Harness Racing

The seventies and eightees. My two older brothers were right into it. One an owner/driver, the other a standardbred stud owner.
The rest of us came along for the ride. Attending meetings, visiting the stud, watching the horse being trained and following the progress of mostly slow horses.I actually bought one and had it trained by my brother. A short career mostly finishing last or near last. There was one horse that my brother trained that did quite well. The exception to the rule. She won over 20 races in the country and city. Kept us all entertained for a few years.
It was a real passion for my brothers. They were ethical. They never cheated. Thinking about that now I am quite proud of them.
The only thing i regret is that their passion distracted me. I should have focussed on my own. Music and guitar for one. And a more ruthless search for religious truth perhaps? Oh well it wasnt all bad. Going to a country race meeting was kind of fun really. I have a strong memory of mouth-watering steak sandwiches with a can of beer. Even if i was losing on the punt.