Against All Odds
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About Me
I have always had a passion for animals and as a child adored the family cat, Tiddles, a beautiful ginger boy along with the hamsters that my brother and I had that would come and go as their short lives would dictate. There was Winkie, Fred and Puff along with a beautiful albino mouse called Dominque. As most girls do, I developed a passion for horses and would cycle miles to an Army Barracks in Pirbright, Surrey to ride a most wonderful big, black horse called Saracen. I felt so proud every time I sat on his majestic back.
I left home at the tender age of 16 and spent the next five years working with horses. Because many jobs with horses is seasonal I moved around England quite a bit. I have worked at Riding Schools, which is where I gained my B.H.S.A.I. (British Horse Society Assistant Instructor), one of the most memorable being at Mill Hill Riding School in London where many celebrities would come with their daughters to have riding lessons. I have worked with Hunters, Point to Pointers, at a Stud where it was a mix of horses and donkeys but I think my most enjoyable time was when I worked at a Polo Yard in Sunningdale near Ascot. We were allowed to exercise the Polo Ponies in Windsor Great Park, which is vast, and in areas where the General Public weren’t allowed to go. It was such a crazy time! To think that I would ride one pony and lead three others along with other stable hands who were doing exactly the same and be completely fearless as we galloped along many stretches of unspoilt countryside.
Through the Polo season there were many tournaments which were always exciting along with seeing all the top players including Prince Charles who was just a young, single man then with no edge about him who always had a smile for you. Those days were brilliant – the Summers were Summers and being dressed in skimpy shorts and bikini tops was the norm for us stable girls!
There is more to come including my encounters with Mark Phillips before he married Princess Anne and a telling off from Rod Stewart for hitch hiking!!