Page 76 - IT'S A RUM LIFE BOOK FOUR Volume 1 "Northcote 1984 to 1998"

William and “Fans” on a big shed open day.

Next the horses learned to obey word commands and not need to be led around with a
string. Gradually we developed our unique visitor programme where the horses, “on
liberty” are introduced to the visitors all together in one large building and on it goes from
there.

Admission was charged for visitors and we provided a wide range of refreshments in our
cafe. For the first few years the income paid for all the expenses including basic wages for
three part time helpers.

July and August were to become our main cash earning months and in fact for the first
three years we could earn £10,000 in the month of August. Mind you we needed it as in
the winter when income was zero, it was the time of our highest expenses.

By the end of 1992 we had 15 big horses including Goliath and Bonnie, it was costing just
over £120 each and every day to pay for the care costs of the horses. This did not include
any wages paid to helpers.

But then double trouble arrived in the form of a national financial crisis where bank rates
rocketed to a never before 20% and quite quickly we had to face the crisis of the National
Lottery.