! i ! li! OF THE UNIVERSITY OF Breeding and Developing The Trotter JOHN BRADBURN Breeding and Developing The Trotter BY JOHN BRADBURN For Twenty-five Years Superintendent of Village Farm East Aurora, New York ILLUSTRATED EDITED BY ARTHUR C. THOMAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR American Horse Breeder AMERICAN HORSE BREEDER PUBLISHING COMPANY BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 1906 Copyright, 1906 BY AMERICAN HORSE BREEDER PUBLISHING COMPANY PRESS OF MURRAY AND EMERY COMPANY, BOSTON, MASS. PREFACE Breeders of trotting stock have for a long time felt the need of a reliable work on the proper selection of mares for brood purposes, giving in detail the care and treatment that they should receive in order to put them in the best possible condition to impart vigor to their offspring and also transmit to their foals their own superior qualities in the highest possible degree. They have wanted a work which will also give minute instructions in regard to the feed, exercise and care of stallions at all seasons of the year, par- ticularly just before and during the service season, and in addition to the above, will tell how to care for the foal and its dam from the time the young- ster is conceived until he or she is in fit condition to place in the hands of an expert trainer to be conditioned for the rich futurities. Every one interested in breeding trotting stock, and especially all those just entering upon the business, will admit that such a work, coming from a man who has had years of successful experience in the business and knows every detail of it thoroughly, must be of inestimable value. Very few men are qualified to furnish the matter for such a work. We have never yet seen a book of that kind, and do not know that one has yet been published that has come from PREFACE a man who has been instrumental in breeding extreme speed of the 2.10 and world's record- breaking sort. Judging by the successful experience in caring for the sires and dams of 2.10 performers, also in the care and management of the 2.10 per- formers themselves during the early period of their existence, there is no man living who is so competent to furnish the materials of a work of this kind as Mr. John Bradburn, who was the superintendent of the noted Village Farm estab- lishment from a period long before a 2.15 per- former was ever bred there until the dispersal sale of the Village Farm stock. At the earnest and persistent solicitation of many of his intimate friends, and also of many practical breeders who were not personally acquainted with him, but who knew him through the reputation that he had made as the successful manager of the renowned Village Farm establish- ment, Mr. Bradburn was finally persuaded to put on paper for the benefit of trotting-horse breeders the knowledge that he has gained in the breeding and care of choice race-winning trotting stock during those many years of experience. The information contained within these covers will be of great service to all who are breeding and raising or have the care and management of trotting stock or light-harness horses of any kind. It will be worth many times its cost to every one who owns a good brood-mare or stallion, because it is a book of valuable facts. PREFACE It may also be read with interest and profit by the proprietors and managers of the most exten- sive breeding establishments, men who have had years of experience in the business, as well as by those who breed and raise but one or two foals a year. To those who are about to establish farms devoted to the breeding of trotters, or are just starting in the business on a limited scale, it will prove of immense value. THE PUBLISHERS. vii CONTENTS Pages Chapter One. Personal 1-20 "Who Is He?" My First Horse My First Brood-Mare Jane Brown Pelham Tartar Jr. My First Stallion A Mare that Hambletonian did not Cover First Day on a Race-Track Three-Card Monte A Full-Fledged Farmer A Hotel Keeper and Public Trainer A Liveryman My First Race Roading It Ice Racing On to Buffalo " Derricked " Back to Buffalo Superintendent at Village Farm A Betting System Village Farm Graduates Ideal Stock Farm Chapter Two. The Village Farm Theory of Breeding 21-48 "World's Greatest Trotting Nursery" Mr. Hamlin's First Mare Hamlin Patchen Mr. Hamlin's First Team Golddust Woful Mermaid and Dictator Maid Weeding Out Nettie Murphy Minnequa Maid Purchasing a Premier More Purchases Estabella CONTENTS Almont Jr. Pages Mambrino King "The Handsomest Horse in the World " Chimes Golden Gateway Rex Americus Athanio Direct Hal The First Catalogue " Mr. Hamlin's Theory of Breeding " The Brood-Mare's Importance Beauty and Speed Developed Sires A Challenge Selecting Brood-Mares A Prediction " The Passing of Village Farm " Chapter Three. Founding a Stock Farm 49-64 Location Soil Water Size of Farm Acres of Land per Head The Track Rules for Laying Out Track The Cinder Track Paddocks Fencing Stables Main Barn Water in Paddock Brood-Mare Shed The Farm Superintendent Chapter Four. The Stallion 65-82 Purchasing a Premier Over-Developed Sires Concrete Examples Almont