This is a subject close to my heart at the moment, as instinct and emotion battles with common sense in my life. I have always believed that you make your own luck, and I realise now how incredibly lucky I have been that pretty much everything has gone my way, even if at the time it didn’t seem like that was the case. The phrase “Life is not fair” is one that theoretically I’ve paid lip service to, but the reality is that I haven’t had to face up to it on a personal front.

Of course, this is not the case for so many people, including many of those I work with. Horses who become lame or poorly through no fault of their owner, people who are sold horses that are not what they were promised to be, and much more. As I grow older I have a deepened appreciation for the tolerance and patience of these people, who are prepared to stand by the horse who has become a part of their family, sometimes after knowing them only for a few days.

Below is the story of just one of the lucky horses I’ve met…

“J was purchased as ‘bombproof’ for a teenage girl. He threw her off violently less than a week after he’d arrived, in the ménage in walk as she changed from left rein to right. His new owners then discovered that he would only lunge on the left rein – if they asked him to go right he would threaten them with violence. Many veterinary investigations and some time at a rehab yard later, when at first it was touch and go whether or not he would ever be rideable, he is slowly progressing in the right direction.”

Of course the story doesn’t always have a happy ending. But if you are someone whose equine dream has not quite gone to plan, rest assured that you are not alone, and I wish you luck in making the best decisions you are able to for both you and your horse.

© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2021

Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity and compassion