Bill's Guestbook
Submitted by
Name: Murray West
From: Paris, Kentucky, originally from Vancouver, B.C.
E-mail: Contact
Name: Murray West
From: Paris, Kentucky, originally from Vancouver, B.C.
E-mail: Contact
Comments:
Bill has put together a gem of a book, with stories that take me back to a time long since gone, a simpler and I think better time.
The stories remind me so much of my youth on the racetracks of Vancouver, a time when horsemanship was not a lost art but rather a staple for survival, when the trainer and not the vet ran the shed. Skulduggery? Without doubt, but more of an honor among thieves. Men understood how to train and, once fit, horses ran every 7 days rather than 7 weeks. Entire families called the backstretch home, working as one to a common goal. It was an era of the "gyp," vagrant-like men with 2 or 3 horse stables struggling to to pay the feed man, secretly praying for that one magical, big horse that would change their lives forever.
It gives much comfort to know that "Ballads" is with me on my bookshelf and that I need only open Bill's great book to be transported back to an era when the horse was revered and horse racing was still king.
Bill has put together a gem of a book, with stories that take me back to a time long since gone, a simpler and I think better time.
The stories remind me so much of my youth on the racetracks of Vancouver, a time when horsemanship was not a lost art but rather a staple for survival, when the trainer and not the vet ran the shed. Skulduggery? Without doubt, but more of an honor among thieves. Men understood how to train and, once fit, horses ran every 7 days rather than 7 weeks. Entire families called the backstretch home, working as one to a common goal. It was an era of the "gyp," vagrant-like men with 2 or 3 horse stables struggling to to pay the feed man, secretly praying for that one magical, big horse that would change their lives forever.
It gives much comfort to know that "Ballads" is with me on my bookshelf and that I need only open Bill's great book to be transported back to an era when the horse was revered and horse racing was still king.
Added: January 11, 2012
Comments:
Thanks from one who has had a lifetime love affair with horses; your sensitivity and humour are greatly valued.
Ballads of the Turf is a perfect gift!!
Thanks from one who has had a lifetime love affair with horses; your sensitivity and humour are greatly valued.
Ballads of the Turf is a perfect gift!!
Added: January 9, 2012
Comments:
I haven't read the book yet but have heard great things about it. way-to-go Bill
I haven't read the book yet but have heard great things about it. way-to-go Bill
Added: February 11, 2012
Comments:
Love the ballats of Hank The Gyp.
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Love the ballats of Hank The Gyp.
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Added: January 10, 2012
Name: Linda R Thatcher
From: Mississauga, ON
E-mail: Contact
Bill Galvin’s creativity and writing genius is beautifully showcased in his book, “Ballads of the Turf”. The book provides a personal look at the machinations of the horse racing industry. The characters, places, and events carried me into a mysterious world. Laughter, wonder, and sadness were some of my emotions that Galvin’s characters and events elicited.