It all began with Buddy

Hearing the words “your best option is to PTS” echoed in my mind when my vet was talking about my beautiful Buddy’s diagnosis. Surely not. He was only six years old. How could he have done so much damage at such a young age. I’d been so careful with him.

My world fell apart but I knew, deep down in my gut, that it wasn’t the end for us. I had heard of a place called Rockley Farm and so I got in touch with Nic Barker and that is where my life started its monumental shift and I got my boy back.

Our story is, quite honestly, a fairytale. Written off by everyone we overcame all the odds. He spent twelve long (for me!) weeks at Rockley and when he came home he was sound and the clock was reset for us to start again.

I took it slowly as I was so scared that the wheels would come off and I would be back in that black pit of doom. I daren’t believe it. In fact, it took me two years before I genuinely stopped worrying. But we did it. We did our first dressage competition, then I started jumping again and finally I was in the start box of the One Day Event I had been dreaming of. Buddy and I were the best team. He was sensitive and quirky but I knew him so well. He was the first horse my daughter sat on. He not only fulfilled my competitive hopes but he transformed the way I thought about managing horses and set me on the path I am on today.

We had 15 years together and I owe that horse everything. I lost him very suddenly in August 2024 and I don’t think I will ever get over it - currently have tears streaming down my face! But what a legacy he has left. Not only for me but for the hundreds of horses I have worked with since.

Our journey together has meant that not only do I know exactly how you feel and have experienced all the emotions, the highs and the lows, the setbacks, the disbelief.. but I also have walked through it and got to the other side. I know what it takes to have a successful rehab and be confident that you as the owner can continue on your own. After years of training and developing my knowledge I set up From the Ground Up in 2018 and have built a solid programme that helps both the horses and the owners navigate the rehab rollercoaster!

I am a qualified Equine Sports Massage Therapist, I have a HND in rehabilitation and lameness and I am also an NLP Practitioner and award winning mindset coach. All of these skills help me run a programme that is completely unique.