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.”