I've good reason to be grateful to animals of all shapes and sizes. Animals have given me a career as a vet, I've enjoyed their company, they were at the heart of my sporting activities for years and, most recently, contributed to my recovery from a stroke.
If it weren't for my animals, I'd still be wallowing in my bed in the grip of that intense post-stroke fatigue. Instead I hauled myself upright,fed and walked the dogs and mucked out the stables every day,with lots of help initially as I was so weak.The physical activity of tending to my beasties chased away the fatigue in about three weeks.
I also relied on horse sense to check my sense of balance and physical coordination - my horse would tell me with his reactions if I were doing something wrong or unusual; being out of balance in the saddle or not using my muscles correctly. They're exquisitely sensitive to fine inputs so I was hugely relieved when I climbed on Uka for the first time since my stroke and he responded just like he used to.
So animals have defined both my career and my life. That's why I'm riding across the UK for the Animal Welfare Foundation. It's an organisation run by vets for the welfare of animals of all shapes and sizes, farm and domestic. Given how much animals contribute to our lives, it'd be good to have your support in doing something for theirs.