My name is Elizabeth Hambly and I'm an eventer from Canada.
I've wanted to be a vet since I was very young, but my goal had really been sent in October 2015, when my grandpa passed away. He was a small and animal vet, and had his veterinary licsense until he was 75. Animals were his life. He grew up on a ranch in a small town in Alberta, and met my grandma, a Californian cowgirl, in university. When he passed away, I felt like I needed to do something to keep his memory with me, that's why I decided that I wanted to be a vet.
I've had lot's of veterinary experiences, as my family owns a large horse farm. I've looked at x-rays of a horse's shattered knee, which was really cool, I've helped neuter a cat (is it weird that I know the surgery by heart?), and I have lots of experience with giving medical attention to horses.
My little Appaloosa, Benny, has equine arthritis, so I'm also very familiar with taking care of things associated with that.
I myself have juvenile arthritis. In April 2015, my ankles began to swell up, to a point where I had trouble walking. We had no idea what was wrong with me. By May, I wasn't able to walk without crutches. This meant that I wouldn't be able to ride. I had been training for months to ride in an event, but all of that went away.
Not being able to ride was torture. Luckily, I discovered that I could ride bareback with minimal pain. I spent over 3 months riding bareback, and I even rode a dressage test like this.
In September 2015, my Doctor set up an appointment for me with a rheumatologist, and I am now on proper medication, and my life has gone back to normal. Riding bareback for all that time had made me a much better rider, and I am very happy that I got that experience, no matter how bad it was.
My goal is to go to Guelph University, as it is where my grandpa studied, and it is close to home
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