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

 

Making sure that your animal is in the best shape to do his job...... with Penny Hollings.

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 you can make sure that your animal is in the best shape to do his job.

I believe that a comfortable horse will be much happier to work and so this is how I approach this issue.....

Our horses are checked routinely every six months by our physio, Andrea Townson. Sometimes animals need more regular treatments to resolve problems and as you get to know your horse you will be able to tell if something isn’t quite right. In addition Bruce Hewitt, an equine osteopath, will also be called on to help with unlevelness or stiffness.

Following a physio check we may have to perform hamstring stretches or lunging over poles to encourage an open outline which will enable back muscles to strengthen. We quite often encounter horses and ponies who have muscle wastage or under-development where the saddle sits and over-developed hind quarter muscles. If you look at your animal carefully with your physio you will see which areas need work and then see the change when tensions are released and he learns to work properly.

Tension may also occur when a horse holds himself away from pain in the mouth, we use vets from Gillivervet to check our horses teeth at least every six months, sometimes more often if the horse requires it. Sharp teeth result in ulceration which obviously is uncomfortable for the animal. Untreated this will affect back muscles as well.

Hollings Horse Show Saddle from Pony, Cob and Horse Saddles
For more information visit www.ponycobandhorsesaddles.com

Properly fitting saddles which are flocked to allow a perfect fit are a 'must.' We have worked with Mike Davies from Pony, Cob and Horse saddles and have been very pleased with the results - as has Andrea, as she can see the difference in the backs too. Mike also makes padded leather girths which ensure comfort for the horse. If you’re in the saddle for a long time you don’t want the girth to rub or become uncomfortable.

A saddle which fits well will not need a thick numnah and in some cases too much padding underneath may cause the saddle to move. I prefer the gel ones with a sheepskin trim.

Alexandra Hollings on Pendle First Light

Choosing the right bridle is also very important not only so that it fits well and is comfortable, but also suits the animals head. It’s a good idea to borrow a few different ones and play about with the thickness of the leather/noseband etc. if you’re not sure, take photos as this will help you to compare better. Browbands, whether plain or coloured, need to fit properly again to enhance the picture as well as not being too slack or tight. A good way to try different colour schemes is to get some paper or cardboard and colour in a few designs and colourways and try them on the horse’s head to see which looks best.

People often ask how best to attract the judges attention – a great way to do this is to get your horse going and looking right!

Penny
www.team-hollings.co.uk 


For more info:

www.ponycobandhorsesaddles.com

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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 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

Meet the Supreme Team- Penny Hollings

In this feature, we introduce you to our team members - whether it be head office personnel or our Sponsored Riders.  In this edition, we introduce to you :  Supreme Products Sponsored -  Penny Hollings

Tell us about your team and the different roles that people play?

I oversee the yard and work with Stacey to ensure that the horses receive the best care, looking at diet, exercise and constantly monitoring them. I am in charge of schooling and teaching, formulating exercise regimes to suit each animal.

How many horses are currently on your yard (for 2014 season)?

We have Hermits China lace (NCT pony), Whittakers Prince (Large hack/PBA), Pendle Mattina (148cm sp)Ninfield fable (138cm sp/PBA) Pendle First Light (153cm SHP) plus 1 part livery, several DIY and animals who come to us for pre show prep and short term schooling

What is your earliest riding memory? 

Riding a donkey in the park in Eastbourne where my grandparents lived. I was so horse obsessed I used to sit on the back of the settee with a bridle on one end of it!

Which is your favourite horse or pony from years past?

Fair Breeze, Royal Bronze, Royal Angel ,Deaconwood Goldprint & Dutch Dame. I am extremely lucky to have had some fabulous animals to produce so my list really could go on and on. Some have been special as they were big winners and some were just lovely people.

Which horse would you love to ride (any discipline, past or present)? 

Valegro

What is the make or your horsebox and how many can you transport?

We are in between lorries at the moment but will have a 7.5 ton to take 3 as two of our clients have their own wagons so we don’t need a massive one. These days I’m strictly lo-tech....the less extras they have, the less can go wrong!

Which is your favourite restaurant or favourite meal? 

