Amanda Getto, Veterinarian and owner of Jigs

Amanda Getto is a horsewoman and large animal veterinarian who saw a need for a product that would distribute hay automatically at given times of the day to help horses who are prone to ulcers. Her company Jigs and Co. now has that product available. Listen for more!

Transcript

Rose Cushing 0:34

I'm very excited that my guest today is Amanda Gatter, and Amanda is a veterinarian. And I realized that the horseworld had some issues getting their hay for horses installed that was delivered timely, you know, so that they felt like they were grazing. So I want you to listen to this and learn about her new product because I think you might like it. Amanda, tell us a little bit about you.

SPEAKER_04 0:59

Yeah, absolutely. So, first off, thanks for having me on, Rose. Uh, appreciate it. Excited to talk about the product and myself. Um, so a little bit about myself is I'm a veterinarian. I just graduated back in uh 2021. And yeah, so um kind of starting off, I started growing up around horses and riding when I was 15 years old. Um and I got my first horse uh a little bit later, um about 15 and a half years old, and we just kind of fell upon a family horse that was a retired barrel racer. Um, and a family member asked if we wanted him, so uh we took the truck down to southern Ohio and picked him up and brought him home and the rest of history. So um when we first got him, he was really outside 24-7 and able to graze and everything like that at our family farm. Um, however, when we took him over and moved him um home, he was in a boarding facility and he while he was out during the day, he was stalled at night. Um and you know, I I didn't know, you know, about managing horses and naturally how they eat, everything like that. You know, we're used to uh just eating a few times a day as humans and our dogs, um, but a horse really isn't their digestive system isn't designed to eat like that, and I just really didn't know that. So um Jigs within, you know, the first year he had some colicing issues and uh was poorly performing things like that. So when we had our veterinarian out um with him, we found out that he was diagnosed with ulcers and you know, we went through the gastroguard and that was extremely expensive and it never really solved the issue, right? So it treated the horse, but uh, you know, throughout that process, we were just, you know, never talked about how we could manage him more appropriately to prevent these ulcers from happening. Um so I was actually sitting in my first semester uh veterinary school and we were kind of talking through the equine digestive tract. Um tell Dr. Verner Sutler that I, you know, wasn't paying attention in class, but uh we were just talking about, you know, how often horses should eat and how quickly their stomachs empty and without them having a gallbladder, how their stomach acids are just constantly secreting. So if their stomachs aren't full, then you know their stomach acid is allowed to build up in their stomach and then can cause those ulcers. So uh, you know, I was just sitting there and I was like, wow, like it was just as simple as I could have fed my horse more often throughout the evening. Like I I just I had no idea that that was really just all it, you know, it really took to create more of a natural feeding um habit for your horse. And so, you know, I was sitting there in class and I was like, Well, what could you do? And, you know, hey night, yes, it prolongs the hay, but it still just doesn't give you those extra smaller feedings throughout the evening. And um, you know, I texted my husband and he um both of his dads are um his dad and stepdad are engineers and um I got to talking with them about it and I was like, Hey, how possible is this? And we just started researching and there really just wasn't um a an automatic hay feeder that you could just install within your stall. They're pretty big and bulky, um, and biggest thing was just too expensive. So, you know, I I just was like, hey, what would it take to design an automatic hay feeder for horses that you could just put in the stall? And the goal is really just to continue feeding your horse two or three times a day, but filling up the hay unit, um, you know, to have it go off and it holds two flakes of hay and each bin can be programmed to two separate times. So the ideal goal is that the hay feeder would feed your horse four times and you would still feed them twice. And then that way they never go more than four hours with food if they're in all the time. Um obviously you can adjust that if they're outside. But yeah, so that's kind of uh how the invention came about. And you know, it's named our company's name is Jiggs and Company, named after uh Jigs, the very horse that gave me the idea. And yeah, so uh now we're selling product and we're a startup and you know, just thanks to veterinary school and kind of learning where the gap was in the market. Um, you know, our goal is to help create a better uh feeding environment for our horses at our stalled and just to overall improve their health.

