Master Robert Plough Horse or Race Horse?
29. May, 2008 
5 Comments
Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.I want to write tonight about the importance of being a round peg in a round hole. Too many people beat themselves up for things they’re not doing. Too often they are being asked to do the impossible. I want to tell you a story that I told the children a few weeks ago in church. Its the story of a racing horse called Master Robert. When my dad was just a young boy he used to look after Master Robert, mainly because he was a horse that had gone lame and was no longer of any use to its owner. As my grandfather was in charge of the animals in the farm, he would let my father ride the lame horse to at least exercise the beast. One day they even tried to yoke the race horse to a Clydesdale horse to pull the plough. Well you can imagine how that went done with Master Robert. He just refused to move. He was bred to race. Finally one day a horse dealer arrived and bought Master Robert for a knock down price. He saw the potential in the animal. If you look at the film you’ll see Master Robert winning the Grand National in 1924. He was the real life Sea Biscuit.So the next time your going to write someone off as useless ask yourself if your playing them in the right position. Race horses don’t plough and plough horses don’t win races. Maybe we all need to bat to our strengths and stop worrying about the things we don’t do so well.
What a great story. Thanks for posting it. Horses for courses.
Ax
I read the misrepresentation of the Bo’ness harbour Development. the overall plan is still as intact as it was a year ago when the same detractors hailed it as a great success. The only difference is that the economic realities of the scheme means that it has to be rephased, starting at the east side and taken phase by phase, with money still be generated into the harbour works as each phase completes.
Equally, as somone who has actually talked through the bigger picture with ING Real Estate, there is a clear desire to complete the whole development and make a meaningful impact on the future of the town as a whole. However, unlike many developers, the ING Real Estate people are brutally honest about the realities – not dressing it up to ‘get the gain’ – so that this can be an honest long term partnership.
Interestingly enough, the key business and community organisations in the town – Bo’ness Means Business, the Bo’ness Community Council and Bonnie Bo’ness – have all discussed and supported the development – and I imagine will work well with ING Real Estate and Falkirk Council to get the best result for all.
It is sad when a blog like the one here is fed misleading information to undermine the future of my town.
Don’t think i’ve posted misinformation. I was told by the Falkirk Town Planners that the only part of the project that was guaranteed by the developer was the flats at the east end of the site. I mentioned in my blog that there is a promise without guarantees that the harbour would be tackled if the right financial package eventually could be put together. I too care for the town of Bo’ness, hence my comment that communities are built on trust, which means keeping promises. ING won the contract on the basis that they were the only contractor as far as I know who based their bid on tackling the harbour first.
My grandfather also looked after Master Robert whilst he was a race horse. have Photograph of him sitting on the horse in Strabane N Ireland
my grand father used to plough with master robert he was paddy gallagher from castlefinn