Oh gosh yes reading!!! I read ALOT when I was a kid. Now I think I watch more series on telly, so I think it was the stories I was addicted to as much as the words.
Oh horses - do you still miss them? I do.
Here's me as a kid with my sister.. She's in front on Bayleaf, which became my horse. The one I"m on is Chester, we had him on free lease and he used to do a funny wiggle and chuck you off. I could anticipate it and growl at him but he threw my Dad off so hard once he pissed blood for a week. Dad still tells that story, embellishing with how I thundered ahead on Bayleaf and caused him to fall, and laughed when he did - none of this is true - he just tells it for theatrical detail.
I haven't ridden in absolute years. When I went travelling I gave Bayleaf to a younger cousin who had her til she died. Great horse - she used to flagrace so was super agile, thus great for a young girl who used to like riding bareback on the beach and adventure riding!
This was my pony I learned to ride on. He was 15 when we got him and he lived to 35. He was 25 in this photo. His name was Chief and he was a retired gymkhana pony.
Later we got this half Arab mare. I was 13 in the photo. Her name was Kwaiyis Jauhar (Beautiful Jewel). I think she was 7 in the photo.
Oh wow snap!!! Love the photos .. just gorgeous!!!!!!