Second Chance: The Heartwarming True Story of a Neglected Horse Who Became a Mounted Police Hero

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 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.

This moving true story about the extraordinary bond between horses and the humans who care for them reveals the power and the potential of a simple second chance.

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.