Our Story

  

 Hi, I’m Margie Lee as my friends know me, and Auntie Em as my nieces and nephews know me.  My love affair with horses began when I rode my first pony, Bumble Bee, at the age of 5. I haven’t stopped riding or working around horses since. My riding career as an amateur rider has crossed several disciplines. I’ve successfully competed in Three-Day Eventing and Jumpers and am currently showing my Dutch Warmblood Allure at FEI levels in Dressage.

 I've been a farrier since 1984 and I passed the American Farriers Association Certified Journeyman Farrier exams in 1991. My interest in horse shoeing started in the early 1980's when my horse developed soundness issues. Not convinced the path we were on was the correct one, my farrier and I decided to invite a specialist in shoeing to try and resolve the issue, by addressing the horse's feet. The specialist happened to be a woman! It was at this moment that I was inspired to become a farrier. I first apprenticed with Dick Threfall in the Bay Area and then with Margo Jolly in Southern California. 

 When I started shoeing in the 1980’s, there was only one non-toxic fly spray on the market and it was only available in Southern California. After several years of dealing with the available chemical based fly sprays, my skin and lungs began to get contact irritation from all the harmful products . Along with my irritation, I found that the horses were very quickly irritated by flies again. 

 While talking with a fellow farrier, Robert Tucker, about my fly spray problem, he suggested that I make my own fly repellent. Robert was a volunteer fireman and very educated about chemical properties. He helped me understand how a non-toxic biodegradable base and really good essential oils would work to repel flies. In no time, I developed the right combination. It turned out that what I had made was a horse deodorant – not a fly killer. When I used "my fly spray", it not only kept the horses free of flies for hours, it had a pleasant odor and my skin and sinuses no longer had issues. It wasn't long before my horseshoeing clients began asking me about the spray and how they could purchase some. This is how Auntie Em's High Performance Horse Spray was born. 

 Today, looking to the future with our amazing Auntie Em’s solution, we are creating new products and developing into a blooming family business, with clients from all around the US who trust our products all year round.