A friend in need...

When things are a bit rubbish, you find out what a difference a really great friend can make.

My mate Emma has been keeping a close eye on me since Harvey died because she's spotted that I bluster through things smiling when inside I don't want to get out of bed. 

Probably because she's faced a lot of heartache with her animals over the years and knows too well how sad it feels when they're gone and the world just carries on anyway.

I've spent as much time with Cady as ever lately and she's been a great comfort but my enjoyment for riding had just sort of trickled away. Enter Emma, who has gently kept tapping away at me to pick up the reins again. She texted me again last week and suggested she box over with her lovely mare Tia so we could go for a hack together.

Man I just did not want to, but I reluctantly agreed. And I'm so glad I did. Emma and Tia arrived and we had a great ride. Cady was good as gold and I was really proud of her, while Tia and Emma were number 1 superstar rock steady hack leaders. 

There was all kinds going on with traffic, flappy pigeons, joggers and road signs etc but we survived totally unscathed.

The sun even came out and when we got back and the horses were seen to we had a cup of coffee and some cake.

Since then I've ridden a couple more times and enjoyed it, cleaned my tack and bought some nice fly spray that smells of eucalyptus. I feel enthusiastic again and that there are plenty of good times to come - and very lucky that I have a friend who'll go out of their way to make me feel better.

I'm a firm believer that you have to take charge of your own life but I also know that you can't always summon up the motivation to move on without a gentle shove from someone who knows you.

And I think this is especially true when it comes to the horsey life. So if you're in a rut for whatever reason I would highly recommend accepting a bit of help from your friends. It goes a long way.