trials event … Quilla and I came first after finishing well clear in our (very) basic dressage test. There were 30+ riders in our class.
My inspiration
I find anyone who doesn’t let circumstances and fear limit their potential an inspiration.
If I could have any horse in the world it would be...
The ones I have now … they’re great and put up with my far less than perfect riding and are quite happy to try any new feed product I need to test out (fancy that, horses who like food…)
The most memorable horse I have worked with...
CoaCoa. I bought her for $40 when she was a 6 month old unwanted weanling. That was 23 years ago and I still ride her now. She was always smart and athletic, but she is so memorable because of the way she looks after me. One day when doing stock-work I fell off her (girth came loose) at a fast canter. As I was falling I knew both my feet were still in the stirrups because my saddled had swivelled over to the side. By the time I hit the ground she had stopped dead and was bending around to look at me with this look on her face like ‘what are you doing, we have work to do, get back on’. Had she not stopped, goodness knows how I would have ended up. I can’t count how many times she has done things like this!
The most important thing I've learnt is...
“You can never learn everything there is to know about a subject”. The more I work in equine nutrition the more I find there is too learn. Luckily I enjoy doing it and have many horses, owners, colleagues and scientists as willing teachers!
The most important part of my horses routine is...
I can’t single out just one … managing horses really is a holistic process, you can’t get feeding right and neglect their feet and expect to have a healthy horse. Feeding, farriery, dentistry, worming, grooming, exercise and free time with their buddies are all important for my horses.
My secret to having sound and happy horses...
BALANCED NUTRITION!! And I am not just saying that because I am a nutritionist. Nutrition is like the foundation of a good management program. As with a house, if you get the foundation wrong, eventually everything else will come crashing down. Never underestimate how important nutrition is!
A day in my life is...
With running a business like Equilize a lot of my day revolves around work. But I also make the time to ride the horses, walk my dog Kobbles on the beach and tend to our veggie patch.
Nerida is not available for one-on-one consultations with horse owners. However, she does provide the Equilize software (which will soon be upgraded to the online FeedXL software) to help horse owners balance their horses diets.
ph: 1300 721 196
Specialist Equine Nutritionist
Residence
Newcastle
Higher Education
Bachelor of Rural Science and PhD in Equine Nutrition
Interesting facts
I grew up on a beef cattle property near Tamworth, NSW. My kids ‘pony’ was a thoroughbred cross named Starlight. I have 3 brothers. The main focus of my PhD was the digestion of grain in the horse’s small intestine. I don’t like cake or wine. I have watched the Man From Snowy River Movies so many times I can recite them. I am married and have a dog, 5 chickens and 3 horses. I now own and operate Equilize Horse Nutrition Pty Ltd and have been studying or working as a specialist equine nutritionist full time for 7 years.
Why Dressage?
I don’t know why … I say why not! I was one of those kids born with a love of horses. I drew them, talked about them constantly and was lucky enough to grow up on a farm so I could ride whenever I liked. I didn’t actually plan to become a specialist equine nutritionist. It just happened, but I have to say I am glad it did!
I look forward to most in my day...
I love when I get a tough nutrition problem that no-one else seems to be able to solve. The satisfaction of being able to help the horse and their owner is awesome!
If I wasn't working with horses I'd be...
Working with dogs!
My most proud dressage moment was...
I don’t compete a lot, but my most memorable dressage moment was when I competed in my first ever horse trials event … Quilla and I came first after finishing well clear in our (very) basic dressage test. There were 30+ riders in our class.
My inspiration
I find anyone who doesn’t let circumstances and fear limit their potential an inspiration.
If I could have any horse in the world it would be...
The ones I have now … they’re great and put up with my far less than perfect riding and are quite happy to try any new feed product I need to test out (fancy that, horses who like food…)
The most memorable horse I have worked with...
CoaCoa. I bought her for $40 when she was a 6 month old unwanted weanling. That was 23 years ago and I still ride her now. She was always smart and athletic, but she is so memorable because of the way she looks after me. One day when doing stock-work I fell off her (girth came loose) at a fast canter. As I was falling I knew both my feet were still in the stirrups because my saddled had swivelled over to the side. By the time I hit the ground she had stopped dead and was bending around to look at me with this look on her face like ‘what are you doing, we have work to do, get back on’. Had she not stopped, goodness knows how I would have ended up. I can’t count how many times she has done things like this!
The most important thing I've learnt is...
“You can never learn everything there is to know about a subject”. The more I work in equine nutrition the more I find there is too learn. Luckily I enjoy doing it and have many horses, owners, colleagues and scientists as willing teachers!
The most important part of my horses routine is...
I can’t single out just one … managing horses really is a holistic process, you can’t get feeding right and neglect their feet and expect to have a healthy horse. Feeding, farriery, dentistry, worming, grooming, exercise and free time with their buddies are all important for my horses.
My secret to having sound and happy horses...
BALANCED NUTRITION!! And I am not just saying that because I am a nutritionist. Nutrition is like the foundation of a good management program. As with a house, if you get the foundation wrong, eventually everything else will come crashing down. Never underestimate how important nutrition is!
A day in my life is...
With running a business like Equilize a lot of my day revolves around work. But I also make the time to ride the horses, walk my dog Kobbles on the beach and tend to our veggie patch.
Nerida is not available for one-on-one consultations with horse owners. However, she does provide the Equilize software (which will soon be upgraded to the online FeedXL software) to help horse owners balance their horses diets.
ph: 1300 721 196
BLOGS
The privilege of training a young horse can be likened to the artist with a blank canvas, it all begins with only brush strokes until an image begins to appear.
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Motivation often sounds like a lot of pressure - "I must" or "I should", but really it is about you creating a mindset of "I really want" or "I get to".
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When we hope for change or improvement coming from something (or someone) external to us, we set ourselves up for frustration and failure.
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