Valley Vet Supply

Live Chat

Valley Vet Supply is proud to introduce a new feature on our website this week. We are now offering Live Chat to all web customers. This feature allows all of our customers (or future customers) the option to chat with our Live Chat technicians. They are trained to answer most questions, and can aid in placing an order via the internet. Clicking on the icon to the right of the page that looks like: will send you directly to an agent for help. Live Chat is easy and fast. This feature is available Tuesday through Friday 8-5. Rachael

Holiday Shopping

Are you always looking for a bargain, and especially happy to get $$$ off and/or free shipping? Well, who wouldn’t want that, and especially at this time of year?

I had been hoarding a couple of gift cards from my birthday late this summer. It was such a decision to find what I wanted. The holidays, and the colder weather, helped me decide on sweaters and a new coat. With holiday cyber sales, I ended up paying only a few dollars and also got free shipping. I felt so successful!

Have you signed up for our "Secret Weekly Sales" emails on our website yet? While you are there, and you aren’t sure what would be the best gift, you too may want to send a gift card. We can email it to the lucky recipient and also mail a beautiful packet with the regular card. Included are catalogs for them to browse just in case they don’t have email. These are also great for the hard to buy for and the “wow, time has gone by so fast” last minute shopper. They also might want to hold on to a gift card and shop later, waiting for a sale if they haven’t quite figured out what it is they want to buy.

Our free shipping is every day of the year, so you don’t need to wait for that. We can check colors and measure items from our warehouse, see what is currently in stock, and much more. Just call us during normal hours at 800-419-9524. That helps so much when you have a specific question.

While you are checking out our exceptional item selection, don’t forget to shop for yourself! We are thankful for each of our customers and we wish you all a Safe and Blessed Christmas Season and New Year, Rachel

My Dream Come True

My name is Kailee Rupprecht, and I would love to share my story – MY DREAM COME TRUE – with you!!! It all started back in April when I decided I WAS going to find a summer camp or something where I could ride horses nonstop for as many days as possible. After much online searching and hours of let-down after let-down, only finding camps in the price range of roughly $4000 AND a plane flight to get there - only to have Mom give me that look of – NOT IN YOUR LIFETIME SWEETHEART. (I guess for some crazy reason $4000 was out of the question!!) However, officially, on May 29th, 2012 ---- I KNEW MY DREAM WAS GOING TO COME TRUE, thanks my newest best friend, Rebecca Frerking (who thankfully is my Mom’s great friend and coworker at Valley Vet)!!!! It just so happened Rebecca knew of a place that would be absolutely perfect, and did not stop encouraging my Mom until she finally AGREED!!!!! On that wonderful day in May, I saw the form and I knew my Mom mailed the check – MEANING I WAS GOING TO ANTELOPE CREEK HORSE CAMP with Ms. Cyndi Harris – soon to be my LIFELONG IDOL!!!!!!!

My dream began on Sunday, June 10th. That morning Mom and Dad surprised me with a little gift – a horse bracelet, 2 new pairs of Wrangler Booty Up jeans, and a pair of Ariat Boots, from Valley Vet of course, which fit perfectly and I LOVE!!! After church, Mom and I headed out for the 225 mile roadtrip to Udall, Kansas…my home/HEAVEN for the next 5 days. We arrived just after 5:00 in the evening. Mom helped me get unloaded and moved into my bunk in the bunkhouse. The bunkhouse was a small facility where we campers and the camp counselors slept. There were 2 bedrooms on the main floor with a family room area, a small kitchen, a small bathroom, and an upstairs where the counselors slept.

The following days were the most amazing days of my entire life – my lifelong dream and true passion – I SPENT EVERY WAKING SECOND WITH THE HORSE I GOT TO CALL MINE FOR THOSE SHORT DAYS…SPENCER!!!!!! It was an experience I will never EVER forget. I did everything…saddled and bridled him, groomed him, braided his mane, washed him down to cool him off after our rides, cleaned his stall, and I even got to paint Spencer up a bit for our final routine that we performed for our parents when they arrived to pick us up!!! I took tons of pictures so I would not forget one second of the most amazing 5 days of my life. I will never ever forget the time Spencer and I spent together….as well as my friends, ~CYNDI~, Dakota, Rachael, Caitlyn, Lauren, and Sierra.

