Nikita Stowers
Valaachi Downs Young Achiever Scholarship 2018

Nikita Stowers from Matamata has been awarded the 2018 Valachi Downs Young Achiever Award.

After graduating from Massey University with bachelor degrees in animal science and business studies, Nikita worked at FiberFresh as Company Nutritionist and at Ravensdown Co-operative as Technical Manager of Animal Health.

In 2016 she formed Veterinary and Nutritional Integration (VANI) Ltd, which provides independent nutritional advice combined with veterinary expertise. The company “strives to bridge the gap between veterinarians, feed companies and horse owners to achieve the best outcomes and solutions for all involved.”

Nikita used her Scholarship to attend the 9th European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress, in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in February 2019. The European Equine Health and Nutrition congress is one of the largest and most important annual events in the Equine Nutrition calendar, with delegates from all over the world presenting new research in Equine Nutrition.

The theme for the 9th congress was “Small Things” with a focus on the digestive physiology of the horse and updates in the area of microbial communities. This is a very important, yet understudied, area of research in equine nutrition to date. One of the leading issues in horses worldwide is digestive problems attributable to dietary changes brought about by modern management and feeding regimes.

New knowledge and understanding in this area was also covered at the Conference. Later this year Nikita will spend time seeking education in the science of treadmill training of horses.

Treadmill training is widely used in racehorses both in New Zealand and overseas; however its application and use in New Zealand is less than in other countries such as Australia. Nutrition and exercise go hand in hand when human athletes are looking to optimise their performance and this should be no different in equines.

Nikita intends to investigate how an integrative approach using nutrition and exercise can help maximize the performance and recovery of racehorses in New Zealand.