All About Horses -2: All About Horses., #2

By Cindy Crank

Stories about cowboys and their horses, rescues, famous horse people, amazing feats, rags to riches tales, wartime heroes, champions, greats and near greats, legends and beloved favourites!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cindy Crank
• Release date: Jan 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386938514

Cindy Crank

Cindy Crank is a former competitive rider who grew up with horses and learned to ride at an early age crediting her Grandfather with a love of all things equine. She has spent the last thirty years as author and journalist for countless magazines - mostly horse sport - and as horse sport media specialist. She presently writes a blog about horses and history for a major Canadian horse sport publications group.  

Book preview

ALL ABOUT HORSES - 2

TRUE TALES, FUN FACTS AND AMAZING STORIES.

Stories about cowboys and their horses, rescues, famous horse people, amazing feats, rags to riches tales, wartime heroes, champions, greats and near greats, legends and beloved favourites!

CINDY CRANK

Published by

CINDY CRANK

COPYRIGHT@2019

Table of Contents

Racing and Polo

Arkle, the Guinness Drinking Champion.

The Snowy Racing Ritz at St. Moritz.

Polo from Wartime to Playtime.

Saratoga Race Course: Health, History and Horses.

Red Rum: The Horse who saved the Grand National.

Kentucky Derby Favorites who failed at the Finish Line

The History of British Horse Racing and Betting

The Preakness: Run for the Black-Eyed Susan’s

Belmont Stakes: Final Run for Triple Crown Glory.

Battleship: Sailing to Victory Across the Ocean.

The Good Old Days

Stand & Deliver: Your Money or Your Life!

Equestrian Etiquette and Attire in the Victorian Era.

The Iron Horse versus the Canal Horse.

Left Hand Driving, Right Hand Driving.

Cowboys & Indians

The American Indian Horse: The Ultimate Painted Pony.

The Pony Express: Long Rides and a Short Life.

The Truth behind the Cowboy Legends.

Special People, Special Horses

Snowman: The Ultimate Rags to Riches Story.

Blacksmiths and Horseshoeing: A Trade as old as Christendom.

Saving Belle & Sundance.

Horses at the White House.

The Royal Mews: Stabling Fit for a King (or Queen).

Sable Island Horses: Equine Survivors who always have the Right of Way.

Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Tschiffely’s 10,000 mile, three-year-ride.

The Shrimp Fishing Horses of Belgium.

Lady Godiva: Lady in Distress or Lady in Undress?

The Diving Horses of Yesteryear.

Edward Muybridge: Eccentric, Photographer, Motion Picture Pioneer, Murderer!

Heroes

Sefton: Beloved Survivor of the 1982 IRA Bombings.

Sergeant Reckless: Equine Hero of the Korean War.

Jimmy the Donkey: Small Survivor of the Somme.

Marengo: Napoleon’s Favorite War Horse.

You will see the height of horses in this book written as 16 or 15.2 hh. (hands high) A horse is measured in hands, and each hand is considered 4 inches. Therefore, a horse who is 16 hands would be 16 x 4=64 inches.  A horse who is 15.2 hands would be 15 x 4=60 inches plus 2 = 62.

The difference between a horse and a pony is size. A pony is not a baby horse, both are of the same species, Equus caballus and come from the exact same family tree. A pony is considered anything under 14.2 hh.  (14 x 4=56 plus 2= 58 inches or 147 cm).  A horse is 14.2 hh and over.

Ponies often tend to be mischievous and devious, but many are ideal as pets and for riding by smaller children.

Racing and Polo

Arkle: The Guinness Drinking Champion.

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Arkle and jockey Pat Taaffe

Arkle the steeplechaser was and still is a household name in Ireland. Born in 1957 the bay gelding was owned by Anne Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster, and trained by Tom Dreaper of County Meath, Ireland.  His jockey was Patrick Pat Taaffe a National Hunt jockey who rode Arkle to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups between 1964 and 1966.

Arkle’s ability on the racecourse did not come by accident; his grandsire was the famous Nearco (1935-1957) considered by Thoroughbred Heritage as, one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century and one of the most important sires of the century.  Some of Nearco's descendants were ranked among the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century by The Blood-Horse and include such esteemed horses as  Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Ruffian, Northern Dancer, and Shergar.

His first victory was at Cheltenham by twenty lengths in the Broadway Chase. A horse called Mill House beat Arkle in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in 1963, but Arkle got his revenge in the 1964 Cheltenham Gold Cup by winning by five lengths. This was to be the last time that the mighty Arkle did not start a race as favourite, and perhaps because of the competition, there were only two other horses in the Gold Cup that year. Then, because of his superior performances, the handicapping systems had to be altered for the Irish Grand National. There would be two sets of weight systems: one for races where Arkle was entered, and a second set of rules for when he wasn’t.  While Arkle only won by one length, it must be noted that he was carrying 35 extra pounds.

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Statue of Arkle Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland

In 1965 Arkle won the Gold Cup yet again beating Mill House by an incredible 20 lengths. However, the following year, he won again by an amazing 30 lengths even though he ploughed through one of the fences. Always giving a race his all, he never failed, and despite a quirk that saw him crossing his front legs over a jump, he was again victorious.

