Cydney Benes: the Time Saver

Cydney Benes of Covetrus® is determined to make the lives of her equine trainer clients a little less stressful each day.

Cydney Benes started riding horses at a very young age. In college, she earned a scholarship to ride on TCU’s equestrian team. “I’ve been in the equine industry my whole life,” she said. “I was able to turn my passion into a career. I know how to relate to vets and trainers and what they need.”

When talking with Benes about her day-to-day work as manager of the Covetrus Trainer Concierge Program, an image of a command center comes to mind. Whether by phone, text, or email, Benes is in constant communication with equine trainers nationwide. While they are on the go, whether traveling to shows or giving lessons, horse trainers have anywhere from 10 to 100 horses to take care of in a day. Benes is working to make their hectic schedule a little bit more manageable through the concierge program.

“The program is designed to reduce their stress load and give them back time,” she said.

While placing orders for veterinarian-approved medications is a critical function of an equine trainer, it’s also very time-consuming. And time is something trainers have in short supply. “We’re basically relieving that extra bit of stress that they can have throughout the day,” Benes said.

Streamlining inventory needs

The practitioners and trainers at Kentucky-based Bur Oak Sports Medicine and Lameness know all too well that time is a precious commodity in serving an equine client base. As the practice has grown, its needs have changed. The practice was started in December 2015 by Dr. Vernon Dryden, an equine podiatrist, so for the first six to seven years of practice focused on that specialty. Having built a loyal client base, and with Dr. Dryden’s knowledge of sports medicine, Bur Oak moved to a lameness practice serving sport horses. Dr. Dryden is licensed in 13 states, and the veterinary practice keeps trucks in four states, allowing him to travel to meet client needs.

Bur Oak Sports Medicine and Lameness services trainers in both the English and Western world. They spend their weeks on horses, riding and training. Because they are always on the go, Nicole Tomlinson, practice manager for Bur Oak Sports Medicine and Lameness, is laser-focused on being able to quickly and easily get the trainers what they need. “We do our best to keep the vet trucks stocked and have what they need, but that is just not always feasible,” she said. “With clients located all over the U.S., it can make the logistics of getting them what they need more difficult.”

Fortunately, the Covetrus Trainer Concierge Program has made it quick and easy for the trainers to get what they need, when they need it, Tomlinson said. “The program has allowed us to better streamline our in-clinic inventory needs and given us back some of our time that was previously spent packaging orders and delivering them to UPS. It also has allowed us to get approved medications and supplements to clients quicker as they can be shipped directly to them.”

Smoother transactions

The Covetrus Trainer Concierge Program was created several years ago as a free service for trainers who use the Covetrus online pharmacy. It was designed to provide trainers with:

• Access to a dedicated concierge to assist with approved prescription orders and refills
• 24/7, hassle-free ordering of any of their clients’ barn needs
• Quicker prescription approvals from their veterinarian

 

Benes essentially serves as the trainers’ dedicated concierge for any of their big barns. With anywhere from 10 to 100 horses, the medication orders can add up and become a logistical logjam. Whether it be training facilities, boarding facilities, rescues, or nonprofits, trainers can call, text, or email her to directly place orders. All orders require authorization by the veterinarian, but once approved, Benes can track them and provide status updates to the trainers to make sure they’re getting to the customer in a timely manner. She also works with customers on any sales or rebates happening during the month so they can get the appropriate discounts on their orders.

The program also promotes efficiency and creates revenue for veterinarians’ online pharmacies. It’s been a hit with trainers. Benes, who took over the program in 2021, doubled its numbers in 2022, and is poised for more growth in 2023.

“Overall, I’m there to help make it a smoother transaction,” Benes said. “It saves trainers time from having to do extra office work. If they are running low on something, they can just text me while they’re out training horses in the arena. It takes one less thing off their plate.”

If interested in learning more about the Covetrus Trainer Concierge Program, please visit: northamerica.covetrus.com/trainer-concierge-program or contact a Covetrus account manager or customer success manager.