August 19, 2008
Matrix Team Member Carl Nafzger Inducted into Racing Hall of Fame
Carl Nafzger, one of America's most successful racehorse trainers and a member
of the Matrix Equine Team, was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame on August
4. It was a standing-room-only crowd for this year's induction ceremony that
also featured a keynote address by Dr. Dean Richardson of the University of
Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, best known as the veterinarian who cared
for Barbaro.
"The whole team at the Matrix congratulates Carl Nafzger on his induction
into the Racing Hall of Fame. He clearly deserves that honor," said Keith
Manfred, Matrix vice president. "We are honored to have Carl as a member
of the Matrix Team. Throughout his career, he has always put the health and
welfare of the horse above all else and we know that Carl would never consider
feeding any nutritional supplement to his horses that he did not believe was
truly good for them. We are certainly pleased that he has not only chosen to
feed the Matrix to horses in his barn, but also that he chose to be one of
the first members of our Matrix Team."
Nafzger used the opportunity of his acceptance speech to issue a call for
the racing industry always to put the welfare of the horse ahead of the desire
to make money. "We have to get back to the horse," he said. "That's
what brought us here. The horse has taken me from Texas to the Hall of Fame.
I haven't done anything."
Horses, Nafzger said, never lie. They are honest animals who give their best
and they deserve respect. He said the best advice he was ever given in his
training career was simply keep a horse happy and the horse will do the rest.
Hence, he called on the racing community to put the health and happiness of
horses above all else.
In fact, Nafzger took little credit for his career success, thanking instead
the horses that have done so much for him. He also gave thanks to his family,
clients and supporters who believed in him over the years, saying that without
family and friends, there is no success. In closing, Nafzger summed up his
life by saying, "If you don't believe in God, study my life. It's been
a miracle."
It's his sincere concern for the health and welfare of the horse that attracted
Nafzger to the Mushroom Matrix as a nutritional support for racehorses in his
barn. He has long believed that nutrition is a vital part of any good management
program. "If you have a healthy horse, you have a better horse," he
said. "The Matrix strengthens the immune system, which keeps the horse
physically healthier. A healthier horse tolerates stress better. And if he
can tolerate a bit more stress, you have a stronger mental horse and if you
have a stronger horse mentally, you're going to have a stronger, more consistent
racehorse," he said.
The health benefits of mushrooms, particularly medicinal mushrooms, have long
been known. Even within the equine world, feeding horses medicinal mushrooms
is not unheard of, but Nafzger said what attracted him to the Matrix in particular
is that the mushrooms used to produce the Matrix are organically-grown in the
U.S. in a clean environment. Mushrooms may be healthy, but they are also quick
to absorb any pollutants in the soil in which they are grown.
"Everyone knows mushrooms are healthy, but I like this product because
of the quality control of the production process," Nafzger said.
Matrix nutritional supplements are available for horses, humans and small
animals. They are produced by Golden Gourmet Mushrooms of San Marcos, California.
To learn more about Mushroom Matrix nutritional supplements visit www.mushroommatrix.com. |