Jr. Almonarch Natural Speed Blood Lines The Stallion's Sire CONTENTS The Stallion's Dam Pages The Stallion's Individuality My Ideal Stallion Trotter vs. Pacer Shall the Stallion be Raced? The Stud Season Care of Stallion Feeding Covering the Mare The Breeding Pen Trial Sheet and Stud Book Chapter Five. The Brood-Mare 83-100 Best Way to Purchase Mares The Ideal Brood-Mare Pedigree Care Preparing for the Foal Care of Mare and Colt After Foaling Breeding the Mare Care of Mare and Colt in the Pasture Weaning the Colt Mare on Winter Diet Age at which to Breed Developed Mares Inbreeding Selecting a Mate First Impressions Importance of Natural Speed Chapter Six. The Weanling and Year- ling 101-108 Halter-Breaking Breaking to Bit Beside a Lead Pony Ground-Breaking Hooking to Cart Shoeing Developing Muscles and Speed " Dr. Green " A Futurity Candidate Feeding The Yearling CONTENTS Pages Chapter Seven. The Two- Year-Old and Older 109-1 14 Winter Work Spring Work Summer Work Turning Over to a Trainer Use of Bandages and Washes Packing of Feet Aged Horses Chapter Eight. Preparing for the Sales and the Show Rings 115-118 Avoid Over- Production The Best Age at which to Sell Preparing for Sales Culls Show Horses . Preparing for Shows Incidentals Chapter Nine. Management of a Stock Farm 119-129 Business Principles The Superintendent The Trainer Grooms Sources of Revenue Advertising and Catalogues Breeding Records Causes of Failures Sources of Waste Chapter Ten. Care of the Feet and Teeth 130-134 Care of Feet Young Colts Corns The Perfect Hoof Ring-Bone After the Races Thrush Care of the Teeth CONTENTS Pages Chapter Eleven. Some Ailments and Disorders i35-J43 Treatment of Barren Mares Sweat Box Treatment for Pneumonia Distemper When Stallions are Dull Masturbation Navel Trouble Diarrhea. ILLUSTRATIONS John Bradburn Frontispiece The Abbot (2.03^) .... opposite page n Nettie King (2.20^) . . . opposite page 27 Prince Ideal opposite page 43 Main Barn at Ideal Stock Farm opposite page 75 xlv BREEDING AND DEVELOPING THE-TROTTER Chapter One PERSONAL " Who Is He? " — My First Horse. — My First Brood- Mare. — Jane Brown. — Pelham Tartar Jr. — My First Stallion. — A Mare that Hambletonian did not Cover. — First Day on a Race Track. — Three Card Monte. — A Full Fledged Farmer. — A Hotel Keeper and Public Trainer. — A Liveryman. — My First Race. — Reading It. — Ice Racing. — On to Buffalo. — "Derricked." — Back to Buffalo. — Super- intendent at Village Farm. — A Betting System. — Village Farm Graduates. — Ideal Stock Farm. 11 WHO IS HE ?" SOME of my readers will ask the questions, "Who is this man Bradburn? What exper- ience has he had? Does he know what he is talking about?'* These questions are pertinent. It is not enough for me to say that I have had experience, covering the points on which I give advice, — I must ex- plain just what that experience was and how it was obtained. Here goes for some of the dark secrets of my past. BREEDING THE TROTTER I was born in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, in 1842. My father died when I was six years old and, as it was necessary for me to do something to support myself, I went on the farm of George Oile, and he, after a fashion, adopted me. I was then about nine years old. Mr. Oile's farm was six miles from St. Catherines and twelve miles from Niagara Falls. MY FIRST HORSE. I was about thirteen years when I came into possession of my first horse, a gray colt, which Mr. Oile gave me. It did not have a pedigree, in fact, not much attention was paid to pedigrees in those days. The colt was what would now be called a nice general-purpose horse. Like all boys in similar positions I thought the colt was the greatest one in the world. I broke him and drove him till he was four years old and sold him for one hundred and fifty dollars, which was then a lot of money for a colt, especially to a boy. I was now seventeen years old and about this time I commenced working Mr. Oile's farm on shares. I gave considerable attention to the breeding of thoroughbred short-horn cattle and long-wooled Leicester sheep and this knowledge was afterwards of great service to me in the mat- ing of trotters. As I have mentioned, little attention was then paid to the pedigrees of trotters, but, as I liked horses, I kept posted on such matters and before long became quite celebrated, locally, as a sup- BREEDING THE TROTTER posed pedigree expert. Wilkes' Spirit of the Times was the great trotting authority in the old days and all bets went by Wilkes, were he right or wrong. In time I came to be known as " Walk- ing Wilkes," just as some men are now called "a walking encyclopaedia . ' ' MY FIRST BROOD-MARE. The one hundred and fifty dollars obtained by the sale of my colt went to start a bank account to which I added "chicken money" from time to time. Before very long I saw a gray mare I liked and I bought her for one hundred and twenty-five dollars. She was said to be by Grey Messenger, he reputed to be a grandson of Sherman Morgan. The Messenger horse is known in the Year Book as Hoagland's Grey Messenger 155. He had a record of 2.43 