So how did YOU spend your weekends when you were nine years old?

I spent most of my time in the stables or on horseback (plus the requisite time sitting on the driveway polishing my miniature riding boots on a Sunday night before school - a rule in our house that I was happy enough to abide by given it was my grandfather who set it) and I would dream of the day when I would own all number of top class eventers. I can't honestly say that I ever spent much time (if in fact ANY) contemplating how to finance my own company.

A lot has changed in the past 24 years it would seem.

An American girl by the name of Delaney has gone well beyond pony club and boot polish. She's collected horse shoes from the steeds who have carried her around endless laps of the local riding school and has set up her own art-related company known as HorseShues.

As the girl's father states on the website:

"Horseshues.com is a family venture, part commerce, part teaching activity for our daughter. Delaney is horse crazy (to put it mildly). She came up with the idea to decorate old horseshoes and sell them as a way to save money for the horse she plans to start her herd with. She has no intention of stopping at one horse. She wants a whole herd!

"The more I thought about it, the better the idea got. We "loaned" her the start up capital, which was not much more than some money for web hosting, the domain, and her first batch of supplies. She paid that back from sales revenue in one week, and has remained profitable ever since."

I can't say that I am one for artistic horse shoes (a shoe falls off and I'm the person who curses and thinks "I JUST GOT THE FARRIER OUT TO FIX THAT!!!!!!!!!" rather than appreciate its potential artistic lifespan) but nevertheless, you can't take anything away from this young businesswoman.