Peter O’Sullevan, racing commentator, called Arkle a freak of nature and something not likely to be seen again. Sadly, in December of 1966, his hoof hit a guard rail during the King George VI Chase, but the horse gamely finished the race with a broken pedal bone. He still came in second. He did recover but never raced again and was used as a hack by his owner. He died at the early age of 13 from advanced arthritis.

There are all kinds of wonderful stories surrounding this horse and he attracted a devoted following. Some people said he was so good because he drank Guinness beer two times daily, and thanks to the popularity of racing on TV, he was attracting lots of media attention. He became a star and gained a following just like the Kennedy’s, the Beatles and other celebrities and stars of that era. His fan mail arrived labelled simply, Arkle Ireland while others addressed his mail by writing: Himself, Ireland, as the name Himself had been bestowed upon him. People sent him treats to eat, Guinness beer to drink, and people prayed for his recovery after his accident. He was called ‘a saint’ by work rider Paddy Woods and children were allowed to ride the horse, so kind and gentle was he. Racing fans recognized that he was incredible, not only thanks to his fluid galloping, and exuberant jumping, but that he did so usually carrying extra weight.

Arkle finished first in 27 of his 35 races, but his most outstanding race, and the one which elevated him to almost mythical proportions was the Gallaher Gold Cup run at Sandown in 1965. 

Mill House was his chief rival in the field of seven and was supposedly fighting fit after Arkle had trounced him in the 1964 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Mill House was carrying 16 pounds less than Arkle, so it was any man’s race. Arkle had other ideas, and the crowd got swept away even before the race began. As the two favourite horses made their way to the start line in the autumn air, the clapping began slowly and quietly until everybody on the course joined in and created a loud crescendo of cheering and yelling.

The race began, and Mill House led the way until the two horses were making their way back towards the stands to begin the second circuit. Now Arkle took the lead up the hill, and then realizing that there was a lot more to go, he allowed his rival to take the lead. The fans then began to wonder, was it over for Arkle? Mill House had just jumped the three railway fences on the end of the back straight, and Arkle looked like he was failing. Mill House raged on, and people wondered would the extra weight Arkle was carrying make the difference. Then the unthinkable happened, and with no encouragement from jockey Pat Taaffe, Arkle surged forward. He won by an incredible 20 strides passing Rondetto who passed Mill House who was flagging well behind. Arkle also beat the course record by 17 seconds.  Lord Oaksey said that people felt, the overwhelming sense of greatness that day, and the Sporting Life Guide declared that: there never was such a day and no one present will ever forget the experience.

Arkle was entered into the British Steeplechasing Hall of Fame in 1994, and a life size statue of him was erected at Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland in April 2014. His skeleton is a popular exhibition at the Irish National Stud near Dublin City, Ireland. Arkle was given a time form rating of 212, the highest ever given to a steeplechaser. Mill House by comparison was rated at 191.

The Snowy Racing Ritz at St. Moritz.

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St. Moritz, Switzerland can be credited with a lot of firsts: it was home to the first place in Switzerland to have electric lights, it was the birthplace of spa resorts, and in 1864 winter sports and tourism were founded.  Finally, it was the first place that the winter sport of skijoring — from the Norwegian word snorekjoring which means driving with ropes — was created. Sadly, this winter sport where riderless horses pull skiers has never really been replicated with the same enthusiasm in any other place, so the Swiss have become the undisputed masters of this snowy winter wonderland dash!

In 1906, the first White Turf skijoring races were held on a 10 kilometer (6.376 miles) stretch of road from St. Moritz to Champfer, with the horse/skier teams starting at one-minute intervals. The following year trotting horse races were added, and then the St. Moritz Racing Association was founded. In 1908 six events were held with betting and just two years later, the event was extended to three days per winter. Flat racing was added in 1911 and steeplechasing in 1922. Strangely enough, efforts to have a summer racing event never took off, but the winter events have thrilled race goers for decades. Each February around 35,000 of the world’s jet setters arrive en masse to party, drink champagne, and to cheer on their favorite horses, skiers, riders, and drivers. Sadly, the exciting sport of skijoring has never been seriously considered as an Olympic sport though it was a demonstration sport in the 1928 games. Switzerland won first, second and third place medals!

These days, the skijoring races are held on a racetrack on Lake St. Moritz which freezes 60cm (1.968 feet) thick. While this looks fun and easy, the starts can be very dangerous as the thoroughbreds know exactly what is happening, and in their excitement to start, reins get crossed, and this hopeless confusion is well termed. In 1965, so disastrous was the race that not one team finished! Because of the potential dangers, the horses and riders need to prove that they are both in the know and stringent testing is done. The teams are travelling over a course that is 2700 meters long (8858 feet) and at speeds that can reach 50 kilometers per hour. (31mph). Then throw in blowing snow, snow and ice thrown up from hooves, and the need for athleticism, skill, and balance is obvious. The skier with the most points from three consecutive racing Sundays in February is crowned King of the Edgadin Valley.

While the winter races in all forms were stopped for WWII, they were re-launched in 1952. Since 1998, the racing has been managed and organized by the White Turf Racing Association, and the group organizes, promotes, and oversees every detail of the annual event that also include polo using a red ball for visibility. Betting is available and the purses for the various races are nothing to sneeze at. Whether for skijoring, flat or harness racing on any of the three consecutive Sundays in February, prize money ranges from about $15,000 US to $111,000 US and sponsors include such notables as Credit