Animals As Minor (or Major) Characters - by Hywela Lyn
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love animals, in particular, horses. Flikka at 30 in her stable I'm not sure from where I inherited my love of horses, any more than I know where I got my love of writing. We weren't a horsey family, and didn't have any land to keep a horse or pony. However, my father loved all animals, and passed down this love to my sister and me. I can't remember a time when we didn't have a dog when I was growing up in a small seaside town in Wales, and I spent my school holidays helping out at the local riding school. As soon as I left school I saved up every spare penny for five years, to buy my first horse, a bay Thoroughbred cross, Flikka, who stayed with me until she died at the ripe old age of 35 years. Sal and me after a long distance event I suppose it was my love of horses that gave me my fascination with the Old West, so much so, that I bought a Western saddle, learnt to ride in the Western style and retrained my horses in...