and afterwards went to New Jersey. My mare was carrying a foal by Grantham Chief 685 1, a son of Royal George 9. She dropped a gray filly which developed into a very hand- some mare, but as a three-year-old she jumped into a hay rack. I was a pretty sick chap when I went into her stall and found pieces of wood sticking into her side. Of course she had to be killed. JANE BROWN. After the mare produced the Grantham Chief foal I bred her to Prince of Wales, a son of Royal George, owned by Alvah Ditrich of St. Cather- ines. I paid fifteen dollars service fee and the BREEDING THE TROTTER country people called me crazy. Farm mares were usually sent to five-dollar stallions. I al- ways liked to breed to the best stallion I could afford. There was considerable rivalry between Prince of Wales and Grantham Chief, which re- sulted in several match races, but the former was considered the best in the country. My mare foaled a black filly by Prince of Wales. She is known in the books as Jane Brown. As a three- year-old I sold her to James Haney of St. Johns, Ontario, for three hundred and fifty dollars. I had trained her to step around a 3.10 clip. The second or third time Haney took her to a track she trotted a mile in three minutes. Haney sold her to William H. Saunders, one of the famous old-time horsemen, and father of George Saun- ders, a well-known driver of to-day. Saunders trained Jane Brown some, but she went wrong and he bred her to George Wilkes (2.22). The produce was Young Wilkes (2.28%), the sire of thirty-two in 2.30. PELHAM TARTAR JR. After foaling Jane Brown I bred my mare to Pelham Tartar, a seal-brown stallion, by Toronto Chief, owned by James Cairns and John Fralick, livery stable keepers of St. Catherines. Pelham Tartar's service fee was twenty dollars and when I paid that the neighbors gave up all hopes for my sanity. My good opinion of the horse was verified when Chandler J. Wells bought him for five thousand dollars. His purchase was the sen- BREEDING THE TROTTER sation of that part of the country. My mare foaled a gray colt, which I called Pelham Tartar Jr. I trained him on " the straight road " which ran past the farm and as a three-year-old showed him at the fairs at Pelham and Grantham, in the classes for style and speed, best three-year-olds to harness. I won both. After this I matched him against a three-year-old owned by Elias Pater- son and Thomas Calbert for one hundred dol- lars, so you see my sporting blood cropped out young. The match was trotted over the St. Cath- erines track, best three in five, pay or play. As my opponents were all older men I secured " Pete " Curran, a famous local driver, to drive my colt. Later, when I took to the sulky myself, I often drove races for him. Pelham Tartar Jr. won the match in three straight heats, best time 3.03. After the race I sold my colt to James Haney, who had purchased Jane Brown, for fifteen hun- dred dollars, and, of course, I thought I had more money than any young man in the world. MY FIRST STALLION. After my mare had produced Pelham Tartar Jr. I bred her to Tom Kimball, a chestnut stallion, the sire of Lady Hill (2.35), and got a dark iron- gray colt, which I called Tom Kimball Jr. I afterwards purchased his sire for four hundred dollars and made two seasons with him in Pelham township. Tom Kimball Jr. made a nice colt. I did not have time to train him, and as no other trainer would do I gelded him as a four-year-old BREEDING THE TROTTER and sold him to John Scott of Gait, Ontario, for four hundred dollars. The next season or two my mare missed but afterwards produced a gray filly and a gray colt by Tom Kimball. The latter I sold, for a road horse, to William Hamlin. A MARE THAT HAMBLETONIAN DID NOT COVER. To show that I always believed in breeding mares to the best stallion I could afford I might mention that after selling Pelham Tartar Jr. for fifteen hundred dollars, at which time I had about twenty-two hundred dollars in the bank, I decided to breed my mare to Rysdyk's Hambletonian, standing at five hundred dollars. I found that the freight and keep of mare would cost an addi- tional one hundred and fifty dollars. This was a lot of money for a youngster to put into a foal, but Hambletonian at that time was on top, and I wanted some of his blood. No sooner had I made known my intention of breeding my mare to Rysdyk's Hambletonian than George Oile and the neighbors raised a terrible howl, pronouncing me " horse foolish," and some of them went so far as to call me insane, — a monomaniac would be the term nowadays. Public sentiment was so strong against me that I did not send the mare. I con- sider this one of the mistakes of my life. FIRST DAY ON A RACE TRACK. One of the memorable events of my youth was my first day on a race track, which was also the BREEDING THE TROTTER first time I ever saw a horse trot faster than 2.30. It was the day Flora Temple trotted a match against Ike Cook over the St. Catherines track. By referring to Chester I find the date to be November 5, 1859, — I was then seventeen years old. If I remember rightly I should have been in school that