Growing up I was always surrounded by animals but never horses and I never wanted horses either, never wanted to go riding, never really knew anyone who had horses for me to be around. But all that changed 8 years ago, I went out with a friend and their family looking for horses. We ended up in a dealers yard somewhere in Dartford and there was horses everywhere. My friends family were looking at lots of nice horses mostly ex racers, when out the corner of my eye I spotted a few horses tied up to metal gates and I walked over to see them. Standing there was this sorry little state, I stroked him and stood there talking to him for a while before the dealer told me he was awaiting slaughter. I felt instant sadness, I remember looking at him and he put his head into my chest and I said oh mate you didn’t ask for this life, and I stayed with him till everyone was ready to leave.
That night I couldn’t stop thinking of him and crying and I rung my mum and she told me she’d support my decision if I wanted to go back and get him, so the very next morning thats exactly what I did. I went with my student finance money and I put a deposit on him. I spent that whole day ringing round vets and stables finding out where I could keep him and how I could get him there and a few days later I went back with a vet to get him. When the vet saw him she said to me ‘I think it may be best to let him be slaughtered’ but I replied ‘I didn’t ask for your opinion’. He was vaccinated and moved to his new home in Bexley, where his road to recovery began.
