Behind Every Ride: The Care and Innovations Powering Western Performance Horses

If you’ve ever attended the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) or another Western equestrian event, you know the feeling. The excitement of the crowd, the adrenaline of the riders and the energy of the horses, all coming together to create an atmosphere unlike any other—one powered by the undeniable relationship between horse and rider. Whether you’re there as a rider or with your family to enjoy the show, you can’t help but be inspired by the athleticism and passion on display.

Ben Espy, DVM, DACT

What you might not notice, however, is everything it takes to make these events happen. Behind every lightning-fast barrel turn or perfectly timed roping run, there’s meticulous care and a team dedicated to training, preparing and recuperating our four-legged friends so the show can go on.

In this blog, we explore the horse and rider partnerships that drive Western competition and the protocols and medical innovations behind the scenes making it possible. From elite competitors like Clayton Edsall and Dona Kay Rule to seasoned veterinarians such as Dr. Leslie Schur and Dr. Ben Espy, the stories of Western performance horsemanship reveal just how much strategy and science it takes to compete at the highest levels.

Training the Western Performance Horse

Training a horse for competition is no easy task. A third-generation cattle rancher, Clayton Edsall learned that firsthand when he started what would become a successful career in training and competing horses.

Edsall highlighted how his upbringing working with horses, where success meant making a living or not, prepared him to become a trainer, and one who prides himself on working with horses that others might find difficult. By establishing an unbreakable bond, Edsall can meet the horses where they are and teach them in a way that works for them as individuals.

“It would be a stretch to say that all horses can be trained to compete at a high level, but if you take the time to truly understand the horse and learn how it needs to be taught, you’d be surprised what most horses can do,” said Edsall.

Similarly, for barrel racer Dona Kay Rule, competing at the top of her sport has always been about trust and perseverance. She’s qualified for the NFR nine times, making it to the national finals nine times, a journey she’s shared with several horses, including her current partner, High Valor. At 16 years old, Valor is still competing at an elite level, a rare feat that Rule credits to their strong relationship.

Professional Barrel Racer, Dona Kay Rule

“There’s nothing like it when it works,” said Rule. “It’s a huge commitment to create a connection with a horse. It’s a daily thing you have to do because traveling and competing is incredibly stressful. Knowing your horse and creating an environment with trust can make all the difference.”

For both Edsall and Rule, a strong partnership with their veterinarians and the advancements of modern medicine have played a major role in their success.

In Edsall’s case, he’s been relying on the Zoetis Perfect Pair of vaccines (Core EQ Innovator^® and Fluvac Innovator^® EHV-4/1) , and the Stablelab^® EQ-1 Handheld Reader, to ensure his horses and those under his care are safe and healthy.

“Zoetis has been such a big help because they have such a good vaccine product that I feel like we’re quite a bit safer than people who don’t use it,” said Edsall. “For the longest time we’ve used Zoetis vaccines, and I can’t recall an instance where we had a neck swell up or any issue that would require downtime.”

Chelsea Edsall, Clayton’s wife and partner at Edsall Horses, also emphasized the peace of mind they have knowing their horses are protected with Zoetis vaccines.

The Edsall Family

“A couple of young horses recently joined our program and showed signs of illness upon arrival. While we always quarantine new horses, the confidence and peace of mind we have knowing our horses are already protected is truly invaluable.”

Clayton and Chelsea also rely on Stablelab^® to help monitor and screen horses for infection, allowing them to take action as soon as possible.

“If a horse is showing a little bit of illness, we’ll temp them but then we also have Stablelab that really helps us ensure everyone is healthy. It’s easy and has been a real game changer for our program,” said Clayton.

For Rule and Valor, regenerative medicine devices, specifically Pro-Stride^® APS, a device used to treat osteoarthritis, the leading cause of lameness in horses, has made all the difference.

Rule shared, “I truly believe Pro-Stride had a lot to do with Valor’s longevity. Within about seven days of using Pro-Stride, I always saw a huge difference in his stride. He just felt smoother and more sweeping, and I could tell he was more comfortable.”

