Sunday, June 6, 2010

De-Lyte Bites


Hello all!  I am in the process of starting my own business!  I think I have a product that will be useful to many of my readers!  

The idea for an electrolyte replenishing cookie has been floating around in my head for some time now.  I just assumed that horses wouldn't eat such a salty cookie.  So, I did some thinking and taste testing- and here we are!  

The concept behind the De-Lyte Bites is to make life easier for owners of equine athletes.  Being an aspiring endurance rider, I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the whole, over-involved process of dosing with e-lytes on the trail.  You have to pre-mix your e-lytes with applesauce, then put them in individual tupper wares, once on the trail you have to dismount, fill the syringe, and dose the horse.  Most horses I have seen do not enjoy the process and many riders see it as a necessary annoyance.  Honestly, I have avoided the whole process by adding powdered e-lytes to Boomer's food at vet checks.  However, he didn't seem to like that and ate around the powder.  The other downside is that electrolytes are most effective if given in small, frequent doses.  

I knew there had to be a better way.  

Enter, De-Lyte Bites!!!

I have designed De-Lyte Bites to be a full serving of a balanced electrolyte mix per every 4 cookies.  So,  you have a single dose in 4 cookies to take out on your trail loop.  You can easily grab a cookie from your saddle bag every few miles and give the treat without dismounting!  Your electrolyte doses will be spread throughout the event and you won't have to waste time with dosing syringes.  The cookies are firm and sturdy, they won't smash or crumble in your saddle bags.  How much happier will your horse be when you give him a cookie instead of a syringe?

The electrolyte mix I am using is a pretty standard endurance blend.  It contains 5880mg sodium, 4200 mg potassium, and 600mg calcium per 4 cookie serving.  This is almost identical to SmartLytes and many other e-lytes on the market.  Right now, my packaging is limited but my goal is to offer 24 dose bags (96 cookies) for $8.  This is $.33/per serving which is right on par with most powdered e-lytes on the market.  I encourage you to pull up SmartPak's electrolyte comparison chart and compare my cookies with their products.  

De-Lyte Bites are an alfalfa, oat, grain, and wheat based cookie.  They contain molasses for flavor and to help things 'stick'.  For those worried about sugar content, each cookie contains less than half a teaspoon of molasses which is less than 4.5 grams of sugar per cookie.  This is about equal to the sugar in a peppermint candy.     

For me, the most important part of all of this is palatability!  I made a few batches of cookies and took them out to the barn.  Not a single horse turned up their nose and they all came right back for a second and third cookie.  I was afraid that the salty flavor would be rejected, but it was quite the opposite!  

I am so thrilled that I have found an easy solution to the whole electrolyte dilemma!  In fact, I am so convinced that this is the best idea since sliced bread, I want to share it with everyone!  Which is why I am doing what I am doing here.  I am in the very beginning stages of production and should have my packaging supplies within a week.  If you want to try a sample, check out my website and fill out the contact form or contact me through email at heather@de-lytebites.com.  I will get a sample to you as soon as possible.  Make sure you let me know what you and your horse think!   

Oh, and these aren't just for endurance horses!  Eventers, dressage horses, or any horse who sweats could use a little electrolyte replenishment!  



9 comments:

Heather said...

They aren't just for endurance horses! If your horses sweat while working cows or doing reining practice... you could use them too! Let me know if you want to try a sample!
And yeah, the whole dosing with a syringe is the worst part! How has nobody else thought of a better way before now???

Funder said...

This is completely brilliant, Heather. I had actually been wondering for months why there was nothing better than syringing e-lytes! I don't think Dixie will ever gracefully submit to me syringing her on the trail, so I'd decided to just offer e-lyted grain at all the vet checks and hope for the best.

I'd definitely like a sample. I'm doing Moonshine at the end of the month, so I can offer a real ride review, and I'll do some long daytime ride soon too. You're brilliant, seriously! Filling out the form now...

Heather said...

Funder, If you would like to do a ride review for me, I can send you enough for the whole ride. How many doses do you usually give (pre ride, during, after)? I would be happy to send you enough for the ride if you want to try them! I probably won't have packaging yet, but the cookies are the important part!

manymisadventures said...

Hi Heather-

I think this is a WONDERFUL idea and I appreciate your offer to send me a sample! I don't actually use electrolytes at this point, so not much sense in me testing them for you. But I appreciate the offer :)

I wish you luck with your new business, though!

Funder said...

Hey Heather, how about 4 doses? That'll give me one to use on a long training ride, to make sure she likes them, then 3 during/after the ride. I'll definitely review them for you - hopefully Miss Piggy will think they're delicious!

Heather said...

Funder- I put them in the mail today and I sent 4 doses (16 cookies). Let me know how they work out for you and, if you would like, send me a pic of your two using them and I'll put it on the website!
Thanks again and enjoy!
Heather

Funder said...

Awesome! I'll let you know how they work out.

Shanster said...

Necessity breeds invention... isn't that how the saying goes? Great idea and good job!

Heather said...

Thats a great idea! I think that they could be a very useful took for horses recovering from colic or any other issue that requires them to stay well hydrated. However, make sure she is drinking before you give her any electrolytes, as electrolyting a dehydrated horse can cause colic and other metabolic problems. Hope you enjoy the cookies!