Rose Cushing 4:55

Well, I love that idea because you cut down on your waist because the horse has time between the drops to eat up all the hay that's on the ground. And I think it's just brilliant. Uh, they need to graze. And they need to graze at a grazing level, so that's better than a hay bag. Everything about it sounds perfect to me.

SPEAKER_04 5:15

Yeah, I mean, so far we have about 30 units um sold and being tested, everything like that. So um we're running our early adapter program right now, and that includes the 50 units that you know we're selling at a really great discounted price. Um they're 60% off of what our sale price is once we're uh full to market. And in exchange, we um our product testers, we just are sending them out um and just having them test and give us their feedback. Um and so far, you know, my goal was ulcers really was what um came up with the idea, but what we've really found is behavioral-wise, so um we have two units and very destructive horses stalled. So their owners reached out to us, um, and one horse is nearby in a brand new facility, um, and he kind of paws all night, digs holes, bangs on the door, and has caused a lot of damage, like shoes through his buckets, things like that. Um, and since we've hung the unit, the owner was pretty nervous about uh him destroying it. And we said, Hey, you know, it's a hundred percent money back guarantee. If he's you know miracle able to get through it, we built it with a a lot of sturdiness in mind, and um, you know, if he doesn't mess with it at all, his stall vices have really decreased and the owner is saying how much happier a horse is too. So, you know, beyond just feeding your horse appropriately, a lot of the stall vices I would say, you know, owners just don't correlate it to being bored and being hungry. And, you know, in an ideal world, yeah, we would love to just throw as much food at them as we would want, but you know, then you're creating health issues with um obesity, laminitis, things like that. So um, yeah, the smaller, more frequent meals not only is better for the digestive system, but it seems to be really helping with all vices that are behavioral and secondary to boredom and hunger as well.

Rose Cushing 7:02

Well, that would make sense because you know, if you're shut up in a box, after a while you do get bored. And it and if they play with it and mess with it, they're not gonna tear it up. So that's really good that you've had it pretty heavily trialed.

SPEAKER_04 7:15

Yeah, it's made out of the um same common plastic that your water buckets are, just a little bit thicker. Um, you know, we've had a few where we've posted videos, things like that, and owners concerned about the round or um, excuse me, thinking that there's uh sharp edges on it, but um a close-up, you know, you our our videos don't really grasp that, but they are rounded edges. Um, and we've not had any horses, you know, playing with it, injuring themselves on it, things like that. Um, you know, one thing that I always uh say that the other veterinarians that are advisors uh and myself have talked about, you know, addressing that safety concern is I I think we don't really take into account their field of vision, which is much broader than our field of vision. So, you know, they're able to see above their heads and things like that. They use their ears and most of the time after the hay drops, they actually pull it away. So um we've been in touch with our testers, kind of ask them what their thoughts were of, hey, did you feel like this wasn't safe for your horse or anything like that? And every single owner has said, like, yes, that was something they were concerned about at the beginning, but they've really noticed that once the hay drops, the horse moves away from out from under it. And if anything, you know, the horse is a little bit nervous of the unit itself. Um, so they don't really spend their time around the unit, they don't really mess with it or anything like that. So um yeah, you know, uh we I love constructive feedback. We definitely, you know, as a new company, getting those comments and things. So um we're definitely working close with our veterinarians that are a part of the team as well and kind of working to make sure that it is something that's safe since it's near to the market. Um and that's why we have the testing program, things like that. So um I would say that's probably the biggest feedback that we've had. Um, but uh we found that it hasn't been an issue um and the horses that do have it installed are really doing pretty well with it, if that makes sense.

Rose Cushing 9:00

It does. Now tell me about your your operation. Is it electric or battery?

SPEAKER_04 9:04

So it's battery operated. Um I I didn't you know I've never felt comfortable having a bunch of wires, you know, hanging throughout stalls, especially if horses are mischievous. They like to chew on the hot things, especially wires. So yeah, it's operated on six double A batteries. Um we recommend that you change it six months. Every six months those batteries out. Um and basically what happens is there's an internal clock system, you set the clock to um whatever time it is, and then you go through and you set the bins. Like I said, each bin, um it's uh there's two separate bins that hold a flake of hay each, and you can set that bin to two separate times. So um, you know, you set the bin, it's battery operated, um, and at that specific time, once that internal clock hits the set time for it, um it um operate or excuse me, releases a latching mechanism that almost like a trapdoor, and then it relies on gravity. So um the slap kind of falls open and the flake of hay falls through the bin um and then it delivers that meal.

