Special bond between boy and horse

Thanks to Duncan Lowe who writes to say: “I am enjoying the recent articles in the Craigie Column regarding life on local farms, particularly relating to “bairns” lucky enough to have parents living and working “on the land”.

“My brothers and I were brought up on a farm, Ballindarg, halfway between Padanaram on the Forfar to Kirriemuir road, and Roundyhill School on the Kirriemuir to Glamis road. School holidays were always memorable for us on the farm as we were always available for work at Easter holiday planting tattles, then in September/October it was tattie howkin’ time. Summer holidays

we would go berry picking at Maryton, Kirriemuir.

“I have two very vivid memories of life on the farm. The first was hurrying home from school (almost one mile), asking mother where the horses were working, then off to the field where they would be ploughing, and “getting a shot” of driving a pair of Clydesdale horses pulling a single furrow plough. Not very straight though, even for a 10-year-old!

“The Clydesdales were wonderful, gentle and strong animals. We had two pairs and a single “ora beast” who was my favourite. He was a sandy, bay colour called Ben.

“One incident has stuck with me all these years. I was up on the cart emptying the baskets with Ben between the shafts of the cart. He always worked singularly, he didn’t need a partner. We were in a field with a slight rising incline, the cart was almost full and Ben was going well heaving this heavy cart up the brae, when one of the cart wheels sunk up to its axle into a rabbit’s burrow, hidden just under the surface of the tattie dreel (drill or row).

“The force of the cart dropping to one side knocked Ben off balance and he went down on all fours and was unable to get up due the weight thrown on to his back from the shafts of the cart. I was stuck up to my knees in tatties that had slid to the front of the cart when the wheel sunk into the ground. I remember screaming ‘Ben, Ben, help him up somebody, get him up’ not in the least concerned about myself being stuck in the tatties.

“A couple of the farm hands rushed over and quickly released Ben from his harness and he got to his feet unscathed from his ‘coup’. The cart was then lifted by the shafts which allowed the tatties to slide to the back of the cart and my legs were freed, also unscathed.

“I remember going straight to Ben and giving him a big hug around his enormous

head, relieved that he was none the worse (other than shaken), from the whole thing.

“A couple of years later, when I then went to school at Forfar Academy, the horses were retired and we got tractors on the farm. That’s when my brothers and I first learned how to drive. Happy days down on the farm.”

What wonderful memories of these majestic horses and your time on the farm Duncan!

Maggie’s Centre opened its garden to visitors as part of Scotland’s Gardens 2021.