Sometimes it takes you a while for reality to sink in. That is exactly what's happened to me in
January!
On the Friday I confirmed my visit to Team Hollings for the Supreme Products makeover that I had won through the Supreme Products Facebook page in 2012. This competition was giving me the chance to spend a day with Team Hollings, having a makeover for my pony Quest and being given guidance on which Supreme Products to use when, how and why.
I felt completely fine, I'd rushed round and arranged for
my two children to go spend the day with my mum while I took Quest for his big
pamper session, I'd had my tea as usual and got in to bed!
......And yet I didn’t sleep a wink. I think all the excitement
started to build - well it wasn’t excitement, it was nerves! If I am completely
honest with you I was scared stiff!
Me, a total novice at showing going to see a big name
like Penny Hollings with my gift pony (gift because Quest was bought for me by
non-horsey friends for Christmas in 2009).
The horrid thoughts started going through my head - what
if they think I’ve brought a donkey to a pony party? What happens if he shows
me up? After all, his last outing was Cheshire County some six months previously,
and he does like to show off occasionally!
I was up five or six times in the night, checking that I had
everything; that my gloves were in my showing jacket pocket; that I had packed
my plain tweed, my over checked tweed and my blue jacket, just to be safe.I had even lost my short boots at some point and was hunting
for them panicking and thinking ‘would my long boots go under my black dress
pants?’
I was up before the alarm, and had two coffees before my
children even raised their heads. Once breakfast was out the way I dashed to
the yard to hang hay nets and skip out the ponies before I travelled up the M6
to Kendal to drop my children off with my very patient and forgiving mother.
I made sure I only got there at 10am so she could have a
lie in on her only day off! After a quick 20 minutes catch up and yet another
coffee - his my fourth- -I was back on the M6 travelling south to get to the yard
to properly muck out and get Quest sorted ready for transport collecting me at
12noon!
My transport - Annabel - telephoned to say she was on her way but slightly
delayed! This saw me dashing to the loo, probably with nerves, and rechecking I
had everything I needed - the in hand bridle with his stallion bit and plaited
leather browband; his ribboned browband; the red tie that matched that; my
three tweed jackets - the whole lot! I am sure I packed for every eventuality!
Annabel arrived and Quest - who enjoys having days out -
shouted to her as she arrived, he walked out of the stable, across the muddy
ground and straight into the box!Within 10 minutes after I had loaded everything along with the kitchen sink, we were on our way.
After chatting to Annabel for what seemed like only five
minutes we arrived at the Team Hollings yard. By this point I was feeling
slightly sick.... I have seen Penny before, I was standing outside the ring as she
took first place! She is someone I have looked up to and aspired to be like
for a long time. So to be finally meeting her and getting advice and tips had
me scared stiff.
To also be meeting Sarah from Supreme Products and Tim who had
organised the day on behalf of Supreme Products also had me nervous.
I didn’t know what they expected as the photograph I had
entered into the Supreme Products competition was from the end of Quest's 2011
season when he was only two-years-old. He has changed a lot since then, as he
is now four.
Pulling into the drive we were met by Tim and Penny and members of the team, who all came over with friendly smiles and quick hellos! This had me
instantly at ease, I just hoped they liked what I was about to show them in the
box.
Having not done anything with Quest since Cheshire County
I had intentionally left him untrimmed so I could get the most from the
makeover, and get the best advice on thinning and trimming him up ready to
plait.
I brought Quest out of the box and he was a tad giddy, however
he soon settled down and we were asked to stand near some stables so that I
could have my before picture taken.
Smiling for the photographer I was thinking 'my god my
horse looks like a poor relation to the two immaculate horses that were being
turned out for a run, he has a mane to rival any natives, and his pulled tail
could have been used to clean my loo at home it was that bushy!'
Penny and the team made comments on him, saying how lovely he
was, and they were glad I had left him in the state he was as the whole point
of a makeover was to show how best to go about getting a horse ready for
showing.
(However I had been bad - I had trimmed his ears the day before
as they were bugging me, and I had to get rid of the mohican that was his
bridle path! I had managed to trim away too much -
someone has previously called me a frustrated hairdresser when it comes to
trimming - as I have taken too much off his tail before today when trying to get
him ready for showing. So I will be letting that patch grow out and plaiting it
when it’s long enough.)
