Page 92 - The Rankin Family and Harness Racing

ISSUE : Issue 45

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1987/6/1

• Conclusion Donna Rankin: This is the first time in the Maritimes that there's been 3 members of one family have a thousand wins. That's quite a milestone. I suppose there's-- what?--15 or 18 in the Maritimes? And that there's 3 brothers have done it. When Son? ny got his thousand wins it was on a horse--and it just happened to be--you nev? er know when it's coming--his father was a horse that Dad had. Dad bred that colt. He owned the stud. And then when Sonny got his 1500 wins, that was on a horse by an? other stud that Dad owned. And then when Callie got his thousand wins, it was on Darlene's mare--Dad owned the stud that the colt was by. And then when Donnie got his (thousandth win), you know, it could have been any time sort of thing. And here it was on a colt that Dad owned the father. It was on Dad's horse, and Dad had bred him. So it's like a real family connection. We had major fires here (Donmar Farms, Frenchvale), There used to be two barns at the top of the hill there. And one was an electrical fire one stammer when they were putting in the hay, A bale of hay hit the light. And the hay was so dry, and the barn was packed full of hay. And the wind was really high that day. It burnt one barn, and it spread across the field to the other, and it leveled the two bams. Darlene Rankin: Burnt for 9 days. Donna: 'Cause there was so much hay in. It was really a hardship, because the insur? ance policy said that you had to have an? imals in the bam. And then when it started to go afire. Dad took the animals all out, so that they wouldn't burn. And here it wasn't covered by insurance. Then we built this big bam, this other barn that's here. And we had a firebug. We had, then, 2 more fires. It was unbeliev? able. Darlene: They had 3 fires, actually. The front end of the barn--they caught it and put it out. Then burnt the back end of the bam. And then the whole barn burnt. Donna: But I think that's kind of indica? tive of--that year that the bam burnt,; there were--I don't know--30 horses? Arid he had no place for them. They put them down in the old Exhibition barns. (So) he kept the horses. Do you know what I mean? And got a place for them. And even then, he took this pony up to get bred in Hali? fax. It's like--the thing continues. You overcome the obstacles that are put there,, and the thing continues. And I think that's a great lesson for life, too, when you're involved in that. I remember going to visit a friend of Dad's who was also breeding horses at that time. And he was really devastated by the fact that this mare, this valuable mare, had died. And that was one thing, I think, that we were raised to. You know, you loved horses, but I think there was a sense of perspective there. Things were kept in proportion. "As long as it stays in the barn," was something that you heard. You can handle things that stay in the bam. That's to be kept separate, as things that happened in the house, that happened to other people, to the members of your family. You know, what's important. You'd get all upset that a horse died, or that this was a big financial loss, or that this bam burned down, and all that. And it was always said, "As long as it stays in the barn." I didn't realize that we thought like that. And I remember going to this man's house and the man was completely devastated by the fact that this horse died. You know, it could have been his family, I was shocked that he would think it was so im? portant, I think we were always taught-- and like that, not taught, in a way--that the horses are something that can be re? placed, or that, in the long scheme of things, things will work out, "As long as it stays in the barn"--it wasn't as bad. You know, like, you could handle that. As long as it doesn't happen to you and your family. That they were the important thing. That can be handled, and it'll get better another day. Our thanks to Cyril Reddy, who first suggested that |we talk to the Rankins. And thanks to Louise Mac- Donald and Collie Sparling, for help in preparation, Inverness Raceway 258-2648 JUNE 7 to OCTOBER 15 Racing Every Sunday at 2 P. M. JULY and AUGUST Racing Sunday at 2 P. M. and Wednesday at 7:45 P. M. ?? PARIMUTUEL BETTING ?? CANTEEN SERVICES "We Welcome One and All to Hamess Racing In Inverness Town' Fred MacLQilan President Forest Street Inverness Donnie MacLellan Race Secretary Announcer & Public Relations (92)-

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