SECOND CHANCE

A life-affirming true story of kindness, courage and one horse's extraordinary journey from a derelict paddock to the esteemed stables of the Mounted Police.

On a hot summer's day in Northern New South Wales, Mounted Police officer Tiffany Williams spotted an advertisement for a horse in the local paper - a Clydesdale-cross for a price almost too good to be true. On a whim, she and her husband drove out to see him. Arriving at a drought-stricken farm, they bought the bargain-priced horse, but also discovered his brother, Toby - a badly neglected, ungainly horse bound for the knackery. The connection between Toby and Tiff was instant, and he turned out to be the most remarkable horse she'd ever encountered. A split-second decision sparked an astonishing journey from a brutal life in a desolate paddock to a flourishing career within the esteemed stables of the Mounted Police. From the moment she could walk and talk, Diana Thurgood has lived and breathed animals. A self-confessed animal lover, she has spent her life caring for and writing about domestic, farm and native animals. She authored a blog on her animal sanctuary for a number of years and has written about environmental issues for conservation organisations. Her award-winning career in learning design has also seen her design and write in the education sphere for thirty years. Diana has lived on a forty-acre property in Berambing, a small town in the Blue Mountains, for the past twenty-five years with her three children and a huge variety of beloved animals.