March 2020! The beginning of an interesting time for the citizens of our islands! Personally, we are blessed. We have 3/4 acre of garden/paddock miles from anywhere, with beautiful scenery. We chained our gates, The Husband did the shopping, and the weather was fabulous. I long reined Rebel up and down our garden – good for both him and me, with the steep hill giving us both a good workout. It also gave us time to learn to trust each other again, and by the time June rolled around, we were ready for the roads again. Minimal traffic made for a great driving environment. The Husband rode shotgun with additional brakes (a lunge line attached to Rebel’s head collar), for a couple of months until we felt it was safe enough for Rebel and I to set sail by ourselves. The Husband “manned base camp” while I was out: I told him my route and ETA home, and he sat by the phone in case disaster might strike. Fortunately that didn’t happen – has never happened, other than Rebel’s fall, thankfully. It was wonderful, after 3 months of shielding, to be roaming the byways with my little friend, meeting and chatting with the infinite number of characters and oddities that one finds in rural communities.
I kept a record of our every outing, and having driven and clocked the mileage of every route, noted that we had 321.8 miles completed between 11June and 02 Dec: not bad for 9hh of mighty Shetland!
In September I was called for my first appointment with the Lung Transplant Consultant; a rather emotional meeting for me. He was kind, but direct: If 3% of heart triple bypass patients don’t survive surgery and/or their first year post-surgery, it’s 15-20% in lung transplant patients. Survival rate after 6 years post-surgery isn’t wonderful, in fact that’s the average. 20 year survival is exceptional. They only do it when you have a 50/50 chance of surviving 2 years or less …
Rule 20: Make every moment count!
© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2021
Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity, and compassion
