Arenus Donates Joint Health Product to NARHA Horses

St. Louis, MO-August 24, 2009-Arenus, a premier provider of innovative health and nutrition products for pets and horses recently donated a supply of their joint health product, STEADFAST® EQUINE to NARHA centers nationwide. NARHA, headquartered in Denver, Colorado helps individuals with disabilities through equine assisted activities and therapies.

NARHA was formed in 1969 as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association to promote equine assisted activities and therapies for individuals with special needs. At almost 800 member centers, a total of 42,000 children and adults find a sense of independence through involvement with horses. Member centers range from small, one-person programs to large operations with several certified instructors and licensed therapists. In addition to therapeutic riding, a center may offer any number of equine assisted activities including hippotherapy, equine facilitated mental health, driving, interactive vaulting, trail riding, competition, ground work or stable management. Through a wide variety of educational resources, the association’s certified instructors and member centers start and maintain successful equine assisted activities and therapies for individuals with special needs. There are more than 30,000 volunteers, 3,500 instructors, 6,300 equines and thousands of contributors from all over the world helping people at NARHA centers.

“We were so excited to receive the donated STEADFAST® EQUINE supplement from Arenus,” said Lynn Peter, NARHA Region Five Representative. “It will allow us to provide much needed joint support to our hard working equine partners. Due to financial constraints, we often have to pick just the neediest animals to provide supplements but with this generous gift we are able to try it out on a few more and are starting to see results already! It is also very palatable so even those getting very little grain have no trouble eating it up.”

NARHA centers must sign member agreements and instructors must be certified which is accomplished by attending workshops, passing exams, and meeting standards.In addition, The Premier Accredited Center Program offers NARHA centers the chance to demonstrate their excellence in providing quality, professional equine assisted activities. This voluntary process recognizes NARHA centers that have met established industry standards. The accreditation process is a peer review system, in which trained volunteers visit and evaluate centers in accordance with NARHA standards.

“Arenus is well aware that NARHA centers are non-profit, operate on a volunteer basis and with a large population of mostly donated geriatric horses. These older horses experience joint and mobility issues due to age,” said Celeste Mohatt, Arenus marketing manager. “By donating STEADFAST® EQUINE, we are able to provide a supplement that many of these horses need, but the center is unable to afford.”

STEADFAST® EQUINE takes a holistic approach to supporting a horse’s entire joint system including bone, ligaments and tendons. STEADFAST® EQUINE contains the ingredient NEM®, the natural membrane from eggshells, and is a unique joint support matrix that provides relief from occasional joint discomfort associated with normal daily activity. NEM® supplies a holistic array of supportive components such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, desmosine, amino acids and peptides. The second ingredient, TêlaFIRM® is an advanced micro-ingredient system that helps to optimize the enzyme systems responsible for supporting healthy and normal bone remodeling along with the synthesis and cross-linking of important proteins.

NARHA’s equine activities demonstrate research that links improvements in individuals with disabilities to quality interaction with horses. “We are pleased to support NARHA. Science based health through nutrition is pivotal to ensuring sustained strength of pets and horses that give an extra dimension to the lives of disabled individuals,” said Dr. Joyce Cacho, Chief Sustainability Officer, Novus International, parent company of Arenus.

Many of the NARHA centers expressed heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the donation.

“We are so grateful to Arenus for donating their joint supplement to the NARHA Region Four Conference,” said Cheryl Miller, NARHA State Chair for Indiana. “Since most of the horses that participate in NARHA centers are older horses, many are in need of joint supplements. This donation from Arenus will benefit the therapeutic riding horses and in turn benefit our riders with disabilities.”

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About Arenus

Arenus is a premier provider of innovative health and nutrition products for pets and horses. A growing division within Novus International, Inc., a global company dedicated to animal performance, health and longevity. To learn more about our products, or find an Arenus event near you, call (866) 791-3344, or visit arenus.com http://www.arenus.com/ .

About NARHA

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, NARHA’s mission is to “change and enrich lives by promoting excellence in equine assisted activities.” To accomplish this mission, NARHA fosters safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, research and standards. The association ensures its standards are met through an accreditation process for centers and a certification process for instructors.

Find out more at www.NARHA.org http://www.narha.org/ .