Second Chances Start in the Feed Room

I began feeding Tucker Milling products in April of 2024 when we purchased our first horse, River. Utterly new to horse ownership, I leaned heavily on the recommendation of a friend who suggested Tucker Milling, and after learning more about the company, I realized it was exactly what I had been looking for.

Freshness, consistency, and quality ingredients matter most to me—products that hadn’t been sitting on a shelf or in a warehouse for months before making their way into my feed buckets. Tucker Milling checked every one of those boxes, and over time, their products have become a cornerstone in how I care for my horses.

Across three very different horses with very different needs, I’ve relied on Eqceed Ultra Senior, Eqceed Diamond, and Eqceed Ultra Balancer—and the results speak for themselves.

River

Thoroughbred/Draft Mix · 18 Years Old

River came to us in April of 2024 after a friend spotted her on Facebook Marketplace. We had a small budget and very big dreams—this horse was meant to be my daughter’s first horse and remains one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. River was a severely malnourished Thoroughbred/Draft mix who had been passed around multiple times in her life and was in need of careful rehabilitation, though she was sound and otherwise healthy.

Our biggest challenge was rebuilding her weight quickly but safely, without compromising her metabolism or overall health. At the recommendation of trusted friends, we started River on Eqceed Ultra Senior, and she remained on it for about a year while she regained weight and strength. Once she was stable and thriving, we transitioned her to Eqceed Diamond.

The changes have been remarkable. River rebuilt her topline, her coat became shiny and healthy, her feet are strong, and—most importantly—she feels good. Her attitude toward work has completely changed. She is now calm, quiet, and willing, tackling everything asked of her without hesitation. At 18 years old, she is far from retired.

Today, River works 4–5 days a week doing everything from dressage tests and trail rides to groundwork, liberty work, and galloping full speed across the pasture so my daughter can feel what it’s like to fly—and jumping over just about anything we can find.

I feed River Eqceed Diamond because she is living proof that age is just a number when nutrition is done right, and this feed allows her to continue to make a little girl’s dreams come true, one stride at a time.

River before recovery

River, healthy and thriving

Denali

Ultra Gold Lady MF · Tennessee Walking Horse · 18 Years Old

Denali is an 18-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse whose life has been anything but easy. In 2021, while owned by someone else, she contracted EPM so severely that she collapsed in the pasture and could barely stand or walk. Though treated, she was never the same and spent years as an unworked pasture horse, rarely handled or visited.

When we arrived at our boarding facility in 2024, Denali was River’s pasture mate. Eventually, I reached out to Denali’s owner and offered to help care for her. We bonded with both horses—feeding treats, grooming, and slowly building trust. Within months, Denali was offered to us free of charge, and we immediately accepted.

We went from zero to two horses in as many months.

Denali was uncomfortable, uncoordinated, and struggling. Over the last two years, we have spent countless hours researching EPM, working with specialists, trying various supplement protocols, and ultimately discovering that Denali was also becoming insulin resistant.

Because Denali cannot move or work at a level that burns sufficient calories and often suffers from lameness, traditional feeds simply are not an option for her. She is currently on Eqceed Ultra Balancer, and for the past four months, she has maintained a healthy weight safely and consistently. Since starting the balancer, Denali is walking faster and more comfortably than she has since the day she came into our care. Her mind is sharp, spunky, and eager to work, and we have seen a reduction in her symptoms overall.

Success for Denali doesn’t look like success for most horses. It means long-term comfort, ease of movement, and staying lean enough to protect her body.

I feed Denali Eqceed Ultra Balancer because EPM is not a death sentence, and Denali deserves every chance at the best life possible—even if that life never includes riding again. Thanks to Tucker Milling, we have a feed we trust to support her unique needs.

Denali, Tennessee Walking Horse

Denali, recovering with Eqceed Ultra Balancer

“Laz”

Lazarus Project · Retired Racehorse · 111 Starts · ~$500,000 in Earnings

Lazarus Project—Laz—is a true warhorse. He raced for 10 years, retiring at 12 years old in 2024 with 111 starts, 12 wins, 23 seconds, 32 thirds, and nearly $500,000 in lifetime earnings. He came to me in April of 2025 from Ohio, ready to begin his next chapter.

Laz arrived underweight, under-muscled, and with some of the worst feet my farrier had seen—soft, fragile hooves marked by severe event lines from repeated abscesses and flat soles. His body reflected years of hard work followed by an abrupt letdown.

We started Laz on Eqceed Ultra Senior, and after six months of steady improvement, transitioned him to Eqceed Diamond. The difference has been night and day. His feet are now hard and healthy, growing out strong, quality hoof. His topline and muscle tone have improved significantly, and he feels good in his body again.

In retirement, Laz is learning dressage—because why not? He’s intelligent, opinionated, endlessly willing to learn, and thrives on having a job. He knows his name, whinnies when he sees me, comes running when I call him, follows me at liberty, and absolutely lives for mealtime. He may be retired from racing, but he is fully engaged in life.

I feed Laz Eqceed Diamond because I love knowing that I am ushering him into well-deserved retirement after a long racing career by supporting his joints, muscles, and overall comfort with a product that pays specific attention to inflammation—especially important for a horse who was pinfired on both legs and has put his body through so much over the years.

Laz, Lazarus Project in retirement

Laz, thriving on Eqceed Diamond

Her results

Each of my horses has drastically different needs, histories, and challenges, yet Tucker Milling has provided products I can trust to support all of them—without compromise. Freshness, metabolic safety, and consistency matter deeply to me, and Tucker Milling delivers on all three.