Tiggis Italian at the bottom of our road. My favourite meal would be Seafood Ravioli followed by Chocolate ice cream

What’s your favourite holiday destination?

Anywhere really hot but I do like Tenerife

What is your essential piece of kit that you cannot live without? 

My Samsung Galaxy note....when it broke I was bereft!

What is your greatest memory from competing? 

Winning the supreme championship at the BSHA Champs in 2006 on Dutch Dame, she was amazing!

How do you unwind after competition? 

Glass of wine and a chat with friends

Favourite music / band? 

Muse, Florence and the Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian plus I’m partial to a bit of dance music as my friends will testify!

What is your favourite Supreme Product and why?

Sparkle spray, you can use it anywhere!

Sweet or savoury? 

Sweet & savoury!

Do you have pets and if so, what are they? 

A 15 year old Cavalier King Charles called Libby and a 2 year old Jack Russell called Luna. We have a big fluffy cat on the yard called Sweep who we acquired from Chelsea Foster and a couple of semi feral ones too.

Do you have a lucky charm and if so, what is it? 

You make your own luck!

Twitter or Facebook? Both!

Book or i-Reader? Book, i read too fast

What would your dream car be? I love my Peugeot 207, I’m not into ostentatious cars

Do you have a nickname? Pen but my staff probably have others!!!!

Penny and Alex Hollings with Pandora at Great Yorkshire Show

Training Your Horse or Pony- with Penny Hollings

Penny Hollings, from Team Hollings, is a familiar face on the show scene, competing over many years at the highest level. Penny has numerous wins, HOYS and RIHS qualifications to her name, both in her own name and for horses and ponies produced by the team. Penny also breeds under the Pendle prefix.

Penny is a Registered BHS Instructor and she is very approachable and friendly. In recent years, she has focused on teaching and offers support for novice and more advanced pupils and is available for clinics and lessons. She is an Arab Horse Society, NPS, BSHA, NCPA, CHAPS and BSPS judge and judges both In Hand and Ridden Arabs.

Penny is going to be a regular contributor to our blog and in this series, Penny will be offering invaluable advice for developing horses and ponies for the show ring to improve way of going as well as ringcraft.

In the first of the series, Penny looks at some of the problems that everyone may face at some time or another and offers some great advice on training your horse or pony for the ring.

Training your horse or pony

The first thing that I impress upon anyone having a lesson is that they give their animal their full attention in order that they may read accurately the horse and his reactions and to assume the role of teacher rather than a bickering sibling

People quite often tell me that their animal is fine at home but then is “naughty” at shows or vice versa. This statement indicates to me that the rider is not fully aware of the horse and has not developed a sufficiently strong relationship where the horse is obedient to the rider and they have mutual respect. If an animal believes the rider then the surroundings will have little impact, the horse instead will be focussed on the signals given by the rider.

Another frequently used excuse is “he’s not listening to me”. More often than not, the horse is not ignoring the rider but instead is not receiving clear signals or in some cases no signals, and yet is expected to perform beautifully. Accurate communication and an understanding of the horse’s reactions will result in a more harmonious partnership.

Penny on China Rose

Where a horse is expected to be ridden by the judge, many people think that the poor animal must endure a procession of different shapes, sizes and abilities of rider in order that “he gets used to different people”. A better way to approach this scenario is to train and prepare the horse so he offers a ride with minimum input from the judge. If he is educated and worked so that he is soft and relaxed he will give a lovely ride.

Spooking is quite often exacerbated by the rider. I will quite often get riders to close their eyes as they ride past the object of terror and usually the horse’s response to the object is massively reduced and with repetition will diminish even further.

Quite often riders hold their breath and tense up when they perceive a threat. As soon as that happens, the horse no longer receives clear signals, so will then not do what the rider wants. The calmer and more focussed the rider remains, the more likely it is that the horse will perform in the way the rider would like.

The closed eyes also work for horses that don’t stand in front of the judge, although quite often the fidgeting is caused by a lack of straightness in the halt resulting in the animal having to adjust his balance thereby starting the fidgeting.

In conclusion, the rider’s priority is to improve the balance and straightness of the horse, through clear and accurate signals. This, I believe, is the key to a happy and harmonious partnership.

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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

A Dream Comes True for Kerry....

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.

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.

  

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