The camp was pretty structured. Cyndi took our cell phones and all electronics and even our “junk food” and locked it all away during the day time. I know now – she wanted us to be able to concentrate fully and completely on our horses and learning everything we could in those few short days she had with us. The junk food – well, you see, carbohydrates turn to sugar which does nothing for you out on the trail. What you need is – PROTEIN!!! We learned this from Cyndi also. That woman is absolutely the most amazing person, and I adore her, her ranch, her horses, and especially SPENCER with my whole heart. I will never forget her. I will look up to her and cherish the time I had with her always. I should mention, I was actually FINE with no phones or electronics – my poor Mom, however, had a little trouble adjusting to NOT being able to get a hold of me and only hearing from me once a day!!! (I forgot to tell you this earlier – when it was time to leave me at camp and head out for that LONG drive home….I seriously thought my Mom was going to stay right there with me, she has separation issues I think!!! haha)

Those amazing days flew by so very quickly. Each day we were given a few hours of free time to spend however we chose….from swimming in the “cowgirl swimming pool a.k.a. horse tank”, to hanging out in our bunkhouse, to wandering around and visiting the animals, or more riding. I will give you 3 guesses what I chose….ABSOLUTELY MORE RIDING!!!!! I was getting in all of the riding I possibly could – that is what I was there for!!!! Keep in mind, when I arrived at this camp, I had only been on a horse two times in my entire life. By the time I left camp, I was turning, galloping, trotting, and even loping – YES – I LEARNED TO LOPE WHILE AT CAMP!!!! Thanks to Dakota, my new friend and camp counselor. All too soon, I was talking to Mom on the phone on Wednesday night, and she was so excited to be coming to pick me up. Ok, I was a little bit excited to see my family, but I was soooooo sad to be leaving camp. I asked Mom if they would come visit often if I just stayed….yeah – that didn’t work so well!!!!! Now that I am back home, I have my pictures and my memories which I will never ever forget. I do hope to go back next year – and the following year – and for every year to come possible.

Of course, my dream my now is to have own horse, which my parents keep telling me….Kailee – it’s not just “having a horse” – you kind of need an acreage to keep the horse on, you have to be able to afford to FEED the horse and maintain the horse’s health, blah blah blah... Just as I was DETERMINED I would find a camp to attend this summer – I AM JUST AS DETERMINED THAT I WILL HAVE MY VERY OWN HORSE ONE DAY…I have a very strong will, and in my heart, I KNOW – IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!! I hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed Antelope Creek Horse Camp. If you have any questions or would like information to maybe visit this camp…Cyndi has a website called antelopecreekhorseco.com. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me sharing that with you all!!! Kailee

Share your horse camp stories or list the best camps in your area!

 

Roped Into Love

How many of you have ever been roped? I mean literally---by a lariat?

I’m sure there are a lot of farm/country kids that have. Again, I’m the younger sibling, so guess who the practice dummy was???

I have to admit, the most shocking rope experience I have ever had was by my then date and now husband. Seventeen years ago, when we were first starting to date...he told me grew up on a cattle ranch in southeast Kansas and was on horseback every day. From riding fences to branding in the pasture, he did everything by horseback. Now, keep in mind he moved to our small town to be the city’s recreation director. So seeing someone that was dressed in athletic shorts and t-shirts all the time playing on many different sporting teams….to say the least, I was positive that I was being fed a line of crap! To make him prove himself, because that’s how I am, we went horseback riding. I knew I could saddle and ride my own horse; I wanted to see if he could really do this too without help. Amazingly enough—he could! After a whole afternoon trail ride with my brother and his girlfriend (now my SIL) we went back to unsaddle. In the tack room were a couple of Moneymaker Ropes. My date said, “I can rope.” I rolled my eyes and said, “Sure you can.” One would think I would have learned earlier that he was probably telling the truth….BUT…that’s not my style.  He said, “Seriously, take off on a run, and I’ll heel you”. Thinking the odds of getting away were in my favor, I took off on a sprint-----guess what?? He could rope! And down I went.

I’m thinking seventeen years later he was wishing he wouldn’t have showed me or my family that quality trait, because guess who gets called out to help round up cows?? Of course in this amount of time, there have been many more ropes developed and brought to the market. A leading rope, and to my knowledge still the only five strand rope on the market today, is the Spydr by Classic Equine. With a patented core, the Spydr delivers the perfect balance of snap and tip weight to make it the ultimate trap. Check out our full line of roping supplies online at Valley Vet Supply. Who knows—maybe you’ll catch a spouse too!!! Julie

Spring in Janaury

It may be hard to believe, but in the heart of the country, we are enjoying spring in January. We have had one of the warmest January's ever in Kansas.

The best thing to do on a day like today is of course go riding. The horses aren't used to days like this, especially since they all already have their winter coats on them. But when I pull up to the barn tonight with my husband, and pull the saddles out of the barn, they all know what's coming. It’ll be soooo nice to go for a relaxing horseback ride in January, without piling on the 30 layers of clothing and feeling like the Michelin Man on top of Tex.

I'm sorry for all of you who are suffering in the colder weather, snow, rain, and wind. Have you had a chance to ride this Winter? What are your favorite Winter activities with your horse? Rhonda

Equibrand Giveaway Winner!

CONGRATULATIONS Frances W. from New Mexico! You are the winner of the Classic Equine Giveaway.  

