I want to use this blog to write some of the stuff I did not have space for in the book. I mentioned that I ran the worst riding school in the world, and that is true. How many other riding instructors have you ever seen at work with a copy of the Pony Club Riding Manual stuffed down the front of her jodphurs?
I would pick the children up outside school at two pm and drive them back to the stables. In those days I had this old, very old, beaten up Toyota Land Cruiser with an open bin on the back and a hunting seat welded up high behind the cab. There was always great competition as to who could ride on the seat.
I had as many stable hands as I needed but one day a small guy appeared at the end of our road. He had fled from Zimbabwe and his clothes were so threadbare they failed to cover even the important and private bits. I did not have the heart to turn him away and employed him. He was the best of all the guys, worked harder was the most reliable and so on. However one day as we were driving back at the beginning of the afternoon there were loud screams from the children behind. I slammed on the brakes, jumped out and went to see what the matter was………….
[this is called a cliff hanger right?] more in a few days, watch this space!
I can promise you I really did run the very worst riding school in the world. more about that later.
lucinda E Clarke 