‘I could focus on Sam’s recovery’
“Sam is such a sweetheart,” says Katie Elliot. “I bought him four years ago when I saw an advert online for a 15.1hh Irish Draught gelding. He is absolutely perfect.
“A year or so ago, I noticed that he started to look slightly unlevel under saddle. I knew something wasn’t right. Alarm bells rang when he began bucking and biting. It was so unlike him that it prompted me to call my vet.
“The vet was baffled when she saw Sam for the first time. He wasn’t showing clear lameness in one leg, so she came back to scan him. Several scans and nerve blocks later, the vet diagnosed thickening of his annular ligaments. I was stunned when she said he needed an operation. “Sam was only in hospital for two days before coming home to start his recovery. His rehabilitation began with two weeks box rest; he was then allowed out to graze in a postage stamp-sized paddock. This progressed to in-hand walking and grazing, building up his exercise slowly.”
“A year on, he’s fully recovered and has been out to his first competition, just to pop round a small course. I love having my best friend back and feeling so well. After such a worrying time, I’m looking forward to the future — Sam means the world to me.
“I really want to thank Petplan Equine — without them Sam wouldn’t have been able to get the treatment he had. The vet’s first question to me was ‘who’s Sam insured with?’ As soon as I told her Petplan Equine, any worry I had about payment was put straight out of my mind. Petplan Equine is one of the few companies my vet deals with directly. This meant I could focus on Sam and his recovery.”