Rose Cushing 10:03

And is it a heavy unit? Is it hard for like a w most of our our people or hor or women in the horse industry? Is it something that I could install myself?

SPEAKER_04 10:12

Yeah, so um it's actually just about twenty-nine pounds. Um, and we are currently testing uh some portability, kind of like a hanger unit to take the shows. Um so we're my horse was actually just at the Ohio State Fair competing there, um, and we tested the portable kind of hanging unit, and I was able to take it myself, um, and I was able to get it hung on the stall, and we took it with us, and it hung really, really well. So uh basically it's designed with a Z to hang it. Um so you just take it's held by four screws, and um you just kind of take one screw and hang the unit or um excuse me, screw it to the wall, and then from there you just um hold it from the inside, make sure it's level, and apply the second screw. Once that second screw in is stable, and then you put uh two more on the bottom. Uh so yeah, it's definitely something my husband and I both have installed them by ourselves. Um and it's really simplistic. Especially if you have two people, it's even easier, but it's definitely something that one female can handle and move around. I'm I'm not a big girl, I'm only 5'30 and you know, 130 pounds on a you know, good day. So I'm not uh, you know, very uh buff woman by LEBs. I definitely don't work out, not my thing, but um I tend to find it pretty easy to move the units around. So that was definitely a goal was we really wanted these to be able to be transportable. We wanted to be able to install these units in any existing stalls. Um and yeah, we just recommend that it's hung um through wood and you just apply four screws. Uh, you know, we send screws with you, but if you want to uh use longer screws for more stability, uh completely for that. But yeah, um it's pretty easy to install, and like I said, our really goal was to be able to install this unit in any existing stall.

Rose Cushing 11:56

Now tell me about your timer system again. How like it uh one of the biggest problems I have with my horses is not so much that I have to feed them multiple times a day, but I would like I would see me using this unit so I could be gone overnight. So could I set it for like a a 24 hour span or a 48-hour span to drop the hay at time those times?

SPEAKER_04 12:19

Yeah, so um basically once you set it, it it runs off that 24-hour um unit. So uh it wouldn't probably last a full 48 hours. It's not meant to deliver that many flakes of hay and the aspect of we want this to be safe um for the horse itself. So if something were to happen, like a flake of hay were to get stuck or anything like that. Um we don't want the unit to be able to feed the horses for 48 hours or so. Um anytime anytime there's machinery, I never want it to be uh unsafe for the horse to where you could leave your property. I still recommend that. You know, if you feed your horse once per day or twice per day, you fill it up then. Um but once you set those times, it the it's set for good. So um most of our units are set for two or four times um and then they're meant to go off. So if you filled it at, you know, even 4 p.m. and those uh bins were set for midnight and 3 a.m., once you fill that, that internal clock system is gonna keep it going off at the exact same time. Um so if it's something where you've got dinner plans and you typically feed at six o'clock or have to be back sooner, um the nice thing about the haytime feeder is you can feed them early, fill that unit up um and leave your farm and not have to worry about getting back um to it at a certain time from your night to, you know, go and do the uh barn tours, things like that. So um it definitely is aimed for, you know, if you are a private owner and you know your horses are not stabled or you have to feed every single night or something like that, it definitely can help you, you know, get away from your farm and not have to be home at the exact same time throughout the evening. So you can always change the times and never have to be set to the same time. Um but yeah, we found that some private or horse owners with horses on their property have really enjoyed not having to go do those late night feedings, um, have not had to, you know, get back to the barn at a specific time to feed their horses if they're just hay fed. Um so yeah, it it basically helps just deliver some extra feedings and give you some more peace of mind.

Rose Cushing 14:15

Yeah, because um I have a goat and a donkey, but I always, you know, I I can't I can come back the next morning, but sometimes I need to be gone really late at night or overnight and come home in the first thing in the morning. So that would work really well. Now another use that I see for this is folks for your portable unit, people that transport horses, you know, across the country and be able to mount it in their trailer to feed them different times during the trip. Would that work?

