Was it luck or part of a destiny?

Harry Potter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, even a tale by David Walliams – these are kinds of books you’d expect a nine-year-old to athirst over but for Jess, at that tender age, it was a great big horse encyclopaedia that indented her bed as she lay reading.

“I remember just sitting and pouring over the pages for hours, reading up on all the different horse breeds.” This was where, she attests, her true love for animals began. With every picture of a horse she saw, the allure to one day be sat on top of one grew stronger. “I begged my mum and dad for riding lessons for so long and they eventually said yes!”  

As we spoke, I have the image of a 9 year old girl, similar to the height of my own 9 year old daughter, thick riding boots to manage the mud, standing there next to a giant of a mammal. Engulfing her in a shadow the shape of a Thoroughbred. “There was no fear in it [the riding lesson] at all. I think the excitement took over that…I felt like the happiest child on Earth. You know when you get so excited or happy that you feel like you’re going to explode? To sum up, that is how it felt. I was just happy to start what I felt was a very exciting journey.”

I’m interviewing Jessica (@The_Vets_Life) from Northern Ireland. She’s 20 years old and her first post on Instagram is a close-up, side profile of a black and white cat, MJ: “We will all miss his serious expression with his gentle and loving eyes and his sweet Meow that he rarely gave…” The post continues as a gracefully written goodbye to a cat that didn’t belong to her. Was it odd that someone could write so personally and emotively about someone’s else pet? After completing what would be the first of many chats, I realised that in Jess’ case, it was not.

“We’ve always had pets since I was young. We had a dog called Bisto, as a puppy and we were right there until he unfortunately had to be put to sleep. We’ve had quite a big range of animals. We’ve had rabbits, dogs, cats, budgies, hamsters, horses and even goldfish!” I chuckle at this, just at thought of an infant wading through a sea of wagging tails, twitchy noses and tickly chirps.

But it was the presence of these animals embedded in her first memory that started a love and passion for animals. I ask if amongst the small army of furry and scaly friends, if there was a favourite. “Definitely my dogs. I’ve loved all the animals we’ve had but I think my biggest soft spot is with my dogs, followed very, very, very closely by the horses.”

“During the roughest times that I’ve experienced so far, I’ve always found that I can really rely on my dog to be there as some form of emotional support…they obviously pick up on your emotions and with mine, if they ever saw you upset, they would come over and start nudging you, cuddling you and sitting with you until you felt better.”

I’m chatting to Jess because she is about to embark on her journey to become a fully qualified Equine and Livestock Vet and is willing to share that journey on her Instagram and Tack Talk (www.tacktalk.co.uk). “I’d like to give students or anybody who has the aspiration to be a vet the insight of it…showcasing the education that goes into being a vet. It can be overwhelming and if you’re uncertain as to the names of the diseases, the different kinds of medication or struggle to remember things, you might have the urge to drop out [of University or College] or get discouraged not to pursue it.” Through photos, short videos and blog posts, Jess intends to “show as much of the education that one has to go through” to inspire others either thinking of or currently becoming a vet, and provide a means of support and to share knowledge.  

So what drives a person to become a vet? Is it a single moment, or an upbringing blessed with a small farm of animals or both?

“I remember at 16 years old, when my first horse acquired an injury that resulted in her needing stitches. I tried cleaning the wound to prevent infection setting in before the vet arrived and I was quite fascinated. I wanted to see inside the wound, especially because of how deep it was, and how much of the muscle was exposed. I wanted to know how deep the wound went, how to treat it and the recovery time.” It seemed that the injury sparked an interest to want to know more – a desire to gain a deeper understanding and more knowledge.

That she was drawn to the wound and not a person that had to turn away until the vet came was interesting. I wondered if it had happened earlier, this morbid curiosity for things we would otherwise see as off putting. “I remember, as a child, whenever I had to go to the doctors to get blood tests and stuff I would just stare at the needle and I thought this is most coolest thing on the planet!”

For Jess, even at a young age, the fascination into health care and those that provide it was a big part of her personality. Then growing up with animals and owning horses, being surrounded by that unconditional love that pets give us is where her affinity to animals was able to develop. And it was after her horse sustaining the deep injury that needed stitches at the age of 16 years old where she pinpoints as the moment she knew she wanted to be an Equine Vet.

