Laura Collett says sometimes that can be harder than many people think.
Following a heavy fall from her horse in 2013, the British equestrian had to be resuscitated five times and given an emergency tracheotomy by paramedics after suffering a fractured shoulder and cheekbone, broken ribs, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver and damage to her kidneys.
A fragment of bone also travelled through the bloodstream to her right eye, damaging the optic nerve and causing vision loss.
After being placed in an induced coma for six days, her family and friends had doubts about whether she would survive, let alone be able to get back on a horse again.
But she did eventually get back on. She is now ranked No3 in the world, is the 2025 European Eventing Champion and has won gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, among many other championship titles.
"I’m very stubborn and I have no other interests in life, so from my point of view, it was never really an option not to get back on.
"I was very lucky that I didn’t remember anything from the day, so it was almost like it didn’t really happen to me.
"I think that was probably the best thing."
Ms Collett spent most of yesterday at the Dunedin Pony Club giving top-level advice and inspiring young Otago riders as part of a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Dunedin was the last stop on the tour and she was looking forward to heading back to the United Kingdom to prepare for the European eventing season, which starts in March.
She left participants with an unspoken message — never give up on perfection and always get back on the horse.
