TopSpec News

STRESSED out mare Poppy was proving a handful for owner Julia Silvers who had started to wonder if she would ever progress with the skewbald mare.

Based at Dronfield in Derbyshire, Julia has owned Poppy for three years and although she is a lovely natured horse she has always been very anxious and afraid of her own shadow.

When Julia first bought Poppy, now 17, she was difficult to hack out on her own and would shie at everything getting to certain places on the ride and totally falling apart, unable to cope.

She would display her fear by rearing and bolting or freezing and then refusing to move.

Explains Julia: “I was prepared to persevere and be patient, doing short hacks that I felt she could cope with and slightly longer ones in company.  At times I even dismounted and lead her when things became too much.”

Disappointingly for Julia, with Poppy’s extreme anxiety competing was simply out of the question.

Julia recognised she needed help and started to use a calmer supplement, which saw Poppy improve slightly.

“Poppy was definitely more settled at home but she continued to get anxious out hacking and I never really felt we were getting the true benefit of what the product was supposed to do,” added Julia.

At a chance meeting with a TopSpec advisor at the Thomas Irving’s store in Chesterfield, Julia was recommended to try TopSpec Calmer.

After a couple of weeks on TopSpec Calmer Julia was delighted to see a drastic improvement in Poppy who had transformed into a completely different horse, now totally happy being away from home with the wild look in her eyes thankfully gone.

Said Julia: “Out hacking she was relaxed and so much better. She still looks at things and may do the odd side step or snort but the difference is that she can now cope, work through her fear and carry on. The transformation is just amazing.”

Now with a laid back horse, Julia has to keep pinching herself to believe its true and that this calm, gentle horse with a great attitude is really the same Poppy that was so worried by the world around her.

Julia and Poppy are now looking forward to a summer of long hacks, exploring the countryside that they have missed and as their confidence grows hope to attend their first show. 

Added Julia: “I really can’t thank TopSpec enough for a wonderful product that has given me the happy relaxed horse that I have always wanted.”

THE countdown is on to the TopSpec Supreme Pretty Polly Ridden Championship at the North of England Summer Pony Show.

This prestigious championship carries a £1,000 prize to the winner with a further £650 allocated from second to eighth place.

The championship is open to amateur/home produced pony champions at qualifying shows across all categories from Show Hunter Pony to Mountain & Moorlands and Show Ponies.

The championship takes place at the North of England Summer Pony Show on July 13 at Arena UK.

Said Nicola Tyler of TopSpec: “The Supreme Pretty Polly Ridden Championship brings together amateur/home produced champions from all over the country and is a wonderful spectacle.

“We are delighted to sponsor the championship and reward those hard working amateurs and home producers who live for the sport of showing and put in so much effort to compete at the highest level.”

THE team at Thomas Irving’s of Chesterfield are celebrating after winning £1,000 in the TopSpec building block game at BETA International.

With just three minutes to build the tower as high as they could the team of Anna Franklin and Debra Best were in great form to lead the way, stacking the blocks to nearly six feet.

Said Assistant Manager Anna: “It was great fun and a brilliant idea.  We always enjoy BETA International but to go along and have the chance to win £1,000 at the same time was great.”

All the staff at the store feed their horses and ponies on TopSpec and decided the £1,000 would be shared between them to help them stock up on supplies of their favourite feed.

 Added Michael Bacon of TopSpec: “The building block game proved a huge success with Anna and Debra doing themselves proud with their achievement on the day.”

Congratulations to Team TopSpec showjumper, Andrew Hamilton on training Go West to win the Carluke and Renfrew Point to Point, ridden by Tom Hamilton and owned by Andrew.

AMY Martin and her horse Jester have been chosen as ‘The Face of TopSpec 2013’ in a nationwide competition.

Livery yard owner, Amy was over the moon when she received the news about winning the competition on her birthday.

Jester and Amy have developed a great partnership over the last six years and the palomino gelding has overcome a tendon injury and is now back competing in dressage with the aim of some show jumping competitions in the summer.

Their prizes include £500 worth of TopSpec feed, a professional photo-shoot and framed print and a top of the range Horseware Turnout Rug.

Said Amy: “Jester is just a star and has come back in to work so well after injuring his tendon.  He certainly has a bit of personality and attitude but when I started to feed him TopSpec Cool Balancer there was a dramatic change in him. 

“There were times when I thought jumping would never be an option but now he is so much calmer and will jump anything. 

“Jester is now 13 and is very fit and well and we can’t wait for the photo-shoot in the summer and to appear in a TopSpec advert.

“He is such a character and knows he is good lucking so the photo-shoot should be fun.  I am just so delighted to win the competition and can’t thank everyone enough.”

TopSpec is pleased to announce that they will sponsor the Irish event team of Donegan Ryan Eventing. Based in County Cork the husband and wife team of Mike and Trish Ryan have represented Ireland at the highest level of the sport and are firmly established as one of the strongest eventing teams in Europe. The team boasts an impressive record card which includes European Championships, World Equestrian Games and Olympics Games.

Speaking after the announcement, Mike and Trish Ryan said: “As a team, we specialize in producing all levels of eventing horses, from young stock, right up to international level. It is important to us that all our horses have the correct balance of food. TopSpec brings with them experienced equine nutritionists whose aim is to achieve excellence in every aspect of equine nutrition, from selection of the highest quality ingredients and this is what our team needs to achieve results. We are delighted that TopSpec have come onboard to support us.”

THE popularity and success of Equifest continues to grow and for 2013 TopSpec has announced sponsorship of the Indoor Championship Arena.

With its electric atmosphere, huge cheers and continual celebrations throughout the show, the TopSpec Championship Arena is certainly the place to be. 

Said Nicola Tyler of TopSpec: “Equifest is an inspiring success story and we are delighted to be sponsoring the Indoor Championship Arena over the five days.

“The organising team always put on a very well run show and we are very pleased to be supporting what has become the largest show in the country.”

 Equifest takes place at the East of England Showground, Peterborough from August 14 to 18.

‘The closing date for all entries (including pictures) is this Friday 30/11/2012. Those of you who entered the competition at Your Horse Live but did not have a photograph with you, be sure to get it to us by Friday to be in with a chance of winning. Simply email Rachel.H@topspec.com.’

Hello there,

About three and a half years ago now I won a competition for £100 worth of TopSpec feed for my two horses, one of which, Monty I was eventing just at very low level.

I was amazed at the results I had with him and how well he looked and we stayed on TopSpec feeds – and have done since this day.

You used him in your advertising, and I was thrilled to see him in poster form when I walked into our local saddlery.

About a year later, devastatingly, Mont was diagnosed with Impar Ligament Navicular – not a very common thing at all. This news was utterly shocking to us and we felt that our, and Monts world had fallen apart. He was doing so very well with his cross country and was jumping two levels higher in training than we were competing at that time.

He was now confined to box rest, months and months of it. He stayed on Topspec, the FibrePlus Cubes were fabulous. I used to throw a scoop into a full bucket of water and he would snorkel for them, plus drink the water, it was a great way to keep him drinking!

We were forced to move him to a fantastic yard to keep him in work as even though he was on box rest he had to be ridden every day – and he is like a stick of dynamite as it is!

Cutting a very long story short – we have slowly got him working and even hacking again, the TopSpec keeps him cool enough to do this, so we have eventually upped his work load and bingo! eventually Mont has a life back. 

He looks fantastic, he is only on your TopChop Alfalfa and TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer!

We just love this horse! thank you TopSpec for supporting us through thick and thin, good times and bad times, let the new good times begin again!

Kind regards

Kate Hardt and Monty.