Tiana Coudray, of Carmel Valley, Calif., has been using Advanced Protection Formula©, or APF©, as part of her event horses’ training program for five years. She says that APF played a critical role in her winning the U.S. Eventing Association’s 2009 RevitaVet Young Rider of the Year title for the third time.

“I even take APF myself—that’s how comfortable I am standing behind APF,” said Coudray, now 21 years old and no longer eligible for the young riders division. She’s been sponsored by APF, produced by Auburn Laboratories Inc., since 2006.

On the backs of her advanced star Ringwood Magister and her preliminary challenger Regal Promise, Coudray scored 91.5 points, besting Callie Judy of Missouri by 10 points. Coudray’s 2009 highlights included claiming second in the CIC3* at Twin Rivers (Calif.), finishing third in the CIC3* at Jersey Fresh (N.J.), and winning the open intermediate division at Woodside (Calif.) on Ringwood Magister, and winning the CIC1* at the Event at Rebecca Farm (Mont.) on Regal Promise.

“Winning this award was a little bit extra special because no one has ever won the young rider award more than once, so winning it a third time was a great way to finish up my young rider career,” said Coudray. She also rode on the gold-medal team at the 2008 North American Young Riders Championships and won the individual silver medal there in 2004.

Coudray started using APF in 2004, and in 2008 she switched to the improved APF Pro. She said that she feeds it to both her upper-level horses and her young horses competing at the lower levels.

“They develop muscle so much better, and they handle the training and competing so well with it,” she said. In 2009 her horses made three trips to the East Coast and also made the two-day trip from California to Montana in July.

Coudray recalled that last autumn she drove a trailer full of her own horses and other riders’ horses to compete at the Fair Hill CCI3* in Maryland. “There was a marked difference between my horses, who were on APF Pro, and the other horses who weren’t, in terms of eating and drinking on the trip and in terms of handling the whole situation and recovering from the stress of the trip,” said Coudray, adding, “My horses just seem to handle stress better than other horses who aren’t on it.”

Auburn Laboratories also sponsors the USEA’s Lady Rider of the Year award, won in 2009 by Sarah Cousins of Pennsylvania. While teaching several students at every event, Cousins often rides as many as six or eight horses at a time in a competition. Cousins, 46, competed more than a dozen horses from beginner novice to advanced in 2009 and scored 299 points, putting her well ahead of Jan Byyny of Virginia (273).

Michael Van Noy, DVM, president of Auburn Laboratories, Inc. says supporting riders who show such dedication is a big part of the company’s overall mission. “We were delighted to sponsor the Lady Rider of the Year award again this year. Sarah Cousins had a great year and showed true dedication to the sport.

“Tiana’s extraordinary accomplishments as a young rider are indicative not only of her talent as an equestrian, but also are a result of who she is as a person. We are proud to be associated with her and are committed to helping her reach her goals.”

Advanced Protection Formula© is the first supplement for horses formulated to provide the unique benefits of adaptogenic herbs. Both APF© and APF Pro© provide advanced nutritional protection against the negative effects of stress by supporting immune function, increasing inter-cellular metabolism, stabilizing energy regulation and improving digestive function. APF Pro, which is based on the original formulation, contains additional, specific nutrients that have been shown to increase lean muscle mass in response to exercise and to help protect against the development of gastric ulcers caused by stress.

The improvement of inter-cellular energy though increased glucose utilization is one of the primary reasons for the multiple benefits of APF. By maintaining proper energy resources, every system—from the immune system to the digestive system to the musculo-skeletal system—is better able to respond appropriately to any challenge and return to equilibrium more rapidly.