Quest and I were taken round to the stable block and I
tied him up with his hay net, Quest has never been set upon en masse and within
minutes of being there he was taken in hand by Penny and Stacey, the Showing team Manager - and I
stood back and watched them work their magic.
Watching the professionals at work really made me
understand how much of an art form it is to get the desired results, and that
with practice, lots and lots of practice, I might just get up to a decent
standard.
All my fears of the previous night were banished within
seconds of meeting Penny and her team, they were all very friendly and within
minutes we were laughing about common experiences.
Before I knew it I had yet another coffee in my hand and
I was being shown how best to apply what products, and what products would work
best to help with Quest’s turnout.
I have always been a fan of the Supreme Products Blue Shampoo
as it works wonders – so seeing how the Supreme Products Stain Remover Shampoo
was applied and left to lift the stains on his hocks before the Blue Shampoo
was applied was brilliant, and definitely a top tip as it worked amazingly. Usually I scrub his legs, wash his body and if the stain
is still persistent I re do his legs until they are faint enough for me to use Supreme
Products Leg & Body Whitener.
I asked a lot of questions about how you would go about
pulling a mane as thick as Quest's. With
Quest having welsh breeding he has a very thick mane and tail, so thick he is
not a fan of it being pulled.
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| Stacey pulling, thinning and tidying Quest's mane. |
Stacey advised that once it was thinned out and pulled that you
really should keep on top of it and thin it often, so that you don’t have to
take too much away at any one time. This is a tip I will definitely follow as
it is such an ordeal to thin him if left too long.
Once Stacey had thinned his mane and tail she then went
on to plait him up. Previously I have always put 11 to 13 plaits in his mane as
it is that thick and his plaits looked awful otherwise, so I was shocked to
find out that Stacey had managed to get just nine plaits in his mane!
Stacey used Supreme Products Easy Plait to help the
process and as Quest has a rubbed patch on his mane from his winter rug, she
also talked to me about Supreme Products Mane & Tail Builder to help
generate hair growth.
Once the plaiting was complete Quest’s makeover was
really starting to come together.
Stacey explained how to use Supreme Products de luxe Coat Gloss to lay his coat and add shine before she went on to add Supreme Products
Highlighter Gel to enhance his eyes and nose.
While I went off to put my show gear on, the finishing
touches were carried out and when I returned ‘wow’ what a transformation, I
couldn’t believe it!
I decided to wear the jacket I wore at Cheshire County
and after hopping round the back of the horsebox trying to get my pants to fit over
my jodhpurs as it was cold, I finally managed to get into them and get them
fastened much to the amusement of Annabel who was sitting in the box.
Taking my bridle and lead, I also grabbed my in-hand
welsh stallion whip and show cane as I didn’t know which was needed and I
dashed back to check all was ok with Quest.
After being told that unless I was doing a Part Bred Welsh
class I only needed my cane I was all set and put on Quest’s show bridle! And 'voila'! From scruff to Supreme Products star in just two hours!
From there we had photographs taken, to be honest there were photographs taken
of the whole process to turn Quest in to a show ring superstar.
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| Kerry and Quest |
The before and after photographs show what amazing
results you can get when you know how to use the Supreme Products range correctly,
know exactly what they do and how best to apply them to get the maximum impact
and the best possible results.
I came away with so much information just from the
makeover session. But that wasn’t the end of our day with Team Hollings. Penny talked me through some ring craft tips,
and showed me how to stand Quest up correctly.
I was also shown how to get him to focus on me and work
with me in the ring, just having that one-on-one I came away with more
confidence in my ability to show him off to his best.
Being a total amateur I often feel that I am not showing
him off to his best so the ring craft advice was a huge bonus.
What I learned from my day with Supreme Products and Team
Hollings has changed how I will go about showing Quest and preparing him for
the ring!
After learning so many useful tips in show preparation
and ring craft I can’t wait to get out with him now.
I also found out that all my worrying was for nothing.
Penny, Stacey, Sarah and Tim were all really friendly and easy to talk to, and
I came away with a huge smile on my face!
I am still smiling now a good 48 hours after, and it’s
not because of all the coffee!
For further information contact Supreme Products on 01377
229050 or visit www.supremeproducts.co.uk
