The Greatest Legacy Lives Beyond the Arena
Professional barrel racer and Purina Ambassador Amberley Snyder has learned the greatest legacy she can leave isn’t measured in buckles but in how she pays it forward.
Whether she’s coaching a young rider at a clinic, caring for the horses that have carried her through different seasons of life or making small adjustments to help each horse feel and perform its best, Amberley Snyder believes the greatest accomplishments rarely happen under arena lights. For her, legacy is built through the lessons we pass on, the partnerships we nurture and the care we give along the way.
“They’re not going to remember the buckle you won,” she says. “They’re going to remember how you made them feel.”
“I tell people all the time that horses make us better humans,” Amberley says.
That perspective carries into every aspect of her program. She doesn’t believe in one-size-fits-all horsemanship…or one-size-fits-all nutrition for that matter.
Every horse has different needs, different personalities and different ways of communicating. Her job is simply to pay attention and learn from them.
“I really try to let my horses teach me,” she says. “How they feel when I ride them, how they recover after I run, how they look. If I like the way they respond, then I know we’re on the right program.”
That’s why each horse in her seven-horse barn has its own exercise and feeding plan. Easy keepers are managed differently than hard keepers. Young performance horses have different nutritional needs than senior partners who have earned a lighter workload.
Now 23 years old, Power has been with Amberley since he was just 3. He’s the only horse who knew her through every stage of her riding career.
“He’s been through a big journey with me,” Amberley says.
Although retired from competition, Power still enjoys being ridden regularly. As he’s gotten older, Amberley has adjusted his feeding program to help him continue feeling and performing his best.
Recently, she transitioned both Power and another longtime partner, American Quarter Horse gelding Legacy, aka “French Open,” onto Purina® Ultium® Senior horse feed after comparing the nutritional profiles and realizing it better fit what both aging horses needed.
The results came quickly.
“This is the best Power has looked coming out of winter in quite a few years,” Amberley says. “Usually when he sheds his winter coat, I think, ‘Man, bud, I thought you were getting enough.’ This year I looked at him and thought, ‘Hey, you look pretty good.’”
Legacy, now 18, has impressed her just as much.
“My vet called him Benjamin Button,” she says with a laugh. “He’s felt the best he has in a really long time.”
“Just me,” she says when asked who manages the feeding program.
That hands-on approach has made Purina® SuperSport® Amino Acid Supplement a staple in her barn for years. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and this specialized formula from the nutrition experts at Purina is designed to support muscle development, exercise recovery and overall athletic fitness.
She often jokes that SuperSport is “the gateway” product she recommends first. Since she is managing her day-to-day feed program, she really sees the impact it has.
“I’ve taken horses off of it before just to see if they really needed it,” she says. “And you do see the difference. Especially on the road, the muscle support is huge. By the time I get back to the trailer after a run, my horses look great and are more comfortable.”
Trophies eventually collect dust and records eventually fall, but the impact you have on people doesn't ever go away. The greatest partnerships don’t end when the run is over. They continue in every lesson shared, every horse cared for and every person encouraged to believe they can do a little more than they thought possible.
Curious enough to find out for yourself? Sign up to trial a Purina horse feed or supplement to see the results.
Whether she’s coaching a young rider at a clinic, caring for the horses that have carried her through different seasons of life or making small adjustments to help each horse feel and perform its best, Amberley Snyder believes the greatest accomplishments rarely happen under arena lights. For her, legacy is built through the lessons we pass on, the partnerships we nurture and the care we give along the way.
“They’re not going to remember the buckle you won,” she says. “They’re going to remember how you made them feel.”
Every Horse Has Something to Teach
Amberley spends much of the year traveling to competitions but just as much time teaching clinics across the country. What surprises people, she says, is those weekends are rarely about faster times around the barrels. They’re about helping riders better understand themselves and the horse standing in front of them.“I tell people all the time that horses make us better humans,” Amberley says.
That perspective carries into every aspect of her program. She doesn’t believe in one-size-fits-all horsemanship…or one-size-fits-all nutrition for that matter.
Every horse has different needs, different personalities and different ways of communicating. Her job is simply to pay attention and learn from them.
“I really try to let my horses teach me,” she says. “How they feel when I ride them, how they recover after I run, how they look. If I like the way they respond, then I know we’re on the right program.”
That’s why each horse in her seven-horse barn has its own exercise and feeding plan. Easy keepers are managed differently than hard keepers. Young performance horses have different nutritional needs than senior partners who have earned a lighter workload.
Caring for the Horses That Carried You
No horse illustrates that philosophy better than Amberley’s 17-hand black American Quarter Horse gelding ATP Power, aka “Power.”Now 23 years old, Power has been with Amberley since he was just 3. He’s the only horse who knew her through every stage of her riding career.
“He’s been through a big journey with me,” Amberley says.
Although retired from competition, Power still enjoys being ridden regularly. As he’s gotten older, Amberley has adjusted his feeding program to help him continue feeling and performing his best.
Recently, she transitioned both Power and another longtime partner, American Quarter Horse gelding Legacy, aka “French Open,” onto Purina® Ultium® Senior horse feed after comparing the nutritional profiles and realizing it better fit what both aging horses needed.
The results came quickly.
“This is the best Power has looked coming out of winter in quite a few years,” Amberley says. “Usually when he sheds his winter coat, I think, ‘Man, bud, I thought you were getting enough.’ This year I looked at him and thought, ‘Hey, you look pretty good.’”
Legacy, now 18, has impressed her just as much.
“My vet called him Benjamin Button,” she says with a laugh. “He’s felt the best he has in a really long time.”
Small Decisions Make a Big Difference
For Amberley, nutrition isn’t something she outsources. She studies feed tags. She evaluates body condition. She notices recovery after runs and how each horse feels under saddle.“Just me,” she says when asked who manages the feeding program.
That hands-on approach has made Purina® SuperSport® Amino Acid Supplement a staple in her barn for years. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and this specialized formula from the nutrition experts at Purina is designed to support muscle development, exercise recovery and overall athletic fitness.
She often jokes that SuperSport is “the gateway” product she recommends first. Since she is managing her day-to-day feed program, she really sees the impact it has.
“I’ve taken horses off of it before just to see if they really needed it,” she says. “And you do see the difference. Especially on the road, the muscle support is huge. By the time I get back to the trailer after a run, my horses look great and are more comfortable.”
The Legacy That Matters Most
Ask Amberley what she hopes people remember decades from now, and the conversation quickly shifts away from rodeo. She hopes former students become mentors themselves. She hopes children who attended one of her clinics someday teach the next generation. She hopes the horses that have carried her through every season of life continue to inspire others long after they’re retired.Trophies eventually collect dust and records eventually fall, but the impact you have on people doesn't ever go away. The greatest partnerships don’t end when the run is over. They continue in every lesson shared, every horse cared for and every person encouraged to believe they can do a little more than they thought possible.
Curious enough to find out for yourself? Sign up to trial a Purina horse feed or supplement to see the results.
