Pennie Clayton-Horse and Hound School

24/06/2025

There is radio silence on this page as my lovely greyhound that was diagnosed with cancer has died.

The hot weather was the final factor and she was finding it difficult to breathe.

I have been picking up messages and will be working from Thursday but there may be less on here for a while

17/06/2025

Who Am I?

From time to time I think its a good idea to introduce myself as Facebook can be a rubbish place and business posts do very badly these days -the algorithms are not in our favour unless we pay for adverts

My name is Pennie Clayton I have been a freelance coach specialising in building and helping horse and rider confidence, and this was something I did exclusively for many years.

Since 2008 I have added skills to my business and trained and qualified as a Bowen therapist for humans, horses and dogs and I also studied canine behaviour and training in depth as I really wanted to understand my dogs more.

I have always had dogs so they were always part of my life, but they are different to horses and I remember helping someone with their horse one evening and having had a lovely session she got off her horse, went to her car got her dog out and immediately started yelling at her

This rather galvanised me and I wondered why someone could be so empathetic with their horse but have no empathy for her dog

So I studied, took courses and exams, bumped into Bowen and here I am.

It may appear that I skip around from one thing to another but I love helping people understand their horses, dogs and their own bodies better and they are all linked

You may see I often focus on specific topics such as puppies, reactive dogs, how bodywork can help your horse or dogs and how pain can influence our lives -because these are the things that I feel need highlighting as there is an awful lot of BS floating about.

I understand why people get confused and use aversive techniques and why they ask random people for opinions but there are a huge bank of professionals that can really help clarify and put you on the right track

These people, including myself. don't advocate aversives, are always studying, and adore horses and dogs.

All you need to do is reach out. I am happy to talk through any issues you may be having around your horse or dog-and it is free to talk -or send me an email [email protected]

www.horseandhoundschool.co.uk

13/06/2025

There are links to pain if your dog is thunder phobic

Many people dismiss pain issues and yes, it is easy to look at your dog and think all is well in their world

While I was thinking about a more in depth post on this subject which can be read on my dog group- Enhancing the Life of Your Hound- I recalled a conversation I had many years ago before pain was linked to behaviour issues

Someone phoned me and said they were having problems with their dog, as the conversation was mostly one sided -that of the owner and what they required of their dog I told the owner that the dog was likely in pain
She was really annoyed and said it was nonsense and that her dog had only been at the vets recently and couldn't possibly be in pain, She then slammed the phone down

These days it is easier to put pain on the agenda if dogs are displaying behaviour difficulties -but many people are still dismissive

Lets just observe our dogs more and dismiss what we see less -because pain affects mood, behaviour and sleep patterns and without looking at everything that might impact on our dogs we can't even begin to address anything

Its free to chat to me-give me a call. I don't bite-but your dog might!!!

08/06/2025

Its a lovely time of year, and I plan all kinds of things for the dogs at Crabtree Canine Enrichment for the dogs-and sometimes I have other considerations too

I take a lot of videos when I am working over at Crabtree at the dog scentsory area -the entire area is set up for dogs to enjoy, but early Summer is a speci...

07/06/2025

03/06/2025

Should I get another dog?

There are many reasons why this question might be floating around in your head
It is one I have floating in my head too.

Sometimes situations are tricky, so we all need to think about what is best for any dogs already in your home and any potential dog that you might adopt or bring into your home

You should think about your situation, why you are considering taking this step and how your current dog(s) if you have any will cope

It is not a decision to be taken lightly -a lot depends on it.
My situation is very specific. I have an older dog who is not an easy boy, and a greyhound that has cancer. She is glorious but I have no idea how long she has

I know for sure my boy won't cope with being an only dog, so any dog that comes to live with us has to have a bit of confidence and more than anything I know confidence can easily be shattered so any dog that comes into a home will feel stressed and wrong footed is not an easy decision

Our dogs deserve the very best and we can't think long or hard enough before taking a decision.

This over everything is the most important thing-the one thing we can't do is to be selfish or dismiss how difficult it could be, as dogs only deserve good experiences and deserve the best life they can possibly have

02/06/2025

Sometimes we meet very special dogs, if we are lucky we actually get to live with one or more.

But as with everything the relationship we have with our dogs might look really easy to the onlooker but in order to make sure a dog is able to shine we have to put many things aside

There are often things that the general public seem to expect when we are out and about with our dogs, and this is especially relevant for canine professionals

Our dogs are not always what most people would perceive as "perfect" they are often not as well "trained" as many of the general public would expect -this has never bothered me as in my eyes my dogs are allowed to have a voice-if they are uncomfortable in a situation I often blame myself for putting them in a place where they can't cope

This is also how my dogs learn.
-I would hope they learn to trust me to get them out of situations they can't handle as fast as possible
-because no amount of training over rides emotions, and even if we could train emotions the brain is often in charge and no matter what you do it is impossible to interrupt the brain doing what it needs in order to keep the body safe.

The dogs that look "perfect" even though this won't always be the case as all of us they have our moments-is because they are allowed choices and WE have to observe and react appropriately - and this will never be with punishment

Shock collars/ prong collars and slip leads have no part in this process, our much loved and special dogs get to be just that because they are allowed to tell us they are uncomfortable and that they can't cope

Many people will disagree, but I am proud to be lead by my dogs, because not only are they amazing but they have a lot to teach us.

They are not with us long enough-and their stars shine briefly.

Think about what your dogs need and learn from them.

