When A Horse Is Named After A Book

What a lovely thing it is to be asked by good friends if they can name their foal after your book.

Of course I said, Yes, please! And here he is, the lil fella. Meet Craggan Dhu, future trotter, from the mare Golden Gate, a winner at Addington trots in 2016.

I love the colour of his coat. It puts me in mind of the gleam of a ploughed paddock’s fresh furrow.

I don’t really know much about horses, but to me Craggan Dhu is a handsome young foal. Apparently at this stage in his growth, he’s a little high in the rear due to the fact that the rear legs grow faster than the front ones. But the front legs will eventually catch up and his shape will even out.

The lovely owner, our friend J, looks after his horses well and they show an obvious affection for him – especially when he has some treats in a bucket.

Not to be outdone, CD’s stable mates were eager to get into the picture as well.

Outside, another horse shows some curiosity as to what the fuss in the stable is all about. Or maybe it is just eager to have something from the bucket too.

A bucket is a very useful thing to have in a stable.

The stable provides shelter and a space for all the work that goes into the rearing, caring and training of these splendid animals. I do love horses. My father was fond of them too and I have a brother who owns trotters. Seeing the horses completely of their own volition racing freely around J & A’s track, practising their paces, unbidden, was proof to me that horses bred for racing, simply do love to race.

A. is keen on growing vegetables and gains much pleasure from the produce she grows. I can only stand in speechless awe. Horses, sheep, growing your own vegetables and a gorgeous pastoral view that stretches out to a river and all around to an amphitheatre of hills – what more could you want? Well, maybe having a horse named after your novel, does come a pretty close second.