SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: 3 Reasons I’m Glad I Switched to SmartPaks

Obviously my horse agrees.

“Hurry it up in that feed room, lady.” Photo by Kristen Kovatch

When I worked at a large equestrian center, managing the feed for over 70 horses including about a dozen student boarders, SmartPaks were worth their weight in gold. With so many different supplement regimes, there was great peace of mind in simply opening the top, dumping in the pre-measured and packaged supplements and knowing that the horses were getting exactly what they needed in exactly the right amounts, especially with multiple individuals working in the feed room in a given week.

I’ve been on my own now for a few years, managing my own horses through self-care board at a family farm, and while I loved SmartPak for its high-quality products, great selection of apparel, supplies and tack and their overall dedication to their customers, I confess that I didn’t see the value in putting my horses’ supplements in SmartPaks. After all, it was just me doing the feeding — so I knew I could rely on myself to measure the same amount of supplement or medication day after day and know when to re-order.

When I decided to put my new horse Jobber on a gastric supplement and started shopping around, however, I took the plunge. His SmartGut Ultra now arrives via AutoShip every 28 days, in SmartPaks.

Okay, there were a few no-brainer details that helped me make up my mind: as my own feed manager, I know I can easily recycle those SmartPak containers and keep them out of a landfill (there was also a brief attempt to use them as seed-starters for sunflowers, but the chipmunks outsmarted me yet again). There’s also a noticeable discount in overall price when switching to SmartPaks. But here are my three big reasons:

1. I can trust the SmartPak container to have exactly the amount that my horse is supposed to be getting.

Sure, I know how to use a supplement scoop, and can trust myself to generally get it close to right most of the time — but let’s be honest, there are multiple ways to pack a scoop full of pellets, and knowing that Jobber is getting the exact right amount in his SmartPak wells, plus knowing that it’s sealed and fresh, is really helpful. After noticing the change in color between the old dregs of a used-up bulk container and a freshly-opened new one, I’m a believer.

2. AutoShip means I’ll never run out or have to roll the dice with shipping time.

The AutoShip feature is a big no-brainer when ordering supplements in SmartPaks: every 28 days, SmartPak takes care of the packing and shipping for me, so I don’t have to worry about remembering to re-order, plus figure in shipping time.

Another bonus with the AutoShip is that SmartPak sends me a reminder email when my order is getting ready to process, and lets me make additions or changes quickly and easily. Or in Jobber’s case, add yet another pair of rubber bell boots to ship in the same order. I might as well just put those things on AutoShip too at this rate…

3. With my AutoShip supplements, I’m also eligible for SmartPerks.

This is truly a perk, and not the ONLY reason to switch to SmartPak, but the SmartPerks program is pretty sweet: I get free ground shipping on ANY SmartPak order, plus 10% off SmartPak brand tack, apparel and gear. It’s like a loyalty program for one of my favorite equine supply companies!

Switching your supplements to SmartPaks is a great idea, not only for boarders at busy barns but for those of us keeping our horses at home as the primary caretakers. Check out SmartPak’s line of supplements and think about switching today!