WAY TO GO

There will always be people in your life who you will like from the moment you meet them

I have been involved with harness racing for far too many years but had the luck to be involved with some very knowledgeable horsemen. Horsemen who taught me to watch and listen---taught me to actually see what a horse was doing and to know why they were doing it.

I met Colin a good few years back----his personality was infectious---his horses not very talented----but he had a love for his horses and for what he was doing.
He was always willing to listen when someone gave him some advice and was always willing to try something new.
You just couldn't help but like the guy and be infected by his love of life and his lifestyle.

He laughed at me when he got up and beat my horse in a photo finish after trying something that I had suggested----I was pleased for him and he understood that I was just as pleased that my advice had worked as I would have been if my horse had beaten him.

My horses beat him home in a lot of races and he was gracious about it, but always reminded me of his conquest.

Colin had to stop driving horses after suffering a heart attack at a very young age.
His interest in harness racing never wained and he put his heart and soul into pony racing, with his young son driving the family's team of ponies.

The years passed and Colin's son outgrew the ponies so Colin established a team of horses the lad to drive.
His health had improved and he was passed to race drive himself.
He did very little driving, preferring to give his son as much experience as he could get.

Just before Xmas I watched one of his horses race----the horse was a pacer and intrigued me the way that he went---he was not rough in his stride but unusual----
I couldn't stop thinking about the horse and drove out to Colin's property early one morning to watch the horse work----the more I watched, the more I saw it and I had to tell him.
"Mate, that horse is trying to trot in his hopples----take them off and I'll bet he doesn't pace"-----he took the hopples off and the big horse trotted but needed balancing in his feet and shoeing.
Two weeks later, after a few visits and Colin's son following my shoeing instructions, the big former pacer was really starting to look like a racing proposition as a trotter.

Colin took the horse to the racing trials and in a field of 10, the big bloke behaved himself and finished 4th
It may have been a bit soon, but Colin couldn't wait to race him and nominated him for a race last Friday week.

I had to go to watch it happen----Colin's son had to work so Col was driving the horse himself.
He was like a kid with a new toy----he was excited about the horses prospects in the race.
I helped him harness up and sent him out----you could see the life in the man---he was proud of his horse and had a pride in himself to be back race driving-----it was his life, his enjoyment.

It might have been a fairytale
We will never know
There he was---the big horse and Colin running fourth with a lap to go----the horse was going well---maybe it could have been----but the horse slowed dramatically, Colin slumped forward in the cart and tumbled to the track.
The track attendants raced to his side----the paramedics were there in seconds----the race went on, the big horse was lose on the track.

Colin died that night----a massive heart attack.

No matter how sad, I can't hep but think that it was a great way for him to go---doing what he loved and with a chance to win that race.

He will be missed by a lot of people