SPEAKER_04 14:44

Yeah, I mean honestly we would with the um hay or the portable kind of hanger, um, we're making it so that you can, you know, hang it over a bar, um things like that, or you can always find a way to mount it in your trailer, as long as it would probably just open into kind of um a um a hay holder. Um I I don't see why that wouldn't work. Um the only thing that I could see if it wouldn't work is if you know your horse is above that chest bar and it was just falling to the ground. So you definitely need something to kind of catch the hay once it opens. Um but yeah, absolutely something like that could be rigged up um for its use.

Rose Cushing 15:20

So many uses for this product. I'm I'm so excited that stuff like this is hitting the market and and that a veterinarian is designing it because you have the horse's health in mind over making money, and that's so important.

SPEAKER_04 15:33

Yeah, um, I I mean this is you know a hobby for me. It's just something that came about that, you know, I absolutely wanted it for my horse, but um, you know, it it wasn't really designed with a whole entire business in mind by any means, but I luckily met some um great people along the way that were like, hey, if you're gonna do this, you might as well make it a uh product to, you know, sell on the market. So um I'm exactly like you said, I'm very thankful that I have a a great career. Um and you know, this isn't uh necessarily our only form. Um and, you know, exactly that we design this really for the horse's health in mind. Um, you know, it's a private family-owned company and you're supporting our family anytime that you purchase one of these units, um, as well as, you know, we tend to partner with more veterinarians um in the future for a referral program. Um so if you're a veterinarian humanist and you're interested in the product, please reach out. Um we'd love to talk to you. Um but aside from that, trainers, things like that, we just we really want to get uh the horse community involved. And you know, if you have a horse that has the ulcers, um, or if you're a veterinarian treating multiple horses with ulcers, uh, you know, I I would hope that you would keep this product in mind since it is just such uh yes, number one, it's getting those ulcers um and preventing that, or excuse me, uh treating those ulcers, but then the second step for psychiatric ultra syndrome, uh, equine metabolic syndrome, just overall boredom in the stall, uh really is just changing in management. So, you know, if you have a horse that you think about this and you you're like, wow, that could really help, uh, just please reach out. We would love to talk to you and answer any questions that you have.

Rose Cushing 17:08

And I I'm on your website looking around, and you have wonderful information on your site and health care blogs, and um, I was looking at the price of these, and and honestly, you know, they're cheaper than a big vet call, so no offense to the veterinary community. But if it's gonna save you some money and save you worth some pay, it's really worth doing.

SPEAKER_04 18:29

Yeah, absolutely. Um, I mean, there's no secret that there's an e-cline veterinary shortage there too. So um, you know, I I don't think there's any veterinarians complaining about that, you know. Uh so yeah, exactly that. If we're able to create a better health environment for these horses to where we're able to manage them a bit um better and more natural without causing secondary, you know, health issues of them being fat, overweight, obese, things like that, you know, um I I'm just really excited about that product or this product for that reason. And, you know, in the future, we have two other veterinarians that we work with, um, an internal medicine specialist as well as a small ruminant specialist. Um and, you know, we're constantly trying to um create blogs to talk about um common health issues and how hay time can help with that, um, as well as uh we plan to do some educational videos on our um social medias and uh have those published on the website as well. Um and hopefully, you know, my dreams don't tell uh my business advisors are gonna say, hey, calm down, Amanda. Um but uh in the future I would absolutely love it to be something like it's uh nutritional consult business or something like that where, you know, if you're a horse owner and you want to get in touch with veterinarians and talk about, you know, how you can manage your horse's diet better um and you know manage your common uh just your athletic horse versus your overweight horse versus your skinny horse or you know, a terminally ill um pet or a metabolic syndrome, things like that. You know, I want it to be something where you have easy access to um easily digestible reading. So um I found, you know, there's a lot of great information from veterinarians and research studies, but you know, the average person can't just go on to a research space and look at those studies, let alone kind of understand them. So my goal with the company is to kind of make it an educational um, you know, website, educational companies, um, things like that, and just really spread um better information, have more access to veterinarians to help you manage your horse um a bit better.