Thanks to all of you who shared your Compete Like A Champion story with us.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Calling All Photographers

Alright blogging followers, I am on a quest, and I need your help! I am in need of pictures. Cute, adorable, pet pictures that Valley Vet may use for front cover catalog images, filler shots, advertising usage or any other need at our discretion. I know you must have some adorable pets and beautiful backgrounds in your area. And I don’t care what season you take them in, or have taken them in. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter---we have catalogs that drop every season, so I would like to see them all. Here’s one of my oldest son, JT, with our dog, Jasper.

Now—there are couple of stipulations with this. First and foremost, by submitting an image, you are consenting to the usage of that image by Valley Vet for whatever purpose we may have. Second, all entries must be digital, landscape (horizontal), 2400 pixel wide jpg at 300 dpi. Send them to me at julie@valleyvet.com.

Will you be the next person with bragging rights of having your family pet on the front cover of Direct Pet Superstore catalog??? Julie

Start Em' Young!

You just can’t start too young in Nebraska with riding, roping, farming, and of course, FOOTBALL! We try to keep the family farms going with our own children, but sometimes we have to skip a generation and go to our grandchildren. It is so important to our country lifestyle to keep our land in the hands of families instead of corporations and people who need tax write-offs. I came from the simple life of country schools, picnics, and county fairs, and if we lose the families on the farms, we lose a wonderful life. I know it is a hard life in many ways, but nothing easy is ever worthwhile and lasting. My grandfather tried to retire from farming when he was 70, but by the age of 72 he had bought all the equipment back and was still farming when he passed with cancer. My husband will be the same, and I hope one of our grandchildren will have this love of the land, animals and country life. This picture is our youngest grandson, and he is showing all the signs of a farmer. But, he might have to play football for a while in college!!! Go Big Red! Or if his grandma has anything to say about this (which she won’t) it will be Go Cats! What do you love about your country life? Karen K

Shopping Central

I’m not one of those people who starts shopping for Christmas in September, but then again I’m also not one of those people who does all my Christmas shopping on December 24th either. My favorite time to shop is the day after Thanksgiving, also known as “Black Friday”. I don’t go to the store at 3:00 a.m. to stand in line for that one item I can’t live without, but I do get up a little bit early to hit the local Wal-Mart before I go to work, see if I can find any special buys everybody else passed up. I walk around to see if there are any items that catch my eye that will make the perfect gift for that someone special, conservatively waiting because I know that in a couple days, there is another special day marked on my calendar, “Cyber-Monday”. Being raised in the technology generation, I know when and where to go to find amazing Cyber-Monday deals; a trait my mother just loves about me. The best thing about this extra day of sale shopping is there is no waiting in line. A lot of times, the major companies (such as Amazon.com & Walmart.com) will release the items throughout the day, and then they have so many of that sale item that you can buy, so the trick is to be on the website at the time the product is released in order to get the product for that amazing deal. Whether you stand in line outside the store, or wait at your computer for the amazing deal to come available, there are amazing deals to be had during the holiday season, it’s all just a matter of how you go about finding them.

I’m really interested in how our customers shop. Are you the type to go sit in line and wait for the doors to open, or are you like me and would rather the sale pop up on your screen? Please post to my blog and let me know! Rhonda

P.S. Don't forget about checking out our selection of pratical gift items!

Pretty in Pink

I have always been a big supporter of the Susan G Komen for the Cure organization, along with a big supporter of all related breast cancer awareness organizations (and it helps my favorite color is pink). It wasn’t until we lost my mother-in-law to breast cancer a year and a half ago that I really stepped up my efforts for people to be aware of the scary disease affecting people all over the world and their families. Even though it was a traumatic event that our family went through losing a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, we all came out of the experience with a newfound outlook on life and the way we live. A big love of my mine and my husband’s is riding horses. We love the peace you get when you are in the middle of a pasture riding down a hill with a warm summer breeze (taking care of those pesky bugs) with the sun setting in the forefront. No cell phone to ring, no email to answer, no responsibilities for those few hours; it’s so peaceful.

Thanks to many products available, I have been able to integrate my love for breast cancer awareness, and my love for the color pink, into my riding and tack. I currently have a hot pink saddle pad that my horse Tex (who by the way is a very proud male quarter horse) loves when I put it on him; almost as much as my husband does! Valley Vet offers breast cancer tack items perfect for anybody wanting to show their support for breast cancer awareness: Pretty In Pink Collection with pink foil ribbon stamp on the headstall, breast collar, and nose band and for the really committed a Twinkle Awareness Ribbon Stencil Kit (which I’ve been told I’ll never get to put on Tex).

My passion for breast cancer awareness goes beyond tack, as I know the true loss of a loved one by this horrible disease. Any way that I can promote an amazing cause is worth every penny, and it’s even better that I’m able to do it while riding my horse. Rhonda

Remember a loved one lost to breast cancer or a survivor by placing their name in comments and please tell us a little bit about them.