Recognizing that equine athletes have nutritional needs as specific as their human counterparts, SciencePure expanded its focus from people to horses.
As with many things, we often develop nutritional ideas and theories for humans, then realize they apply to our four-legged friends as well. Founded by Shelley Nyuli in 1986, SciencePure began as a human nutritional company based on a passion for bodybuilding. “We lived in the Okanagan and owned a Centurion Fitness Centre,” says Shelley. “My prime products were being sold to professional sports people; this market was big for us because of our Canadian Bodybuilding titles, competing internationally and giving advanced nutritional seminars.”
Off to the races
Sometimes life has a way of nudging us in a new direction. A move to a more horse-oriented region, along with a few other factors, moved SciencePure in an equestrian direction. “During my husband Calvin’s last year completing his biochemistry degree at UBC in 1995, I packed up from the Okanagan and rented a home one block from Fraser Downs Racetrack in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada,” shares Shelley. “For the last 15 years, we have been involved in the Standardbred racing industry, breeding, raising and racing horses under the farm name of PUREFORM.
“Once finishing his degree, Calvin worked as a nutritional and technical advisor for a human nutritional supplement company,” continues Shelley. “Every day he would receive at least one telephone call from a racehorse trainer or owner with questions about human products and boosting racehorse performance.
“Taking this information to the company’s product developers, Calvin was met with reluctance to consider products for the equine market. This was the start to SciencePure Nutraceuticals, because this type of response is what sends a scientist into a research frenzy, as it did Calvin.”
Research and development
Just as Shelley and Calvin studied to keep their Canadian Bodybuilding titles and train other champions of sport, they did a lot of research in the field of performance horse nutrition. Shelley says that Calvin was like a dog with a bone. His discussions with trainers about the horse’s most important needs led him to develop and test ingredients for improved joint mobility, breathing and pain reduction. “Our first product was Curcuzone, with a combination of nutraceuticals (MSM, glucosamine HCl) and botanical standardized extracts (curcumin, boswellia, bromelain, ginger), with significant Vitamin C to increase absorption and effectiveness,” says Shelley. “This product has been phenomenal as an anti-inflammatory supplement but is a little expensive for everyday use, so a concentrated, effective joint formula was developed (Glucosamine PLUS) and is now the benchmark for all joint formulas today.”
From there, SciencePure’s natural health and performance products have expanded into a full line of equine, pet, veterinary and human nutritional supplements with a focus on safe, naturally effective ingredients and guaranteed analyses.
