Moving on to second year and equine placement!

Today I thankfully received the news that I had passed my first year of vet school with a distinction and would be returning in September as a second year ! When I look back on all I have learnt in the space of a year it is quite daunting knowing I've got another four more years of material to cover and retain! I am so thrilled that the hours of staring at parasites, dissection guides, lecture notes and anatomy videos have paid off and I can now get back to enjoying placements and my summer before it begins all over again.

Speaking of placements, I am currently spending two weeks at the yard I used to ride expanding my knowledge of horse husbandry! The great thing about this yard is the wide variety of different horses I come into contact with - from flashy competition horses to riding school ponies and yearlings. This gives me a good opportunity to handle horses of contrasting personality types and re-familiarise myself with the basic equestrian skills a vet may need, such as catching a horse from a field, tacking up, picking out hooves, grooming and general  handling.

Of course with the privilege of working with horses comes hard work! I have spent a lot of this week mucking out and poo picking the fields. Although lacking in glamour, these are important jobs that help prevent disease and parasites and are essential to the well being of the horse. Plus I might actually be building some muscles by doing these tasks as on day one of the placement I realised just how little body strength I have! Tack cleaning has also become a job I enjoy doing - there's something very satisfying about watching as a bit of elbow grease and saddle soap transform a tired looking saddle into a piece of art.

There have also been some great perks to this placement - namely getting to ride out on hacks when there's a horse to be exercised! Until I went to vet school, I rode regularly but unfortunately the downside of being a student in London is the cost of being able to get in the saddle and the long tube ride to the stables on the outskirts of the city, therefore for the past few months my opportunities to ride diminished. Having not ridden since November it was refreshing to return to exploring the countryside on horseback and I don't think there's a better way to appreciate your surroundings than a gentle canter through the fields.

One embarrassing incident did occur however whilst rediscovering my buried riding abilities. I was due to go out on a ride with one of the stable grooms and decided to mount up as I saw her bringing her horse down the yard. Unfortunately my horse Sox decided he didn't fancy doing any work and would not stand still at the mounting block no matter how hard I tried. Eventually I decided I would take an brief opportunity whilst he was stood at a slight angle to jump on but Sox had other ideas and with a bit of a buck as my foot touched the stirrup threw me to the floor. Of course most of the yard saw and I felt like a bit of an idiot but apart from that I escaped unscathed and continued to have a lovely hack out with Sox who decided to behave himself after a bit of a telling off.

Here's to hoping that the next week of placement is just as exciting and eventful. It's so brilliant to be out and doing what I love best which is being around animals and makes me feel as though I haven't completely wasted the summer!