Your stories: Surgery, survival, smiles and success

From a life-threatening illness to the Associated Championships, discovering dressage helped the aptly named mare New Journey thrive following a long road to recovery.

The path to success is rarely a straight line, and this has been more than true for 25-year-old Jordan Harvey and her beloved mare New Journey, affectionately known as Joules.

Four years ago, Joules was battling for her life in a veterinary hospital after undergoing colic surgery, where she also endured severe post-operative complications. Following the operation, Jordan’s mare developed a rare reaction that left her intestines unable to function normally. With only a 20% chance of survival, Jordan was faced with the heartbreaking reality of potentially losing her partner.

“She spent two weeks in hospital and then it was a long road to recovery, spanning over two years of rehab with many setbacks,” said Jordan, sharing how she worked tirelessly alongside the veterinary team to care for Joules during her recovery despite the odds being against them, “So many times, we almost gave up, but we never did!”

As Joules’ strength returned Jordan slowly reintroduced her to under-saddle work, carefully following veterinary advice and celebrating every small milestone along the way. During this process the pair enjoyed progressing with their flatwork and in late 2023, with Joules fully recovered and in a good place with her fitness, Jordan decided British Dressage would be the perfect next step. “I used to do jumping and eventing before the surgery, but after, I just wanted to do something a bit lower impact for her. I think after nearly losing her, I was just looking for fun opportunities to create memorable experiences together,” explained Jordan. “We did an unaffiliated dressage show, which I really enjoyed, so I started looking into BD and saw that there were so many grassroots opportunities and there were all these great championships that we could go to. “

Finding a new passion and seeing an exciting path forward, Jordan set herself a new goal, "After falling in love with dressage, I made it our mission to qualify for one big championship within the year.” The pair exceeded Jordan’s expectations and didn’t just qualify for one championship but three, including the Cavago Associated Championships; in October 2024, they set off to compete in the Veteran Horse and Part-Bred Draught classes at Novice level.

Whilst they missed out on the rosettes on this occasion, this didn’t matter to Jordan one bit. For her, the journey to the Championships wasn’t about the ribbons, but finding joy in the process and cherishing the partnership she had rebuilt. Seeing Joules shine in the arena reminded her of why they never gave up: “Being at the Associated Championships felt like a dream come true. Just four years earlier, Joules was in a hospital fighting for her life. To see her thriving and performing at the Championships was so special. The atmosphere was incredible and she handled it beautifully.”

As Jordan reflected on their journey, she emphasised the importance of making the most of the time you have. “You don’t know how much time you’ve got with them. I think our story serves as a reminder that regardless of the setbacks we face, never give up! It’s never too late to set goals and pursue new dreams.”

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Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking for a way to get back into competition after a setback, BD offers a supportive and achievable path forward for riders and horses to grow together at a pace and level that works for them.

So why wait? Join BD and find out where dressage could take you.

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Share your story

Do you have an inspiring dressage story that you would love to share? No matter where you are in your dressage journey, whether you've recently made your test debut, overcome the odds, or have been a long-term member progressing through the levels, we would love to hear how you fell in love with the sport and why you chose to join British Dressage!

For a chance for your story to be featured on our website and social media, please email us at communications@britishdressage.co.uk.