If you would like help with your dog, I specialise in rescue dogs and helping people to learn how to make their dogs (and the lives they live with their dogs) better
WhatsApp 07910 720961

31/05/2025

Neutering and spaying a puppy-PLEASE delay doing this until your dog is at least 18 months old-if not later

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2116507512147219

29/05/2025

Asymmetry in horses

Relative symmetry is important especially in ridden horses. This is something I have been thinking about since talking to a client yesterday who was telling me about her saddle sliding to one side
She remarked that everyone had told her this was happening in their own horses-but always to the right!! She said in actual fact her saddle was sliding to the left so I think we can safely say that not all horses are the same

Saddles are important and the correct fit is essential but horses shapes change constantly and it is becoming difficult to find a good saddle fitter -and those good ones are booked up months ahead

So asymmetry
Why does it occur?

The reasons are numerous it could be due to injury and compensation, bad training practices ( not every horse is able to bend or be flexible-and we know that flexibility doesn’t happen just because we desire it and ride a million circles, in fact this is exactly how it is NOT achieved)
It could be due to musco skeletal problems such as SI problems or kissing spines but we do need to think about how the horse can be helped

When you have a horse there are a whole team of people that should be employed to help your horse and make sure their wellbeing is a top prioroty-saddlers, dentists, vets, correct feed and bodywork they all form a very important part of keeping a horse healthy and happy

Asymmetry should not be ignored and I will write a few more posts over the next few days which address this issue

23/05/2025

The last days

As the days lengthen the time with my girl shortens

A month ago I lived with two beautiful greyhounds and an odd but much loved lurcher. Today I have one greyhound having lost my oldest greyhound after she suddenly collapsed and died. The same day as I was sitting with my head in my hands I realised my other funny, and upbeat girl had a lump on her side

I couldn't believe my eyes as I was so sure it hadn't been there.
Her harness is a longer version so everyday I clip it on and it sits over the same area. How could I have missed this? The problem with tumours as we all know is that sometimes they lurk and then appear without warning.
I had not seen or noticed a swelling, I had not noticed any changes in her behaviour-there were no signs.

Now she has been diagnosed with chondrosarcoma and she doesn't have much time, it is very aggressive.

I took her for xrays and wish I hadn't as she took a long time to recover from the GA as is the case with most sighthounds and lurchers and to be honest I could see the tumour anyway-I will forever regret this, I should of relied on my gut instincts

Another lovely gentle vet took a small sample of fluid and the cancer was diagnosed from that small amount that he took in a very gentle and empathetic manner.

Now as we walk and make memories she is slowing down, she has lost that joy she always had in her eyes but there are no signs of pain but the cancer is attacking her cartilage which includes her trachea so she is panting more and is finding it more difficult to regulate her temperature

Its no good telling ourselves at this point to be kind to ourselves and this anticipatory grief is so strong-if we truly love our dogs we all know how this feels

The mundane every day things which we wouldn't have thought about become more poignant -those long slow walks, the way your dog looks at you during the day, and the quality of the time spent with them

For those of you that have young, vibrant dogs, value them. It is hard, i know, as the years seem to stretch ahead without a thought that one day they won't be there as you walk in the door.

Value your time with your dog-they only have us, we might have family and friends but their world revolves around us.

There is no formula for living these last weeks with your dog here-just recognition that it happens to all of us that truly love our dogs

Don't overlook your dog, spend time and allow them to choose the walks and recognise that they won't be here long

22/05/2025

Bodywork for horses

When I go to see a horse the first thing I do before a treatment is to watch how they react to me, and it is important to observe the horse before doing anything else as this gives me clues as to how the horse is feeling

I may be doing this as the owner/ carer is giving me information on their horse, or if it is a horse I have seen before they will often be telling me how the horse has been doing, things they have felt or seen them doing ,and it often includes how they feel their horse is

These thoughts are all very important and while these things are being discussed it allows me to have a look at the horse.
My observations are not always appropriate at this point, because the owner/ carer knows the horse much better than I ever will and it may help to explain anything that I feel looks odd or unusual

Horses are sentient beings they often feel uncomfortable around people they are unfamiliar with and may be sore and uncomfortable so I know from many years of experience just how important the first 10 minutes of any bodywork session actually is

If the session begins too soon then horses instantly become worried and anxiety can wipe out the whole point of the work I am intending to do-and it is that intention that often causes the anxiety

Intention is picked up by a horse the moment someone moves towards a horse-and this is why any bodywork needs to be paused until a horse understands that there is a choice.

As the horse relaxes this is the point where it becomes easier to assess the horse. Tension can make a treatment painful to receive and this is opposite to what is intended.

Because I am essentially a Bowen therapist -although I have taken many bodywork courses since that point I understand why pauses and breaks are so important for the horse in front of me.

What I am observing during the first 5 minutes

-Posture.

Your horses normal, habitual posture is something that may have developed over a number of months, and therefore becomes “normal”. Things become normalised and are no longer noticed which is why things get missed.
For instance - resting one hind leg more than the other and how the horse chooses to position this

-Where the horse positions themselves in a stable or field.

Obviously the stable is a confined space so horses often do gravitate to specific areas and this can reveal a lot of information about how the horse is feeling.
This will change at feed times and when other horses are going out-which is why it is always beneficial to have a horse treated during quiet times

-How alert they are -and whether they are engaged when being quietly observed.

Some horses are happy to approach people as they stand behind a barrier like a stable door or field gate but may not be happy once a stranger steps into their space. This could be the result of negative associations or just because the horse generally feels unsafe

-Any obvious muscle atrophy or differences from one side to the other
I don’t need to have my hands on a horse to check if the horse appears to look different from one side to the other

-the horses coat and skin

This often shows irregularities and patterns where the fascia is restricted

If you would like more information or would like to book a treatment for you horse you can call or message me WhatsApp 07910 720961