The door closed behind me.
I lay down on the cot like bed. It was so like the thin mattress which had been in the horsebox, the thought made me smile for the first time in many months.
I reached down; I’d been pretending to swallow the pills they gave me three times a day. Acting drowsy and subdued just as they had expected.
Scrabbling beneath the mattress I grabbed my collected haul. Oh, how nice it had been to see Hilary I thought as I placed the handful of gritty tablets in my mouth, gagging as I swallowed.
Oh, this had been so tiring. Life had exhausted me; I plumped my scratchy pillow and closed my eyes. I just wanted to sleep now.
* * *
My eyes snapped open with the sting of rain hitting my face. I was galloping through the trees and up the hill, the drumming of hoofbeats beneath me. Suddenly I burst into the sunlight, the rain creating the most beautiful rainbow which seemed to engulf me.
I’d never felt so alive.
A Note From The Author
In this novel, we encounter individuals with mental health concerns and it demonstrates that often it can be difficult if not impossible to detect in others when they are struggling with their mental health.
As equestrians, we often keep working despite injuries. Many of us will have crooked fingers, faded scars and fresh bruises from a variety of accidents over the years. However, we must not take the same attitude to our mental health and that of others.
Sadly, the horse world is not immune to issues of mental health. A survey of equestrian professionals by the British Grooms Association in 2017 showed shocking results with over 83% of grooms reporting that they suffered from stress or mental health problems. Issues such as bullying, loneliness, stress and general bad treatment were often reported.
Please, if you feel that you are under stress or feel you are experiencing mental health issues or know someone who is, get help!
The amazing British Grooms Association has launched a scheme which has backing across the horse industry called ‘Grooms Minds’ offering practical support and advice as well as a 24-hour helpline for members. You can find out more at their website: https://britishgrooms.org.uk/grooms-minds
You can also call the Samaritan’s at any time on 116 123
Don’t suffer in silence, please get the help you need, nobody will think less of you.
Sam Bassett - January 2021
About the Author
Samantha is a keen rider who made horses her career from an early age. Having left school and worked as a working pupil both in riding schools and event yards she qualified and now worked as an equestrian coach up until the COVID pandemic in 2020 when she started working for the National Health Service supporting the provision of Personal Protective Equipment to front line workers.
She started writing as she couldn’t find books about people like herself and wanted to create something like the pony books she had so enjoyed as a child. When she’s not teaching, or writing, she rides and looks after her own horses or walks her dog on the beach in Lytham Saint Annes.
You can connect with me on:
https://www.samanthabassett.org
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https://www.samanthabassett.org/contact-mailing-list
Also by Samantha Bassett
Samantha creates equestrian thrillers, taking readers on a journey of love and loss, success and fear.
County Line Rider
https://www.amazon.co.uk/County-Lines-Rider-Samanta-Bassett-ebook/dp/B08DN2X6ZK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=county+line+rider&qid=1595881127&sr=8-1
A horrific accident leaves a young Amanda Bishop an orphan living in a care home where bullying is a day to day fact of life. When she is hospitalised after a vicious attack, she discovers her younger brother, who she had tried to protect, will be moving to a new foster family. She knows it is her time to escape.
Drawn to the bright lights of London she discovers ramshackle stables with a rag-tag staff to call home and finally seems to find the happiness she has been searching for, even falling in love with a beautiful and powerful man.
However, her dreams are shattered when the police come to take him away and she finds herself on the run. Can she rebuild her life or even survive, against the odds when she becomes a hunted woman, alone against cold-blooded killers.
