It was the October holidays when my eldest had her accident, resulting in a double arm break.
Undaunted, she’s been counting down the days until she could get back on her beloved pony.
And throughout her long (and sore) recovery period she’s been still getting up early every day to care for HoneyB – albeit with just one hand – and, more importantly, rebuilding the bond between the them.
I take my hat off to her, it would have been so easy to give up or to lose her nerve completely.
The mum in me is jumpy and nervous about her riding again, but at the same time so proud of her resilience and determination.
In looking for a silver lining to what happened, I have concluded that it has given us a period to really get to know the pony and think about what she’s trying to tell us.
We have done some groundwork with her, which is always a good thing, and read up on equine behaviour, which surely stands us in good stead going forward.
It has also given the rest of us a chance to jump on!
The accident definitely burst our new pony balloon, but it has also been a horse owning reality check . . . one I hope we don’t have to face again.
