I STARTED riding when my parents and I moved to Leigh-onSea in Essex at the end of World War II. I was 10 years old and began having lessons at Rebels Lane Riding School, which is where I met my first pony, Lucy. She was a Dales/Welsh and we eventually bought her for £40. She was a stocky, hefty sort who was broken to harness, and I would take her out with a flat cart to pick up hay and straw.
A nice farmer rented me a field for five bob (25p) a week. I'd cycle there before and after school and did a paper
