Kathy is an example of a customer who started using our products on a 'difficult' horse (Bentley) but is now also using them on an apparently 'sensible' horse (Clint) with big improvements in performance. Kathy is a member of our Elite Rider Scheme.

12th March 2008

Hi Malcolm,

I just thought I would let you know how I have got on with Bentley (Eastfield Executive) since feeding him your product.

I am absolutely thrilled, he has been on the WINNINGEDGE Gold loader for 4 weeks now and is a reformed character. I think that he loaded really quickly as there was a marked change in his behaviour at a dressage competition only 2 weeks into the regime. I have since been to another competition where his behaviour was exemplary in very difficult windy conditions with flapping marquees etc. Previously this horse would have been almost unrideable in those conditions!!

He has won both of his classes at both competitions by quite a large percentage scoring 70% plus, and has qualified for the BD regional finals in novice and elementary. He has only been under saddle for a year and I now feel that I can tap into the potential which I knew was there but his anxiety was preventing him from fulfilling.

Thank you for a great product and if I can help to endorse it in anyway I would be more than happy to do so.

I intend to start my advanced horse Clinton (Eastfield Aristocraat) on Gold also. He will be campaigning at Intermediate 1 and intermediate 2 this summer.

Kind regards

Kathy Young

25th March 2008

Hi Malcolm,

Bentley and I did two novice and two elementary Hickstead qualifiers over the weekend at Sheepgate.

I think that they run it on a points system. I had 1st and 3rd in elementary and two 2nds in novice with Bentley which leaves us joint 1st in novice overall and 1st in elementary.

Anyway I was thrilled as he did all 4 tests in gale force winds and a novice in a sideways hailstorm gaining 71%, impossible before your product.

Thank you again

Kathy

10th June 2008

Hi Malcolm,

Bentley had another successful day last Wednesday at The College, Keysoe. He scored 68.6% in medium 61 and was beaten only by a far more advanced horse by 0.3%. He then scored 64.9% in medium 64 and we drew 4th on scores with Mark Todd on his Olympic hopeful. Bentley is generating a great deal of interest especially when they ask how old he is.

Again his behaviour is so vastly improved even when something gives him a fright. He is now a pleasure to take out, and I have started hacking him on his own which I had stopped doing due to his erratic behaviour and hacking has become a pleasure for him instead of torture.

Bentley will be 6 years old on 4th July but I only backed him last Feb at the age of 4 1/2 so I feel very lucky to have found him. He came to me via a dealer who imports from Holland. He had lived on a farm where they intended to drive him but he grew too big for the cart!!

Thank you again

Kathy

18th June 2008

So far so good with Clint, he's hacking out and the leg (and abcess) are so far behaving themselves.

The Hickstead dressage masters qualified combinations are on the Sheepgate website, yipee we're doing the novice and elementary, fingers crossed Bentley keeps his sensible head on, that will be his first big championship competition.

We will be travelling down Sunday 20th July, competing Novice Monday 21st, and Elementary Tues 22nd then travel home or if they have enough stables stay another night before travelling as he is only a child and will probably be worn out.

He is qualified for the BD Regional finals at Nov and Elem too which we will be doing at The College, Beds first week in August.

Thanks again for your friendly help and support

Kathy

Hickstead 2008

(Clifton at Hickstead in 2006)

Hi Malcolm,

Well I was really chuffed with him although we weren't highly placed. Got there Sunday. I saw the arena which was wall to wall advert boards, marquees, flags of the world, a picture of Goodwood House printed onto cotton flapping behind the judges summer houses and an old double decker bus, not to mention the spectators stands, the 2 feet high markers with flowers on top and thought I might as well go home.

Anyway he (Bentley) did his novice test. He was terrified but kept a lid on it and did everything I asked of him albeit in a baby way with eyes on stalks, got 60% and came 12th so not his usual performance but as you know a few months ago he would have cantered out of the ring backwards and that would have been it.

Tuesday we did elementary and I was thrilled with his performance he just got on with it and did a lovely test. Unfortunately one judge liked him and gave us 66% which would have placed us highly, the other judge was not so impressed and gave us 58% ( I get this with the gelderlanders because they look and move a little differently) we finished 11th on 62.9% which was a little disappointing because of the test he pulled off, but I could not of asked any more of him, he was fantastic.

We have the regional finals on 2nd and 3rd August, keep everything crossed that we have better luck.

Bye for now

Kathy

1st September 2008

Hi Malcolm,

Just to let you know I took Clint to Manor Farm yesterday to do the Inter 1 and both our first Inter 2.

He has never been so chilled and relaxed at a show, he is never a problem but does normally get very excited and fails to concentrate.

He was the perfect gentleman yesterday, came 2nd in the Int 1 with 66%, my trainer beat me with 67% so that's more than I could have hoped for.

