Love of horses shines through

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33343, 29 September 1973, Page 9

Love of horses shines through

“It is a cold night and my bones are a bit creaky, but I must go out and feed my yearlings again.” So ends “Eighty Years! With Horses” (Reed), the 1 most welcome product of a' vast store of experience accumulated by North Can-1 terbury’s L. R. C. Macfarlane. • ■ Mr MacFarlane’s love of the horse as a creature of flesh; and blood, heart and spirit, 1 rather than as a mere racing machine, is in splendid evidence in this book. The Macfarlane colours of: black and white stripes, and red cap, are almost as famil-, iar on West Coast courses as in Canterbury. Such generous support for the West Coast; meetings stems from Mr; Macfarlane’s obvious fondness for the beauty of that area, first gained on boyhood; . holidays, his regard for the life style of many Coasters,, and his belief that the change '■ of environment is also a treat for the visiting horses. In Mr Macfarlane West, Coasters could have an eloquent supporter in their resistance to proposals for reducing the number of | I tracks in that area.

Be it racing for small i :stakes in the West Coast or. I for glamorous prizes such as The Melbourne and Welling- . I ton Cups, the Macfarlane? j philosophy is the same:? 1 defeats taken gracefully, triumphs modestly. ; The narrow defeat of Mr ?Macfarlane’s Quite Able by; the great stayer, Great Sensa- 1 tion, in a Wellington Cup was naturally a personal disappointment. but the author; devotes more space register-? ;ing his sympathy for the; horse’s breeder than for his' own feelings on the matter. 1 There is much else in this ‘ book. Mr Macfarlane’s experi- ’ ‘ ences on active service in - World War 1 would, in them- 1 ■ i selves, supply the material ?for a colourful personal ' I record. Mr Macfarlane knows I what it is to ride a camel I I under the most demanding ' i conditions. But he makes it ■ j clear he would not care to ■‘exchange any camel for his much-loved thoroughbred, ! Palley. : The book has a few minor i' printing flaws, and no doubt •(someone raised Cain about • repeated references to Quite