Colin Brown: 'I loved Dessie to bits - but Elsie wasn't always easy to ride for'

Why did you decide to become a jockey?

I'd always loved animals and I used to help an old lady with her ponies, as well as having my own menagerie of animals at home. My uncle Ron loved racing and took me to Goodwood when I was 12. I was small and he suggested becoming a jockey. My family bought a pony, I left school at 14 and then rode out for several yards. I had my first ride at Newton Abbot in 1973 and won. I loved it. I met so many great people and life was a big holiday apart from injuries.

What else do you think you could have done for a job?