They say that animals choose their owners. This was definitely the case with Wally. When the four-year-old mare met Anna-Lena, horse and rider had found each other. “For me, equestrian sport is a partnership – it’s give and take,” says Anna-Lena Michalke.

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The 23-year-old started riding early and celebrated some success as a teenager – as Upper Bavarian Dressage Champion, for example. When Anna-Lena met Wally by chance, she immediately formed a close bond with the animal. “Every day with Wally is a bit like a holiday,” says Anna-Lena.

Shock at the vet’s

But when Wally turned five, the mare suddenly started to become lame. Then the shock came at the vet’s: the horse had a fetlock fracture – a terrible diagnosis in a young, vivacious mare who stood at 1.84m tall. The animal faced a difficult operation and a long recovery period. The joint on both front legs had to be fixed with screws, then the horse was barely allowed to move for a few weeks.

Anna-Lena was only gradually allowed to increase her horse’s physical activity: first three laps around the riding arena, then one more lap every week. At some point Anna-Lena was allowed to ride Wally again for a longer period of time – just at walking pace. Then she was allowed to do a lap at a trot and so on.

Using memon technology

It was an intense time for Anna-Lena and Wally. The difficulty from the very beginning was keeping Wally still to allow the fracture to heal. But that’s not an easy task with a horse full of energy. That’s why Anna-Lena decided to use memon technology for Wally. She herself grew up with memon and thought that something that had helped her might also help her horse.

First success after a year

A good year after the operation, the time came. Anna-Lena and Wally took part in a tournament again. After much hesitation and procrastination, after a lot of persuasion and feeling good about her horse, Anna-Lena decided to give it a try.

Anna-Lena’s intuition was right. “It was a huge success for me for Wally to pull through after such a long injury. She arrived at the tournament so relaxed and even happy to be able to take part,” says Anna-Lena. Wally gave her something back; Anna-Lena is convinced of that.

What did memon do?

Looking back, Anna-Lena says: “Especially when it comes to recovery processes, you take any help you can get. It takes an awful lot of energy when you’re stuck in such a lengthy process. I think memon helped Wally to access her inner calm, to stay at ease and to heal.“

Do horses also notice this at tournaments? “Tournaments are an unfamiliar environment for the horses and there’s always a lot going on. I think that memon can have a positive effect on how calm the animals are – so they can focus on the tournament.”

And Anna-Lena’s own experiences with memon? She doesn’t have to think about it long: “I’ve known memon my whole life. For me, it’s only natural that I’d use it to protect myself.”

memon for horses and pets