As the saying goes, you have to walk before you run. But, in Klay’s case, the saying changes a bit. “Ride before you can walk” is the best way to describe Klay’s introduction to his first love - horses.
Through his upbringing on a central Alberta ranch, Klay had the opportunity to grow and refine his natural intuition for working with horses - first through the care and training of his animals, and, later, with heavy involvement in rodeo. Competing as a professional team roper, and qualifying for the Canadian Finals Rodeo four times - twice as season leader - is no easy feat. But, to Klay, it's what he was born to do.
When Klay encountered his other-first love, his wife Chelsey, the pair began building their future, and it was never a question that it would involve horses. Similarly to Klay, Chelsey’s childhood on a central Alberta dairy instilled an early love of animals, particularly horses, and she’s never looked back.
Endurance Equine is truly a family business, and this is underlined by the pint-sized helper on the property! While he may be a bit too small to undertake any heavy-duty chores, Klay and Chelsey’s son is already following in his parents’ footsteps with his exposure and mystification for these amazing creatures.
The equine-devoted couple understands what it takes to push high-performance horses to the top of their game - physically and mentally - and recognizes the care and time it takes to keep horses at their very best.
Their passion and dream of starting Endurance Equine began when Klay's main mount and first-string heeling horse, Lobo, sustained a spiral fracture in his leg during a practice in 2013. When it came time to slowly rehabilitate and condition Lobo, Klay and Chelsey researched the many benefits of the use of water, leading them to take Lobo to a facility that used water resistance therapy. This experience inspired them to continue learning more and ignited a passion to help other injured horses or those in need of conditioning. This all ultimately lead them to create Endurance Equine and design Canada’s first and only Aqua Walker exerciser. It was a very special moment when Lobo, the first horse to exercise in the pool, took those first few steps into the water with Klay and Chelsey by his side.
Endurance welcomes equine athletes for conditioning, rehabilitation, or mid-season maintenance. Horses show us endless dedication and try - Endurance is here to help you do the same for them and keep them feeling their very best year-round.