Advice from Bear Grylls

The time to shine is when its darkest...

 

 

... and there have been some dark moments in the last 12 months starting in January:

- 12 weeks box rest for Essy while we ruled in and out Mud Fever or Mites (round and round we went)

- 8 weeks forced box rest (all three horses) due to snow, ice then water logged fields

- A depressed and quiet Solar Sue losing weight and muscle tone

- Sudden spike in worm counts

- Worry about whether or not to remove front shoes on Essy and Solar at 22 and 23 years of age respectively

- X rays for front feet for Essy and Grace (always a frightening moment)

- Surge in Essy's nose bleeds frequency and duration

- Fibrotic Myopathy in Solar that the vets said rarely improves (despite now being 100% fixed and back to a normal gait)

- Suspected low grade laminitis in Grace

- Sick paddocks, poor grazing and a mass of buttercup infestation

- Another fall from Grace!

- Lameness caused by prolonged Seedy Toe in Grace 

- No riding for 5 months

- Colic on a Bank Holiday Sunday night!

- Livery yard misery for myself and others 

- No overnight turnout this year during the summer (a long story)

- One chewed mobile phone of another livery customer costing me £250 to fix (thanks Grace)

- One hole drilled into Essy's forehead - all for an inconclusive biopsy!

...and it was only August!

So that's when I decided to put an end to it all!  It was time to stop all invasive procedures for Essy,  it was time to move yards, it was time to change our luck!

In the midst of all the trauma came the gift of new friendships;  warm and compassionate experts; unexpected strangers becoming friends; this blog; a new trainer and lots of learning in the process! (More of that to follow...)

Today, just a few weeks after making a change and re-locating us all - all three horses look great, feel alive and are full of life (just as you'd want)!

(Solar and Essy - today)

"The time to shine is when its darkest...

 

Nature has a way of rewarding that sort of attitude" 

 

said Bear Grylls in his book "A survival guide for life"

My message is a short one about not loosing hope, faith or giving up!  Especially  don't give up on our horse's ability to recover even when vets say they wont!

Don't give up on wanting a better life for yourself and your horse.  Don't accept mediocrity and go along with things because others do or because it is easy!

Don't EVER stop listening to your gut and act on it wherever you can if your intention is to make things ultimately better!

The reward?  Seeing your horses run around healthy, having fun, and hearing others say how "happy" they and you seem; priceless! The best antidote after all those months of worry.

(Grace yesterday)

Thank you Mr Grylls for your words of wisdom, that help keep me on track.