The Int 2 was a hurdle for me as the work is much more difficult, Clint was fabulous he just got on with it and did his absolute best for me, we came 2nd with 65% I am over the moon and it will probably take me a week to come down to earth!!

Can you now make some WINNINGEDGE for me please because he was calmer and concentrated better than me!!

(Kathy is one of a number of advanced riders helping us to evaluate some new approaches and this next paragraph is her first feedback)

I started him on the new formula also last week, can it work that quickly? He was a different horse to the one we took to The College in April. We have also noticed a difference in his character with situations which normally really stress him out. He suffers badly from separation anxiety when he is away from home and he can't see Bentley. He is fine on his own but it has always been quite a trauma to take him out with a horse he knows when you have to take that horse away from him. Although he becomes unsettled now his behaviour seems to be vastly improved.

Thank you for all your help and support

Kathy

After this Clint seemed to become a little too laid back on our experimental formulation (though Kathy's other two horses were fine). Se he was reverted to the original formulation and here is the result:

Hi Malcolm,

Clint has now been on original WINNINGEDGE GOLD for 1 week and seems back to normal, apart from 1 unexplained phenomenon!! This horse is the love of my life ( except for Ian my husband of course) but is an absolute nightmare to clip, I have regularly taken my life in my hands every winter for 6 years, I clipped him today for the first time since January( when he wasn't on your product) and he was an angel !!

He vented his anger a couple of times on the carrots which Ian was bribing him with but I clipped him from head to foot and not once did he threaten me. Normally he has to be twitched which takes a great deal of time, and I hate doing it to my otherwise lovely horse, what can I say? Beccy suggested it may be the WINNINGEDGE???

Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Bentley had some success at the Sheepgate Tack and Togs Championships came 3rd in the open Elementary final and won a medium class both classes 66%, so I was really pleased, he continues to behave impeccably, one competitor emptied the collecting ring with her horses explosive behaviour, but my reformed character 6 year old stayed in there, got on with his warm up and did not look once at the horse doing circus tricks.

He just gets better.

Hastings and Jane came 4th in their pre novice on Sunday, so a successful weekend all round

Bye for now

Kathy

Clint's experience is unusual though not quite unique. Many horses on this experimental formulation did better. Some like Hastings and Bentley showed no change and Clint seems to have become slightly sedated. This simply highlights how every animal is different and we are working on developing flexible, bespoke approaches for horses at the extremes. We hope to have these formally available by Spring 2009 but in the meantime we can tweak things for anyone.

Whatever your experience with our products please talk to us as we all learn and, hopefully, we can develop an optimum formulation for every horse.

15th December 2008

Hi Malcolm,

Just to update you on the boys.

Hastings is jumping well won a few unaffiliated classes and has qualified for trailblazers 2nd round ,

Clint has surpassed himself and exceeded all my expectations by completing his first Grand Prix, with a score of 60.8 ( which I am very happy with for a first attempt) and a win to boot.

Thank you again for a great product and for your support

Kathy

26th February 2009

Hi Malcolm,

Hope you are all well, just thought I would update you on the boys progress.

Clint has some soundness issues, diagnosed as slight sprain of ligament in foot following an MRI. Hopefully he seems sound now and is getting back into the swing of things. Back competing in a month if all goes to plan.

Bentley had a break since October as he had a very busy year last year. He has been to 3 competitions in the last 5 weeks and won 5 out of 6 classes ( came 2nd in last one) 4 of those classes he gained 70% + .He is qualified for the Summer Regionals at Elementary and medium level, He is being so well behaved now, someone actually commented on how his behaviour had changed since last year, obviously I told them why I believe that is.

Hastings event season kicks off next week at Isleham, he is jumping amazingly well winning almost every time out show jumping over the Winter, he has qualified for the novice combined training final at the BD winter dressage championships in April so fingers crossed.

Bye for now

Kathy

Update September 2009

Just a quick update on the boys

Hastings has upgraded to novice with Jane and has gained his first point.

Clinton did a Grand Prix at The College and I was chuffed to bits with a score of 64.3%, this was unthinkable a couple of years ago. We aim to do Premiere league next year if all goes well.

Bentley did his Summer regionals and did two very good tests and concentrated beautifully his medium test I felt was one of the best he has done, one judge had him on 70% he finished on 66% and considering it was such a busy atmosphere I couldn't ask any more of him.

I have put Eddie the 4 year old onto Sensible Essentials he will be going out over the Winter or next spring.

Beccy has a new horse Zorro, another gelderlander he is on WINNINGEDGE Gold and will start competing soon he's 5 years old and has only just been backed.

My other livery Shilo has just started on Cool Calm & Collected and Gill is very pleased with the change in him so far he's only 4 and doing a few prelims.

Speak to you soon

Bye for now

Kathy