Sharin Hall explains her whole-horse health program for Hello Stella.

It takes more than just good luck and talent for a horse to perform as dominantly all year as Hello Stella did in 2021. Sharin Hall’s incredible 2017 mare officially became the new EquiStat all-time highest-earning futurity horse with $445,029 earned in futurity money alone; she won a total $544,196 on the year including Open money.

Running so consistently at the top of the game requires conscientious care from Hall as “Stella’s” jockey and steward. A combination of therapy, nutrition, good horse care and paying attention to Stella’s mental wellbeing has helped keep the mare fresh and sound throughout the year.

“I do a lot of therapy. I always have in my program,” Hall said. “I try to keep everything simple and fun. I don’t overtrain or over-ride, I don’t over-think—just let it happen. I try not to over-stress. I give her time off when she needs it and let her recover. When I come back, I slowly build up to make another run.”

The futurity schedule gets tough late in the summer and early fall, with multiple big events stacked consecutively and lots of time in the trailer or standing in stalls. Hall relies heavily on PEMF therapy—Pulsed Electro Magnetic Field, a technology that sends electromagnetic pulses through the horse’s body to stimulate tissue—to keep Stella from getting body sore. The proof was in the results— Stella earned well over $300,000 between August and October with championship futurity and open titles, such as the Glen Wood Memorial, Breeders Challenge and Pink Buckle.

“On the road, I carry my PEMF machine. I am a distributor for PEMF Complete, so that’s what I use,” Hall said. “She gets that the day before the first run if I have two runs back to back.”

Post-run, Hall uses PHT magnetic products as well as old-school liniment rub for Stella’s legs. Stella also wears Cloud Boots for trailer rides to minimize impact on her legs.

“She gets a PHT blanket at night, and she gets her legs rubbed down after every run,” Hall said. “I’m an avid user of Cloud Boots when traveling in the trailer to eliminate a lot of shock.”

Stella enjoys the TheraPlate at home, but Hall refrains from taking it on the road due to the mare already spending extensive amounts of time in a moving trailer.

“The only thing I do differently at home is pretty much every day she gets on the TheraPlate. I don’t pack it around with me; I figure the trailer ride is enough jolting,” Hall said with a laugh.

—> Training: Sharin Hall’s Two-Wall Barrel Racing Drill

Med-Vet Pharmaceuticals products supplement Stella’s diet. Hall tailors her supplement program according to each horse’s needs, workload and age.

“MVP and their supplements have been a huge part of my program. Starting as 2-year-olds, In-Sync is what I start them out on to build them up and help them recover during training,” Hall said. “From there, I’m an avid 6-Way and GastroPlex pellets user.”

At the core of Hall’s program is sound, simple horse care and an expert team of equine professionals.

“You’ve got to have a good shoer underneath you,” said Hall, who uses Jarrod Morris as her farrier and Dr. Tom Hutchins, DVM, for veterinary work. “I keep their teeth done twice a year. I vaccinate, I do a lot of therapy, and just good feed. It’s the whole program; everything has to come together.”

Author

Blanche Schaefer is an avid barrel racer and managing editor of Barrel Horse News. Email comments or questions to [email protected]

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