Phil and Lindsay Wilson met at a motorcycle club in the early 1970s and discovered a mutual love of horses as well as bikes.
Around 1990 Phil bought Lindsay a near new BSA 650cc Thunderbolt from a private collection.
Some time later, whilst dog training at a farm near Bridgnorth in Shropshire, Phil spotted a Shire horse in a nearby field. For Phil it was love at first sight. After making some enquiries, it was found that ‘Sophie’ the Shire was for sale by the riding school that owned her. Nothing was said to Lindsay.
An acquaintance of Phil’s had been hankering after the BSA so he had a ready buyer. Off went Phil with the Thunderbolt and returned home with £1800 in his pocket, which he promptly swapped for ‘Sophie’.
It was only later Phil learnt that, until the riding school had bought her, ‘Sophie’ was destined to become pet food.
The night ‘Sophie’ was purchased (a Sunday) Phil announced to Lindsay that she had to go to work on the bus on the following morning as he had sold her only transport but on the positive side they now owned a Shire horse. He also told her that she had her first riding lesson the following Saturday!
Being married to Phil for some years, events like these were not unusual for Lindsay, and luckily (for Phil) she took it in her stride.
This new life with horses began in the spring of 1992. Sadly Sophie is no longer with us, but Phil and Lindsay thank her for rekindling their connection with and love of heavy horses, which has led on to a complete change of life style.