When I was six years old, a beautiful young foal was born to my Uncle's thoroughbred mare. This foal was by a      pure Arabian stallion, which I have been told, was champion stallion one year at the Melbourne Royal Show in  the early 1940's. The foal took more to the Arabian in his breeding, a sensible little fellow but a real little show off. My Grandmother called him a real dandy and Dandy then became his name.

His dam was as silly as a rabbit and we children were never allowed to ride her, I often wondered where and why  my Uncle bought her and concluded she was all he could afford at the time!!!

Very early the foal and I became firm friends. My father broke Dandy in at two years of age to be then turned out  to mature. I begged if I could ride him in the horse yard [about  2000 square metres] and this I was allowed to  do, bare back of course.

 Gradually it became the dam paddock, about 5 acres, then we ventured out into the wide world of the farm. One  would think a combination of an eight year old child on a 2 year old 'young' horse would bring disaster but no, I  was very safe with Dandy.

 Thus began my lifelong love affair with the Arabian horse. 

The photograph was taken on my Box Brownie Camera, when we were in the middle of a reserve [natural bush].  I  expected him to stand there on his own, for his photo and he did!