A COUPLE of weeks ago Mr George K. Brown, of Farnworth, asked if anyone could recall the name of a horse which took place in the Olympic Games, and which came from Farnworth.

He was actually talking about Mr Tom Hough, who lived at Townleys Farm, Farnworth, and who moved to Cheshire in the 1960s. Mr Brown wrote: "He had a daughter - Barbara, if my memory serves me right - who was an international show jumper, and who had a horse which was a member of the British Olympic team."

Well, Mr Brown, your memory as far as the name was concerned, didn't serve you well. The person in question was called Margaret Hough, as I was told by a number of people who rang me.

First with details was Mr Arnold Hulme, who said the name of the horse was Bambi, and "Margaret was the first woman to win at the Badminton Horse Trials."

Then came Mr Bert Isherwood, of Tottington Road, Harwood who said that Margaret "was well-known in local horse trials and made her name in three-day events. When she won Badminton she was only a slip of a girl, probably in her early 20s. It was a remarkable feat; until then it had been a gentleman's sport." But, Mr Isherwood said, he didn't think Margaret had taken part in the Olympics.

And another call came from Mrs Kathleen Scarlin, of Walshaw, who said: 'The name of the horse was Bambi V. I was talking to Margaret's brother in Cheshire yesterday, and told him about the story in Looking Back. Why don't you ring him."

So ring him I did, and Tom Hough (son of the original farmer of the same name) said: "Why don't you speak to Margaret? She'll be able to give you all the details." Under the circumstances, I thought that if I was going to do another story, I might as well get the details from the horse's mouth; but as the horse is dead, I got the details from Margaret instead.

Tom gave me Margaret's number (she is now called Margaret Gleeve, and lives near Holmes Chapel) and she told me that the horse was indeed called Bambi V (it was the fifth horse called Bambi to be registered). She got it when it was about five years old, and sthe horse lived until the mid-70s when she died aged 30.

In 1952, Bambi V did indeed go to the Olympics at Helsinki to take part in the three-day event, but at that time women were not allowed to compete in the Olympic horse events, so someone else was lined up to ride her. As things turned out, however, the horse got a rash and did not actually compete.

But two years later, in 1954, Margaret rode her to victory at the Badminton Horse Trials, and the Queen Mother presented the cup.

In that same year, international events were opened up for women to take part, and Margaret and a friend were the first women, at the European Championships at Basle, Switzerland, to ride in an international competition. Margaret and Bambi V came sixth.

So there you are, Mr Brown, the Farnworth horse which went (but didn't compete!) in the Olympics. And the story of another top sportsperson who came from Farnworth.