We established that for Jess, her love for dogs is first, followed closely by her horses. As an avid horse rider, I ask were there any moments where things perhaps didn’t go so well.

“I think of these two incidents that will stick with me for the rest of my life, because I am still feeling the physical impact that they had…” The first is a tale of her horse, Clover, bucking because of the extreme abdominal pain that she was in at the time that Jess caught the full force of in her left hip. But it was the second incident with her horse, Dolly (an ex race horse) that was truly the worse.

“I took her on a Christmas ride for charity, but I didn’t realise how big the event was going to be as there was a good couple of hundred horses there. Her seeing such a large crowd of horses made her think she was back on the racecourse.

“The stewards were on motorcycles riding inbetween and behind the horses, which spooked Dolly and she took off down the rode. My left stirrup was completely gone so I had no form of control to try and get her back. I had to resort to screaming at the top of my lungs to tell people to move, as they just stood and watched this 1000-pound animal charge towards to them.

“I came off and landed on my left side, the side I was kicked by Clover. I couldn’t move and remember laying there for about hour and half. Luckily there was a military paramedic nearby because it turned out that both my shoulders had been dislocated.

“I couldn’t feel a thing because I was in a state of shock. I was just looking around myself thinking, ‘has anyone heard from Dolly yet?’ My mum was panicking to high heaven but I was calm as anything! I was extremely lucky that day as I just sustained a hairline fracture and nasty, minor concussion.

“After that accident, I felt all my confidence go completely and I thought I could never ride again and I was terrified of something like that happening again. But my mum managed to convince me to give it another go. I really thank my mum a lot for pushing me to give it another go and helping my confidence to ride again, because ultimately it was a freak accident, and no-one was to really blame. So, 3 weeks later I was back in the saddle!”

I empathised with that crippling fear and gave a lot of praise for the strength that Jess showed, the support her mum gave but to my surprise, Jess was most thankful to her horse, Dolly.

“Dolly picked up that I was very anxious and hesitant, and she just took it so slowly with me. Looking back, I couldn’t thank her enough, instead of her picking up on my nerves and reacting the same way, she just was very slow and very good.”

We agreed, the incredible ability these animals have at connecting with your emotional state and to be so in tune with how you are feeling, is (when experienced) like no other. Once felt, it elevates your compassion towards animals and your respect for them. It is a bond that we both believe should be experienced by all. The quote by Anatole France, “until one has loved an animal, a part of ones soul remains unawakened,” came to mind.

These experiences, these incidences and injuries are the pieces of cloth that Jess is cut from. They have equipped her with a quiet determination and bounteous understanding of animals that will carry her through her studies.

Co-existing with different kinds of animals, finding an early fascination with the health profession and finally, spending years on the back of the horse: These are what led her here, ready to embark on this journey to become an Equine and Livestock Vet, a journey she is ready to share online.

“I will be starting my veterinary studies next year (2024) with CAFRE at the Greenmount Campus in County Antrim. Before I start, I have to sort out a work placement with a Veterinary Clinic. Before I start, I have been studying the basics in my spare time, such as how to microchip a dog, how to administer a simple injection to give myself a foot in the door.

“The most interesting stuff that I have been studying is on dog breeds because as a Veterinary Nurse, I will be handling smaller animals. At University level is when you study larger breeds, but to begin with you focus on the smaller breeds.

“I’ve been studying all about Shitzu’s because we have one. I’ve always been intrigued to know what different illneses or what genetic conditions and diseases they are prone too. I’ve taken down a lot of notes and this and aim to talk more about this in another post.”

What is very apparent as she speaks, is the hunger to learn. What’s more is that despite the two major accidents, she never once looked negatively towards her horses, but rather understood with such empathy their struggles – and was always quick to help them first. And it is that desire, as we end our chat, that means will make a wonderful and caring vet.

Be sure to follow Jess on Instagram (@The_Vets_Life) to join her on her journey to realising her dream and follow us (@Takemytack) as well as www.tacktalk.co.uk to stay up to date with Jess and her studies in written form.

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