Wellington, FL (February 2, 2018) — Every year at the Winter Equestrian Festival, top riders and horses travel to Wellington to compete amongst the best of the best in the international equestrian world. In a horse sport where inches and seconds make all the difference between win and lose, any advantage for a horse and rider can make the difference between a winning round and second place – and thousands of dollars in prize money. Leading equine supplement company, Vita Flex knows that the difference between a great and good performance is all in the details. As a returning annual sponsor to the 2018 Winter Equestrian Festival, the company once again will be recognizing barn managers and trainers who pay that extra attention to detail by maintaining attractive and well-organized tack rooms. For week two of competition they were pleased to present Rider/trainer Jacob Pope of Team Rakowsky Equestrian with Vita Flex Tack Room Award. “You have no idea how much this means to me – the tack room area is my pride and joy!” Pope exclaimed as he accepted the custom red and white bridle rack, bucket of Vita Flex® products and commemorative ribbon. “Hearing our tack room described as ‘attractive’ and ‘well-organized’ makes me smile,” said Pope. “That’s exactly what I was going for. We have pictures of our owner, our clients and their ribbons.” Pope understands that when the stakes are high, setting your barn up for success means more than just training, feeding the right feed, and giving the correct supplement. The layout and efficiency of the stabling areas are just one more detail that helps the horse and rider cross that fine line from a good to a great performance. “I think a clean and well organized stable area reflects on the quality of care that the horse receives – and that is very important to me,” Pope explained. Pope was the 2012 winner of the USEF Talent Search Finals and the APCA Maclay titles. At Team Rakowsky, he focuses on the development of top junior, amateur and professional riders, as well as the development and campaigning of young horses through the Grand Prix Level. His riding talent led to a win at the national Emerging Athletes Program finals, ultimately granting him a spot in the prestigious George Morris Horsemastership Clinic. Last year in Wellington, Pope won the inaugural Deeridge National Hunter Derby on Team Rakowsky Equestrian’s J’adore (Casiro x Fleur D’Apollo), a 2003 Belgian Warmblood mare. Vita Flex wishes Team Rakowsky Equestrian and Pope continued success throughout the rest of the 2018 Winter Equestrian Festival, which continues through April at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. Company representatives will continue to be on the lookout for other eye-catching stabling areas to honor with the increasingly popular Tack Room Award.
