An early version of the Quaddock.
The Quaddock was going to make Shelley Penny a millionaire when she designed it six years ago. It is nothing like the Harry Potter game of quidditch. Instead, it’s a name that Shelley and a group of friends came up with over a bottle of bubbly. However, the story about the person behind the Quaddock is an interesting one …
Originally from Kumeu, Shelley had been an eventer before her horse bumped her in the head, twenty years ago. Despite wearing her helmet, she suffered a concussion. At the time, she was checked by a doctor, and dismissed it as “just one of those things” until the headaches began to get worse.
“We finally got into the hospital six weeks after my accident, and MRI scans showed there had been a brain bleed that had since stopped. The medics told me there was nothing wrong and that I could just get back on her horse and do what I usually did,” says Shelley.
So, she entered the Redvale horse trials on three of her best horses. She won the class on her training level horse, Vintage Reserve. She was riding McAlister in the novice, and was midway over a fence when her balance went and she came out of the saddle, and was knocked out. It was the second concussion she’d had in six weeks.
When she went back to the horse truck she became irritated that, “someone had tied their horse to our horse truck”. Her sister Donna said, “but that’s YOUR truck and that’s YOUR horse”. Confused, she then started to get the next horse ready, when Donna said, “but you’ve already ridden him.” Something was definitely wrong.
“A couple of days later, I had an appointment at the concussion clinic with Dr Rosamund Hill who, at the time, was the All Blacks’ neurologist. Rosamund said, ‘could you stand up … now close your eyes’. She gently pushed me and I fell over. They had never tested my balance after my first injury. I felt really angry, because if they had checked that, I would not have got back on a horse.”
The trauma of the two concussions resulted in many months of rehabilitation working closely with multiple specialists three times a week. She had to learn how to read and write again, and how to rationalise some unusual things she found herself doing.
“One time I sat in the bath for about 15 minutes waiting for it to fill up, but hadn’t put the plug in. Another time, I flooded the kitchen and just walked through the water. I call them my silly stories.”
She says the support she had from ACC was “phenomenal”, providing her with a physiotherapist, and Donna became her main caregiver. Previously, Shelley had been a key account manager in construction, but she was unable to make a permanent return to work. The only thing she found she could do was to sit quietly and sew things. So, ACC paid for her first sewing machine, and she spent her time cutting out patterns and sewing in between “nana naps” as she built up her strength.
The Ira Hays hay bag Shelley made especially for Jodie Thorne’s horse Ira.
“I made PVC products like hay bags and yard guards, and designed different products for different customers such as heavy-duty working dog canvas beds for farmers. Then six years ago, I designed the Quaddock,” says Shelley. A hammock is hung at two ends, a Quaddock is hung at four ends, hence the name. It is an ideal temporary bed that can be hung in the average horse float or truck. (It just doesn’t swing.) Each Quaddock she sells comes with a personal note to the buyer as she welcomes them to the Quaddock family,
Remarkably, Shelley eventually returned to riding and hunted for eleven seasons, dragging and whipping on her Clydie-cross grey mare called Murphy. After they shared some of the best moments of their combined hunting career, both retired from the discipline.
Shelley Penny rides Murphy at the Waitemata Hunt.
For Shelley, it was also about removing any risk of additional injury while jumping. A change of speed in life, a different opportunity arose and she entered into the dressage world in time for the first Newcomer season. Last year, after the dressage nationals, she decided it was time to go horse-shopping again.
“Sally Howe-Stirton and I looked at a few horses while we were at the nationals, but nothing stood out. I got home from Taupō and a mare came up on my social media feed. I kind of just looked at her and I thought, yeah, nah, can’t afford that. But I kept going back and thinking about her.”
“I started messaging backwards and forwards with the seller. Then I just said to my husband Scott, ‘You know what? If I don’t go and look at this horse I will never know if she’s supposed to be mine’. So, we packed our overnight bags, put the dog in the car, and drove to the Waikato to see her.”
Zara Cowen, daughter of recently made friend Debra, rode the Dutch warmblood first. Then it was Shelley’s turn.
“I just had to tell myself I could do it. I rode her, and as soon as I sat on her I knew. When I hopped out of the saddle, I thought this horse is exactly what I need. She is Hope.”
Shelley Penny and Hope.
Scott asked Shelley how she thought she could afford the aptly named horse. Came the reply, “I really don’t care how I get the money, Scott. Even if I’ve got to put a red light out front, I’ll do it!” she laughs.
While she didn’t have to go to that extreme, she did find the money and was able to purchase Hope (Astek Rhapsody) from Laura Saamu. The 16-year-old mare is by Astek Stud’s foundation Holsteiner stallion Ramirez, out of Kinnordy Ghislaine. Shelley has now owned Hope for a year and a half.
“I didn’t think I had a type, but big brown horses with white socks suggests I do!”
Shelley Penny and Hope’s previous owner, Laura Saamu.
Mindful that her rheumatoid arthritis was likely to deteriorate further and compromise her ability to use her hands when riding, Shelley sought assessment for para-equestrian. Yet, it was her head injury that contributed the most towards her being classified as Grade V para. It was an emotional time for her, as she accepted the long-term effects of the trauma she had experienced all those years ago.
Her assessment was completed in September last year, and just two weeks later she was at her first competition. She has found ways to compensate in her riding, such as making her own style of looped reins, and running one stirrup five holes higher than the other to cope with a wonky leg, at the suggestion of her coach Andrea Raves.
Hope has not been para-trained, but she was brought on slowly and, under Laura’s riding, is very responsive, which Shelley says she is grateful for.
“She never runs out of energy and loves doing her job. She’s a perfect schoolmistress. I think she’s had to kind of go, ‘Mum doesn’t ride straight. Mum doesn’t hold contact well’, but I ride her with kindness.”
When Shelley and Hope won the Grade V title at Horse of the Year, previous owner Laura praised Shelley for the progress they had made in such a short period.
Shelley Penny and Astek Rhapsody Grade V Para-equestrian champions 2025 Horse of the Year.
“She snuck up on me at Horse of the Year. I didn’t know she was coming to watch me, and she said, ‘I was super proud of you that you rode her so well, especially in such a short time of owning her. You did such a beautiful test’. I was overwhelmed by her kind words,” says Shelley.
They also won the 2025 Bates Dressage National Grade V para title and Shelley has no doubt that Hope has the capability to go far. She says she is very thankful for a second chance at happiness as a competing equestrian under the para-equestrian classification.
Shelley Penny and Astek Rhapsody win the Grade V para title at the 2025 Bates National Equestrian Championships. Copyright Libby Law Photography.
“Everyone knows I’m para now, and I have worked so hard for it. Especially when it’s not a visible disability, as people often don’t understand why we have the classification. The able-bodied riders think we have got para sweet, but we don’t. They have no idea. It’s a daily struggle to get my brain and body working together, and not only in the saddle.”
“I’m proud to have the orange circle. I truly am. Yeah, I feel honoured and I just want to do the sport justice. It’s all about harmony and if my horse is happy to work with me, not for me.”
Shelley lives in Palmerston North with her husband Scott, and continues to run her business, Abercothi Equestrian Saddlery. The Quaddock isn’t making her rich, but she has managed to sponsor para at the national dressage competitions for the past five years. Her life has significantly changed from the one she had planned for herself when growing up. But she feels richer for the experience and for all the wonderful people who have helped her along the way.
“My beautiful husband Scott is not horsey at all, and he supports my passion, my aspirations and dreams. It’s not easy being my husband, but I love him to infinitely for his love and continued support. Dressage and Hope keep me happy.”
Shelley’s recent tattoos.