Owners
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The Long Brothers (picture
of George below) from Burton-on-Trent were one of the many owners who
came racing from all parts of Great Britain to the major race meetings.
In the early days these people brought their horses via the railway.
There were always special trains put on for the major meetings like
Llangadog, Llandrindod and Penybont.
Later they came by lorry causing much interest as spectators came to view the latest models of horse transport. George Long won the cup in Penybont in 1930 and 1931 with Lucy who was a trotter. The Long Brothers were involved with some very good horses over the years including Ensign Bill an American horse who was second in the Little Brown Jug before coming here. |
The locals would
ride to and from the races on their horses and that provided much
of the social aspect of the meetings. Lewis Lewis (pictured
opposite) remembers as a young boy riding to the races alongside his
father but they only had 1 saddle between them so he rode bare-back
while his father enjoyed the comfort of the saddle. Even in the
big race meetings there were always local races for horses which spent
most of their 
lives working on the land or pulling a cart.
One of the earliest horses that Lewis Lewis can remember is a horse called Billy Boy, he was racing during the 1930s. He was owned by Tom Eckley from Felinfach near Brecon. He was a trotting stallion and he travelled to races in Cardiganshire as well as his native Breconshire. The Eckley's are a family well-known in the horse world. |
The Alman family from Gladestry have been involved
in racing trotting horses for generations. Joe Alman (the present Joe's
grandfather) raced Fleeting Memories during the 1920s while his son Ossie
was a well known owner and rider for many
years. The picture below shows Ossie Alman riding
Primrose along with Mr Williams the owner. photo J. Alman |
Gwynne Higgins from Gloucester is one
of the most knowledgeable horsemen in harness racing and has been involved
with racing for many years. He grew up in a family of horse dealers
and has handled many horses. One of his first horses was Village Maid
who was the dam of Spring Maid one of the stars of the
photo G Higgins
Welsh grass tracks. Gwynne remembers many of the old
horsemen and Dick Johnson (photo opposite) from London was one of the
best of all time. |
|
Peter Vaughan from Llanidloes
was another leading figure in the racing world. His two sons Tommy and Billy were also involved but when they went
to the war his nephew Ken Vaughan
who more or less grew up with his uncle was left
to race the horses. Peter Vaughan brought quite a few horses down from
the Manchester track and took them racing in Wales. photo
K Vaughan |
Bill Collard originally from
The Severn Arms in Penybont introduced many good horses into the area. He
imported some American horses like the roan stallion Ace of Trumps. In
later life he moved to Rhayader but still kept an
active interest in racing. He 
used to own Penybont race track but when he moved
he sold it to the Penybont committee
so Penybont race field is the only race field photo G Higgins owned by a race committee. In the picture he is seen with Lioness after her retirement. |
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