Work–horse balance
The A&E doctor
My job involves being the front line face for any patient attending the A&E department in a hospital in North West England. I see everything from twisted ankles, cuts and head injuries to major traumas that have occurred on the nearby hills and on the motorways. We also receive patients by air ambulance and search and rescue teams. I always wanted to be a doctor, but I wasn’t going to get the grades I needed at school so I studied physiotherapy first. I then worked as a recruitment consultant, but it wasn’t really my thing and, after lots of thought, I applied to medical school at the age of 27. I didn’t expect to get in, but I did — it was one of the most exciting days of my life.
When I finished medical school I thought that I would like to be a GP, but after spending four months working in A&E I realised it was my ideal role.
I’ve been working in A&E for three years now and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I love the variety of patients and the different and challenging cases, and not knowing what will come through the door during each shift. It keeps you on your toes and the day rushes by. Because every day is different and I see big trauma cases as well as simpler jobs, like something stuck in someone’s eye, it’s easy to get out of bed in the morning. The variety of the job fires my enthusiasm. I would definitely say that the best things about it are the diverse mix of cases and the teamwork, while the worst parts are the long hours and the under-staffing — it can be simply exhausting at times.
The love of my life is my 14.2hh pony, Jovi. He’d been at a riding school for 17 years when I met him. He’s a feisty little chap with an incredible personality. He’s so affectionate, though, and he welcomes me every time he sees me. He loves a cuddle, too. Jovi will be 23 soon, but he acts like he’s five and is quite a handful to ride. He absolutely adores jumping and a good canter on the fells.
Jovi lives on a farm that’s owned by a lovely lady called Barbie who usually gives him his morning feed and will bring him in if I’m unable to. The farm has six liveries and a large all-weather arena, plus hundreds of acres of wild fell for hacking. It’s remote and the scenery is stunning. Jovi loves it there, and an evening hack is the best way to unwind after a busy day.
I started riding when I was about four years old. I soon developed a passion for it and would happily ride any forward-going pony — frequently parting company and bouncing along the floor! When I was 15 I had a very bad accident while riding a four-year-old who I was helping to bring on. She dragged me along by one stirrup for some time before my foot came free and I passed out. Thankfully she bolted home and eventually my father found me in the field, scooped me up into his Land Rover and took me to A&E.
Due to issues resulting from that accident it was 15 years before I rode again. I found that I was a completely different rider when I got back on, and I returned to a riding school in order to ride ‘safe’ horses. I found this really challenging and anxiety-inducing, though, because I’d never ridden horses like these. It just didn’t work for me.
One day I met an instructor called Esme who suggested that I try riding Jovi. He was more like what I’d been used to from years gone by. He was forward going and keen, and it was like a switch clicked in my head and I knew what to do when I was riding him. Jovi gave me back my confidence, and after a period of having him on loan I decided to buy him.
Since then he’s been like a new pony. He loves the wilderness of the fells, and he’s found even more enthusiasm for life and the competitions and activities we pursue. He’s in no way like any ex-riding school pony I’ve ever known. 5.45am: My alarm goes off, I have a quick shower, a cup of tea and I get ready for work. 6.30am: I head out the door for the drive to work.
8am: I start my shift and spend all day on my feet.
Lunch will be somewhere in the middle of my day for 20 minutes, and it will usually consist of a sandwich bought at work.
6pm: I finish for the day, quickly get changed and then head off.
7pm: On my way home I stop at the farm where Jovi lives — it’s only about 20 minutes from my house. I’ll muck him out, sort his hay for the night, and get his feed ready for the following morning. If the weather’s nice we’ll go for a ride in the evening sun. 8:30pm: I typically get home around this time and my cat, Boo, will be there to greet me and keep me company. He won’t leave my side when I’m at home.
Usually I heat up some food that I’ve made at the weekend. I tend to do batch cooking and freeze meal portions which I can easily heat up in the evenings, such as lasagne, stir fry, risotto, bolognese and soup.
My job is mentally draining and I’m generally exhausted at the end of each day. I’m fortunate, however, that I’m able to shut off from what I’ve seen and treated that day as soon as I get out of the door. That’s really the only way to cope. It’s not healthy to dwell on work things in my personal time, and it’s so important to spend that time outside of work thinking about and doing entirely separate activities.
On my days off, I typically spend every morning with Jovi and during an average week I’ll ride about five times.
We were working hard to be in shape for the 2020 season, with unaffiliated dressage, cross-country and arena eventing on our programme, but obviously that all went on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re hoping to get back out competing soon, though.
In addition to riding, I love walking in the Lake District and Northumberland National Parks, as well as mountain biking. I’m always on the go and I love to keep busy.
I’m a very social person, too, so it’s been difficult to carry on without that through lockdown. Jovi provided a shoulder to cry on when I couldn’t see my friends and family. And, of course, Boo is great company when I’m at home!
HAVE YOU EVER had days when you mount your horse with a head full of schooling exercises and enthusiasm, but nothing quite works out the way you intended? Well, you may be pleased to hear that you’re not the only one! All riders have had ‘one of those days’ (or more than one) and plenty of top riders get them too. Dressage competitor Richard Davison knows from long experience, including four Olympic Games, that training horses is very much a mental process, not just a physical one.
“When I get on my dressage horses it’s not just their hindlegs I want underneath me, but their brain,” Richard explains. “Tuning in to how they are feeling and coping with what is being asked is a fundamental part of any successful schooling session, and it’s particularly vital in a new or exciting environment, such as at a big competition. We’ve all practised until it’s perfect at home, but the challenge is to consistently reproduce that in competition. What changes most on the day of a show is the horse’s mind rather than his body, so as riders that’s what we need to predict and manage as best we can.”
It’s easy to get caught up in trying to exercise your horse’s body without considering his mood, mind or personality. Research shows that the most effective schooling plans allow for each horse’s individual learning style, and that respecting his emotional and psychological needs makes for much better progress.
In simple terms, the brain literally ‘makes sense’ of what is being asked and passes the message on to the body to bring about an appropriate behavioural response.
This requires particular brain chemicals to be in the right place at the right time, and also different areas of the brain to send messages in the right order. To simplify, the brain’s motor cortex deals out commands, while other areas of the frontal lobe make executive decisions based on information