Valeria came from a family of four children; she was the third child. She learned to ride at the age of eleven. She would muck out, sweep, clean tack, groom, anything to be near the horses. She was always there, waiting to help turn the horses out into their paddocks. Valeria moved to Dorset with her family in 1962. The first thing to find was the local stables, just a short bike ride away. Every day after school and all weekends were spent at the stables. Later Val met Tony at the stables. He stood there smiling across the back of her favourite horse, Rani. They married young, Val was seventeen and Tony was twenty-two, they are still married fifty-three years later. Val worked for a vet, and as a shepherdess, but it was horses again that were the guiding force. In 1976, they took over the stables at Etchinghill in Kent Teaching, training students for their B.H.S. exams, breaking and schooling horses. Lots of competitions, eventing and later, riding. It was at Ridgehill that they were introduced to American Morgan horses, and they became the love of her life. First was the beautiful Silkie (Eaglehead Silken Touch). Silkie was the inspiration for the pink and silver unicorn mare who appears in another story. Val’s dear friends Nan and Tony Philips gave her their Morgan Gelding ‘Mosaic’; he was the inspiration for Prince Argent. He was handsome, gentle, lively and gave Val so much fun. How she loved to ride him! Now Val has two Labradors, Ruby and Indie, she and Tony enjoy walking with them in the beautiful Dorset countryside.
