Post by tintin on Dec 10, 2012 15:30:20 GMT 1
This is a beautiful book well written and very knowledgeable with lovely illustrations, which I am giving 5 stars , but, out of cowardice, not the Gold Cup, because – curse you CR Acton - it came damn near to making me cry. In fact if I had been on my own and not at my Mam and Dad’s I don’t think I could have contained myself.
The book was published in 1938 and the author was known as “Sydney the Standard” of Horse and Hound. He wrote several books about horses, dogs, racing and field sports. He was obviously expert on horses, as one would expect and I think almost everyone will learn something from the book. His written style is unusual. It is like he is sat talking with you, or giving a “fireside chat” on the radio. I don’t think very many authors could pull this off, directly addressing the reader in this way, but he does.
There are five stories in the book:-
Peter, the Child’s Pony
Sam, the Polo Pony
Boy Jim, the Hunter
Dactyl, the Race Horse
Silverskin, the Charger
We get a pretty full biography of each horse, which is particularly interesting as to their early lives and initial training. Boy Jim and Dactyl have quite good lives, but Poor Sam and Peter!
Peter is a beautiful, well-loved, well trained and willing Pony, but his rider, Ray, spoils him through ignorance and he is sold on and on, eventually into misery. Fortunately he is rescued, but he cannot work any more and lives out his days at grass.
Sam’s story is even sadder. He is one of the poor horses left behind in the Middle East after the Great War. The contrast with his pre-war life is horrible. Eventually he is rescued, but is too far gone and the only kindness left is the bullet. The author is rightly full of indignation at the plight of such horses and lets his audience have it with both barrels
Silverskin, the grey hunter who becomes an officer’s charger, gets to live to a happy old age, but his original master is put in a wheel chair by the war. His last owners are a very nice married couple and he is a very loved horse. Sadly, however, we do get a description of them going out one morning to find their horse peacefully lying dead of old age, “he had gone to join his comrades”. This is the last passage in the book and was a bit much for me and I had to go for a walk.
The shadow of the Great War hangs heavily over this book. The author himself served on the Western Front. The book is additionally sad in that we learn at the beginning that everything in it has happened to an actual horse of the author’s acquaintance, though not necessarily all to the same one. I think, though I have no evidence, that it is probably the author who rescues Peter.
The book is probably pitched at a slightly older readership than post war pony books. Published by Country Life the readership was probably also more affluent and familiar with the glamorous side of the horse world and the author probably thought it would do them no harm to show up its darker side and promote a bit of responsibility.
It is quite clear the author really loved horses, and people too, and wanted to spread useful knowledge and good attitudes as much as he could. However, he is not po-faced or sanctimonious about it. I suspect his war experiences led him to believe that men and horses should get every bit of honest joy they could out of life.
Grooms get a good press here! There is a lot of joy in the book too, but it is not for the easily upset.
Probably not a book for those who don’t like field sports either.
The illustrations, by Maurice Tulloch, are beautiful and I am contacting Claire about how to post them.
The book was published in 1938 and the author was known as “Sydney the Standard” of Horse and Hound. He wrote several books about horses, dogs, racing and field sports. He was obviously expert on horses, as one would expect and I think almost everyone will learn something from the book. His written style is unusual. It is like he is sat talking with you, or giving a “fireside chat” on the radio. I don’t think very many authors could pull this off, directly addressing the reader in this way, but he does.
There are five stories in the book:-
Peter, the Child’s Pony
Sam, the Polo Pony
Boy Jim, the Hunter
Dactyl, the Race Horse
Silverskin, the Charger
We get a pretty full biography of each horse, which is particularly interesting as to their early lives and initial training. Boy Jim and Dactyl have quite good lives, but Poor Sam and Peter!
Peter is a beautiful, well-loved, well trained and willing Pony, but his rider, Ray, spoils him through ignorance and he is sold on and on, eventually into misery. Fortunately he is rescued, but he cannot work any more and lives out his days at grass.
Sam’s story is even sadder. He is one of the poor horses left behind in the Middle East after the Great War. The contrast with his pre-war life is horrible. Eventually he is rescued, but is too far gone and the only kindness left is the bullet. The author is rightly full of indignation at the plight of such horses and lets his audience have it with both barrels
Silverskin, the grey hunter who becomes an officer’s charger, gets to live to a happy old age, but his original master is put in a wheel chair by the war. His last owners are a very nice married couple and he is a very loved horse. Sadly, however, we do get a description of them going out one morning to find their horse peacefully lying dead of old age, “he had gone to join his comrades”. This is the last passage in the book and was a bit much for me and I had to go for a walk.
The shadow of the Great War hangs heavily over this book. The author himself served on the Western Front. The book is additionally sad in that we learn at the beginning that everything in it has happened to an actual horse of the author’s acquaintance, though not necessarily all to the same one. I think, though I have no evidence, that it is probably the author who rescues Peter.
The book is probably pitched at a slightly older readership than post war pony books. Published by Country Life the readership was probably also more affluent and familiar with the glamorous side of the horse world and the author probably thought it would do them no harm to show up its darker side and promote a bit of responsibility.
It is quite clear the author really loved horses, and people too, and wanted to spread useful knowledge and good attitudes as much as he could. However, he is not po-faced or sanctimonious about it. I suspect his war experiences led him to believe that men and horses should get every bit of honest joy they could out of life.
Grooms get a good press here! There is a lot of joy in the book too, but it is not for the easily upset.
Probably not a book for those who don’t like field sports either.
The illustrations, by Maurice Tulloch, are beautiful and I am contacting Claire about how to post them.