Instant Calming
Alex Gingell was quietly behind the creation of the UK INSTANT calming market, most bespoke customers have no idea that this innovation was also him. Now he is doing it again - only better!
The Instant calming market was created for the mass market by Alex Gingell in 2007. He discovered that a product that he traded and supplied to the racing industry for stamina and speed had the side effect of calming the race horses, making race days much easier - so he began calming trials at Hickstead in 2006.
Drive, determination and self belief steered him to successfully gain corporate funding and he launched the product to the wider equine market using professional riders and marketing in an explosive Horse & Hound campaign. He got the product into the major retailers and many independents, without the use of wholesalers, as the margins were small. The product was re-packaged into syringes for this mass market supply. Everything was flying high and the riders raced to buy their instant calmers to compete for the summer. The big industry competitors rushed to launch their own instant calmers, It was a commercial battle, with the winner being the consumer. The perfect result from an innovation in a very traditional calming supplement market, so it was very exciting.
Sadly it was all in vain as the product development of the repackaging caused it to fail.
Over a 4-6 month period, sediment built up on the barrel of the syringes and resulted in a stiff and troublesome application of the liquid product. It was the most frustrating time as Alex was not allowed the time to develop the product carefully and slowly, crossing the t's and dotting the i's to ensure all would be well. Instead he was forced by others to launch thousands of syringes into hundreds of stores all over the UK and beyond in a bid to take the calming market by storm. The result was commercially catastrophic and Alex was left high and dry with nowhere to go, at the time. He had spent his funds creating the market and now could not afford to put someone else's product right, so exited the market reluctantly and in debt.
Not only had a great deal been learned from the experience but Alex had changed the calming market for good. Other supplement companies saw the need and potential in instant calming products and many jumped in with both feet. It was a difficult time for Alex, a bitter pill to swallow.
The bespoke concept has taken six years to get to the position it is in today. This time Alex owns the business including the manufacturing facility with his wife Jayne, who in her own right was a director of a multi million pound blue chip company aged just 24. The business is therefore strucutred as a multi national company and has gained international accreditation status and aligns itself with all regulators at all times. Now though, Alex also enjoys the privileged position of knowing so many different and important nuggetts of information about thousands of customer's horses and ponies, the calming concept can be taken to a much higher level. Never before in Alex's experience, has feedback come back so positive from people feeding a daily type of calming bespoke and his New and improved Instant Liquid Caalmer formula alongside.
Using his knowledge and that of others in his team, a broader and more accurate picture of the individual horse can be painted before any formula is recommended. He is very aware that there are so many other factors that come into play in order to get your horse / pony feeling and performing the way you want. Supplements are only a small part of this overall formula. After 6 years of implementing the bespoke concept and phenomenal feedback about the results it seems that the concept is now being recognised as the 'common sense' way forwards. The 'straight lines' business model reduces product miles, waste, plastics and inefficiencies whilst improving product freshness/effectiveness as well as value for money for the customer, as all middlemen are cut out.
Finally, after 10 years, Alex is now in a position to re-gain his position as a key Innovator of Calming as he combines both calming bespoke formulas with a powerful and effective instant calmer. This is becoming known as the 'Combo’. Feedback from these Combo’s has come back as 90% effective, which is simply incredible and now by harnessing technology, is available to everyone.
Horses are complex animals and applying more pressure to their lifestyle increases their flight instinct. So we need to address not just the tension but also short term digestive issues at the same time. The instant Liquid Caalm is a unique fusion of the world’s most potent flowers that Alex has chosen specifically to ensure all the boxes are ticked, in an instant. These are all supported by human science to achieve calmness. Passion flower and hawthorn promote calmness whereas liquorish, marshmallow and ginger support digestion. Vit E Selenium, and amino acids work on regaining balance that in turn improves behaviour. A 25 – 75ml shot of this potent liquid formula, especially when used alongside a calming bespoke daily formula is more than highly likely to have the desired effect on your horse / pony.
During February and March this year we had our ingredients and their descriptions signed off by the necessary legislative bodies and we are now striving to achieve 100% biodegradable packaging too.
Alex is the first to rely on vets, physios, farriers and other professionals and recognizes that clinical needs to work hand in hand with targeted complementary feedstuff (supplementation). Often he will be speaking with professionals with the team that supports customers’ horses to be able to recommend the most suitable formulas to help them move forwards.
Our horse was rushed to Rossdale's hospital as soon as Alex saw his leg was up with a cut on it. This was not an infection as we thought, but the first sign of a massive breakdown that was touch and go. Their fast, superb and clinical intervention supported by our complementary supplements and rehabilitation, has brought this horse back from the brink to be able to compete again. We treat all the horses we work with as if they are our own.
"I have been using the bespoke service that Hack Up supplies for years, but I only recently tried their Liquid Caalm though. I am thrilled to say that every horse I used this on at the British Dressage National Winter Championships had a definite improvement in their focus and concentration. I am lucky have been introduced to Hack Up Bespoke at one of the BD satellite camps, they seriously do a fabulous job and I recommend them to anyone I come across. This company puts customers and their horses first."
Antonia Brown National dressage rider, trainer, producer and International event rider.
A STEP BY STEP GUIDE to get involved...
1. We need to get all the details of your horse first so we can get a full picture. So please go to www.hackup.co.uk and click LOGIN at the top right hand side of the page. Then quickly register.
2. You’ll then be prompted to tell us about your horse / dog. It takes just a few minutes to do this but please be thorough for us. The more information you give, the more concise we can be with our formulation recommendations.
3. Then we’ll get back to you with a suitable formula (or formulas) for you to consider at your leisure. This formula recommendation process is FREE.
4. There will be some size and price options for you to purchase on your Bespoke Page.
5. If you decide to purchase then your bespoke supplement will then be created from fresh ingredients once we have received the order. You can choose the Biodegradable packaging option (FREE) just before you confirm order.
6. At the checkout ...
- Apply a 50NEW coupon code and you'll get 50% extra free product (in first 1kg) and a FREE tinplate Pail.
- You can split the payments (at no extra cost) over 2 or 3 months.
- Give instructions to the delivery driver as to where to leave the delivery safe if you're going to be out and unable to sign for it.
- Choose a free product from a drop down menu that you want to save your points towards, as you'll automatically be included in our loyalty scheme.
7. You will receive your delivery within 24 hours (in mainland UK)
8. You can give feedback on your bespoke via a window on your Bespoke page that goes direct to the formulators.
9. You can re-purchase as before, or choose a lager size, or opt for the Buy & Book facility. This option is the cheapest way to get fresh bespoke supplements. https://hackup.co.uk/b-and-b-membership If you need any help on this journey, you can ......
- Use Livechat
- Call the office in work hours 01359 308866
- Text / Call Alex on 07771 924373
- Message Alex on fb personally
- Message us through Hack Up Bespoke fb
- email alexgingell@hackup.co.uk
