“I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I’ll tell you what, never again.” Tim Vine

That quote made me smile. It’s a standing joke in my family that I’m going on the trip of a lifetime. That might be my trip to work at summer camp in America and then travel across Canada for two months afterwards. It might be my trip to Thailand, Singapore, and Australia, to visit my sister who was travelling on her year out. It might be my trip to the States to work in a couple of RDA centres learning how horses can be a part of physiotherapy for children. It might be my trip travelling around Namibia, and staying for a week at Africat, helping out with the horses. It might be the month I spent in Canada on a farm working with the 50 Dales ponies they had there. It might be the trip I took to Russia, which included walking, riding, and white water rafting, all helped along with many shots of vodka! I could go on, but you get the idea…

Nowadays, as a single mum, my holidays are very different. This summer I’ve been lucky enough to get to camping trips to The New Forest. My son Philip is a great camping companion, as long as I have a football, several tennis balls, and a variety of rackets. I haven’t really gone camping in the past, so there’s plenty of new skills to learn, and I’m gradually building up my kit.

Having a few days out always seems like it’s too much hard work before we go, but once we are there, it’s always worth the effort. It gives time to recharge, and to reset, and to rediscover what’s important in life. Making the effort to get off the treadmill of the normal routine of life, just for a short while, is something I find really helpful.

What helps you to recharge and reset?

© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2021

Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity, and compassion