Rose Cushing 20:31

I think that's so important, and you know, every veterinarian that I I've ever talked to, and and there's been a lot in my line of work, has always told me that, you know, the horse's health, just like humans, is centered in their gut. And if you keep their gut healthy, you'll be on top of the world. So that's important, you know, you gotta make sure that their gut health is right.

SPEAKER_04 20:51

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, uh it's it's like colicing things like that. I mean, I I've unfortunately been part of plenty of cases where finances do come into play, and um equine surgery or colic surgery is extremely expensive, and you know, some owners just don't have that ability, and it really is quality of life conversation there. And you know, as a veterinarian, those are the worst days, and I've always those things stay with us. Um so you know, it's that's a lot of the passion too, is I just I really want to create something that owners can afford to help prevent their horses from going through that colic and having to go through surgery and things like that, you know. Um finances are again, it's a tough environment economic environment right now, and uh, you know, finances are tight and you know, providing something that is affordable for horse owners um that can help prevent these uh costly issues with their horse friends and it actually allows you to have better rides, a happier horse, and a healthier horse. That's ultimately the goal of this company. And you know, I hope that's you you consider there or I hope you consider our company. You know, if this is something that you you're finding that your horse is suffering from or you think that you can improve on. Um, for that reason, we just ultimately want to create um, you know, an accessible product that will really just help the health of your horse um and prevent these costly issues.

Rose Cushing 22:15

Well, that sounds like a a great product and a great company, and that's why I wanted to be sure and have you on the show. Can you tell us how to reach you and how we can buy these?

SPEAKER_04 22:25

Yeah, absolutely. So um we have social media accounts. It's Jigs and Co. J-I-G-S, the An sign and C O. Um, and our website is J-I-G S and A N D C O.com. Um, and on there you can contact us through um, if you fill out a form, there's contact forms, um, and we'll have one me or Clayton uh reach out to you. Um, or you can reach me at Amanda at JIGS and C O.com. Um, that's my personal email. So any point in time you could reach out, um, or if you reach out at the website or even just message us. All of this is, like I said, it's our business. So um that comes directly straight to us. So if you have questions or comments or want to talk more, um, just reach out and we'll be sure to be um answering you and you know happy to help. Um and the product itself can be ordered right now. Like I said, we're going through an early adapter program. Um so we're selling 50 units at a discounted price because we want to make sure that um the units are tested. Any issues we're kind of um identifying. We're also looking for feedback on the unit. So in exchange for a discounted price, we're just asking for some feedback, some videos, some testimonials. Um, those are the things that you're seeing that we're posting on our social media. So um in exchange for the discounted for rate, that's what we ask for. Um, and they're going pretty fast. So uh aside from that, once we're kind of out of those uh positions, you can pre-order the unit as well for now. So um, you know, if you're interested in the early adapter program and testing it and providing feedback, you can get the unit um now. And then if you're wanting to wait and not really interested in the early adapter program, um, then we can pre-order that and those will be available, we're hoping, um, early fall.

Rose Cushing 24:07

All right. Well, that sounds great. Anything else you want to tell the listeners before we close out?

SPEAKER_04 24:14

Yeah, I just wanted again to thank you for having me on. I think this is such a great opportunity for um females and uh women horse owners to kind of get on, talk about their products. So um I appreciate you, you know, providing this um content as well as platforms. Um I would just say my best advice for people is to just, you know, uh be encouraging, uh, enjoy your horses, and uh have fun and just support each other. I think the equine industry is pretty tough. Um so if we can, you know, support each other and just have fun and really just focus on healthy horses, um, you know, that's ultimately our goal. So yeah, I just want to wish everybody that's riding this uh season and show season and the best of luck. Um and thank you again for having me on this um platform.

Rose Cushing 24:58

Well, thank you. I love products that women can do themselves. And as always, guys, thank you for listening. Take care. I hope you enjoyed today's show. Our souls wander in similar places. Even though we may not know each other, we touch the same way, we walk under the same, and our hearts wander in the same way. We are wondering.