Improving your relationship with your animal through your daily routine...... with Penny Hollings.

Penny and Whittaker's Prince

Penny Hollings is a well-known Producer, Judge and Instructor and is a regular contributor to our blog.

This month, Penny gives guidance on how to improve your relationship with your horse or pony just through your daily routine....


It is easy for your daily routine to be rushed as you dash from ponies and onto work/school/college and back. Taking a little time to interact with your horse (without annoying them to death!) can improve your relationship with them .

When  I’m feeding, I insist that the horse moves back and allows me to place the feed in the manger, I really do not like being mugged!! With some horses I have to be quite sharp and assertive. Getting the horse to respect my space in this way, as it would another horse, is useful when it comes to holding him outside or leading as they are already aware of you. Some animals are very defensive and shy, with these animals I allow them to move away to where they are comfortable and then move slowly to the manger, allowing them to process the fact that I am not threatening and therefore encouraging them to relax. I also adopt this approach when mucking out. Our animals are tied up while we do this and learn to move over without us having to ask them.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people either walk in front of the horse when leading or are towed. Again it is important to be aware of eachother’s space and to keep the animal’s attention on you thereby avoiding accidents. Focusing on your horse and reading their body language  contributes to a much calmer  and trusting relationship.

Grooming is incredibly important. Most horses love having their faces brushed and - for shy or indifferent animals - it soon builds trust through contact. Our horses learn to pick up their feet just by me touching their leg or saying “this one”. I believe that consistency in the routine encourages them to relax and therefore be easier to deal with.

Playing with the horse over the door encourages nipping and lack of respect so I discourage this although I do tend to stroke their noses as I go past!

In conclusion I encourage people to respect their horse but always treat them as a pupil rather than a sibling, I find this gives them more security and they relax.

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If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us on info@supremeproducts.co.uk as we really enjoy hearing from you. We also love to see your pictures, so please feel free to visit our Facebook page and post them on our wall, making sure you tell us all about you and your horse or pony.

Our office number is not just for people wanting to buy products – if you have a question or would like some advice on how best to use our products or what would be the best product to use in certain situations, then please call us on 01377 229050 – we will be happy to help where we can!

Best wishes,

Sarah

 

How To: Promote Growth and Thicken Manes

We get asked very regularly what can be done to help thicken manes or to accelerate hair growth, particularly on those that have been rubbed over the winter months by rugs with neck covers. The following advice is provided by top show Producer Katy Carter. 

Katy actually trims the mane rather than pulling it. She says that it is really important – with manes that are plaited week in, week out during the season – that her horses and ponies start the season with a really healthy and thick mane, so she prefers not to pull it or thin it. Katy takes a mane comb and a pair of scissors and trims the bottom of the mane with the blades pointing upwards - rather than across the mane which would give really blunt ends - and gently snips at the base, like a hairdresser does when cutting our hair. This, she says, helps to preserve and also thicken the mane.

With the horse in the picture, you will be able to see that there is quite a large section of mane missing from the bottom of the neck where it has been rubbed with a neck cover. 

Katy is a big fan of the Mane and Tail Builder and she started to use this product immediately after this horse arrived on the yard to help promote hair growth. 

Katy applies the Mane and Tail Builder straight on to the mane area and runs it down the length of the area that needs some help, then massages and brushes the product in to the hair follicle and leaves the product on.

 

When a new horse comes on to the yard, Katy does a couple of skin tests on a small area of unobtrusive skin (inside back leg for example) and does this a couple of days apart. After running a couple of tests, she then applies the Mane and Tail Builder daily for the first 4 – 5 days, then she uses it every 2 – 3 days. 

Once Katy starts to see some hair growth as a result of the Mane and Tail Builder, she then takes the scissors again and just gently snips away at the ends of the growth as this, she says, helps to accelerate growth just that little bit more and also contributes to further thickening of the mane .

Katy says with the mare in the picture that she could see significant growth after 2 – 3 weeks using this product and this method. 














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If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us on info@supremeproducts.co.uk as we really enjoy hearing from you! We also love to see your pictures, so please feel free to visit our Facebook page and post them on our wall, making sure you tell us all about you and your horse or pony.

Our office number is not just for people wanting to buy products – if you have a question or would like some advice on how best to use our products or what would be the best product to use in certain situations, then please call us on 01377 229050 – we will be happy to help where we can!

Best wishes,

Sarah