Today in the UK 400 people will attempt to take their own lives and 18 will succeed. The horse industry has experienced its own losses, including top-level event rider Matthew Wright, who was always open about his struggle with mental health, in February.
In 2018, there were 6,507 registered suicides, according to the Samaritans, the highest rate being among 45 to 49-year- old men, with males across the age groups three times more likely to end their own lives than women. Suicide deaths in young people (aged 16-24), including among young females, are rising and suicide is the biggest killer of young people, with 759 taking their own lives in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in 2018.
One of the Samaritans’ straplines is: “Suicide is not inevitable; it…