And photographs, if you have any.
Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Deborah Meaden
"When I was 11, I used to help out with the pony rides up and down
Minehead seafront in Somerset.
I loved horses and couldn't afford one
of my own, so it was my way of getting near them."
Deborah Meaden talks about her Saturday job
When I was 11 I used to help out with the pony rides up and down
Minehead seafront in Somerset. I loved horses and couldn't afford
one of my own, so it was my way of getting near them. I used to
just turn up on the beach, and wouldn't go away. I think the owners
thought they might as well get me to do something.
I was very comfortable around horses. I was allowed to ride one of the ponies back to the stable. There was one that I absolutely loved. He was a strawberry roan called Nimbus.
He was a bit feisty and was the one that I wasn't allowed to ride so, of course, I absolutely wanted to.
It was quite a big responsibility. You would get children who didn't know any better than to get on and kick and go "Yeehah!", which is not a very good idea on pony rides. Every now and then I would have to ask them to stop in front of their parents.
It did teach me to find a diplomatic way of talking to people. As an 11-year-old you can't throw your weight around. There was a real responsibility to the animals and the children and I had to take it seriously. Horsey people are pretty blunt. There was no gentle "Do this or that". They didn't say "Well, she's only 11".
I got used to it. I don't get offended when people are very direct and that's straight from those early days. I like directness. There is less confusion if people say what they mean. In Dragons' Den, sometimes, you get someone in front of you who just isn't listening and you have to say, "You are going to ruin your life."
I bought my first pony for £60 at 13 after I'd saved up
enough money. He was called Apollo, which was far too grand a name
for a scruffy Welsh mountain pony. He was a right so-and-so. He
totally ruled the roost. I now own six horses.
I did the pony rides for about a year and, after that, I did some work at Longleat safari park.
My parents were very keen that we learned early on that we needed to pay our own way. They gave me a good lifebut if I wanted the cream on top then I had to work for it. I couldn't just say I wanted a pony. It was simply: "Deb, if you want it bad enough, find a way," and that's really stuck with me.
My mother-in-law lives in Minehead and when I visit, even now, I get tingly as I drive towards the beach.
Deborah
Meaden was talking to The Guardian
Interview by Angela
Foster
Read more about Debra Meaden........
Deborah Meaden, famous as one of the television business dragons who either make or kill people’s business dreams, has just joined Hoof.
Wonder whether she’ll now invest in ideas to make it happen . . .
Hoof was founded by the British Equestrian Federation to make riding
in London both more accessible and more 
affordable.
Deborah Meaden is showing her support for London based campaign ‘Hoof’ which was launched in December 2007 to promote the sport of horse riding to city dwellers.
The aim of the project is to encourage more people who live in inner city London to get involved with horses and to make the hobby more accessible and affordable.
Celebrity businesswoman Deborah is a keen horse woman and as a child worked summer holidays to raise money to pay for the keep of her pony.
She said “Horses may not be for everyone, but being around them teaches many important life lessons that it is a shame more people are not encouraged to become involved with them.”
For more information on how you can get involved with the project please visit: www.hoof-in-town.com