The Care That Keeps Horses Competing

While riders like Rule live the day-to-day grind of competition, veterinarians like Dr. Leslie Schur, managing partner at Desert Pines Equine Medical and Surgical Center and veterinarian for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), work at the event level to see the bigger picture and help keep Western horses thriving. A barrel racer herself, Dr. Schur understands the toll long hauls and back-to-back competitions take on horses.

Leslie Schur, DVM

“One of the biggest challenges, which I didn’t really recognize until I did it myself, is travel,” she said. “It’s hard on contestants and it’s hard on the animals. Some horses can handle it, but others just shouldn’t haul that hard.” To combat the stress, she focuses on the full breadth of care, including consistent nutrition, downtime when possible and an up-to-date immunization schedule. Her experience over time at the NFR paints a vivid picture of the importance of proper care.

“In the early days, we’d have horses come in with fevers and snotty noses just days before the competition. We didn’t have all the testing and vaccination requirements that we have today.”

In 2022, the NFR instituted new requirements for horses to be vaccinated against equine influenza (flu) and herpesvirus (rhino). Zoetis, in partnership with the NFR, worked to provide Fluvac Innovator^® EHV-4/1 vaccines to all horses attending the event. It hasn’t taken long to see the difference.

“The very first year with the requirement, I didn’t have a single fever among the bucking horses,” said Dr. Schur. “Suddenly, the same contractors who were skeptical were calling to ask, ‘When do I need to vaccinate again?’ They saw the difference firsthand.”

Dr. Schur also stresses simple biosecurity practices riders sometimes overlook—things like disinfecting stalls before use and traveling with your own hose and never letting it dip into a communal bucket. “They sound small, but these details can prevent outbreaks that derail whole seasons.”

Photo provided Ben Espy, DVM, DACT

Like Dr. Schur, Dr. Ben Espy, a board-certified theriogenologist and veterinarian for the PRCA who works almost exclusively on bucking horses and professional rodeo timed-event horses, has witnessed the evolution from parking lots full of coughing horses to the far stricter vaccine and biosecurity standards of today. He credits the new requirements championed by leaders like Dr. Schur and others at the NFR, along with Zoetis’ vaccine partnership, for pushing those changes forward.

“It always looks clean and pretty on TV, but in the past, it could be a nightmare behind the scenes,” he said. “The horses were stressed, traveling 100,000 miles a year, then showing up in Vegas in less-than-ideal conditions. I think 2024, following the updated requirements, was the first year we didn’t have any horses miss days to illness.”

Dr. Espy is also a strong proponent of regenerative medicine and has seen the benefits firsthand, much like Dona Rule with her horse Valor.

“I had a pro barrel racing client’s horse that within a week or two injured the articular cartilage in both stifles, confirmed with arthroscopy, and became acutely lame,” Dr. Espy shared. “I got a feeling it was more complicated than it seemed, and we used the regenerative medicine devices, Pro-Stride and Restigen^® PRP, in a carefully planned sequence for two rounds of treatment, alongside routine joint injections. Now, two years later, the horse is still running sound, and it hasn’t needed the frequent stifle injections it used to require.”

Standing Behind the Western World

The Western world has always been about grit, heart, and the partnership between horse and rider. But as competition grows tougher and travel more demanding, it’s also about strategy, science and proper horse care. The best teams, like Rule and Valor, or the countless horses under Dr. Schur’s and Dr. Espy’s care, show us what’s possible when passion meets preparation.

At Zoetis, we’re proud to be an integral part of that story, helping to protect, treat and extend the careers of the performance horses that make Western sport possible. From vaccines like Core EQ Innovator and Fluvac Innovator EHV-4/1 that protect against deadly and contagious diseases, to diagnostic tools like Stablelab^® Stall-side Diagnostics that support improved biosecurity protocols, to regenerative medicine devices like Pro-Stride that help to manage lameness, Zoetis is helping set new standards of health that encompass the full cycle of care.