day. It was a glad day for me, but a sad one for Joshua Birch, a friend of mine. He had come to town with a load of wheat for his father, had sold the wheat, and was on the point of starting for home when I saw him. He natur- ally asked me where I was going. " I'm going to see the great trotter, Flora Temple," I said. " Come along." " Can't do it," he said. "I've got to get home." " Come along," I insisted. " I'll pay your way and pay to have your horses put up." THREE CARD MONTE. I had a few dollars in my pocket and felt rich. With a little persuasion, Joshua was induced to accompany me. After eating dinner we went out to the race track. A few hundred feet from the gate was a ring of people. We went up and found a three card monte game in operation. It was the first one we had ever seen. Joshua kept his eyes on the card several minutes and then turned to me. "I'm going to bet him I can spot the card," he whispered. " Better not," I replied. " I've read about such tricks. They're crooked. Those fellows wouldn't do it for the fun of the thing, you know." 7 BREEDING THE TROTTER I could not restrain him. He pulled out the money he had received for his father's wheat and before he stopped he had lost ten dollars, and felt pretty sore. Before reaching the entrance to the race track we sighted another game. Here Joshua decided to try to get even but lost twenty dollars more. He was a pretty sick chap now, and almost on the verge of tears. We walked about the grounds a while. After taking in the sights I suggested to Joshua that we walk to the stables to see them hitching Flora Temple. He said he did not care to, but told me to go on and promised to meet me later. It was some time before I had seen enough of Flora Temple, and when I returned to meet Joshua I found him very much " down in the mouth." He had tackled the card game once more and had lost all his father's wheat money, about sixty-five dollars in all. He wanted me to go home with him, but my fun was just commenc- ing, so I stayed. His afternoon's pleasure was spoiled and he left. His father was not hard on him, knowing that the experience had taught Joshua a lesson that can be taken to heart by all young men. Flora Temple beat Ike Cook in 2.35, 2.29, 2.27. A FULL-FLEDGED FARMER. As stated before, it was about this time I took Mr. Oile's farm to work on shares. He gave me a third of all stock and crops and the keep of my 8 BREEDING THE TROTTE mare and her produce. I did pretty well on the farm and dabbled with horses once in a while. One deal in particular I recall. I bought a green colt by Prince of Wales, a dark bay, with strip in face, for sixty dollars. His dam was by a runner called Grant ham. I trained the colt on the straight road and sold him after three months to John Fralick for four hundred and fifty dollars. This established for me a local reputation as a great colt trainer and one of those "hurrah boys." A HOTEL KEEPER AND PUBLIC TRAINER. In 1870 I tired of farming and, as I had eight thousand dollars in the bank, I purchased a hotel in Welland, Ontario. Shortly afterwards I entered the state of matrimony and married Miss Sarah Davis. In addition to running the hotel I trained a public stable of horses. Pelham Tartar Jr. had not been going well for James Haney and, as I thought I could get him straightened out, I bought him back for six hun- dred dollars. The horse had been overtrained and was low in flesh. I built him up within six or eight weeks and started training him over. In a work- out shortly afterwards Pelham Tartar Jr. trotted a mile for me in 2.40 and I sold him once more to Mr. Haney for twelve hundred dollars. He did not improve as he should and as he was a good- sized horse and well liked locally Mr. Haney placed him in the stud. BREEDING THE TROTTER A LIVERYMAN. In 1872 I sold out my hotel and purchased a brick block in which were a store, billiard room and livery stable. This business kept me busy for the next three years when I sold out and moved to St. Catherines. In the spring of 1875 I ran a billiard room of eight tables, but I did not like the business. It was too confining. I might say right here that by this time I had " gone broke." When the Canadian Southern Railroad came through and spoiled my livery trade I foolishly hung on till I had sunk a great deal of money in the business. Four horses were doing my work while formerly I needed twenty. To cap it all I went on a bond for several thousand dollars and had to make good. MY FIRST RACE. I might previously have described the first race in which I ever drove. This was a match race between a three-year-old by Grantham Chief, which I had purchased for one hundred dollars, and another local horse of the same age. The match was for seventy-five dollars a side. I won in one — two — three order, time about 3.15, 3.20, 3.25. The same party asked for a return match in two weeks, for fifty dollars a side, and this I also won in three straight heats. ROADING IT. One of my first campaigns was with Pelham Tartar Jr. and a little running horse called Charles 10 BREEDING THE TROTTER Stewart. I traveled over the road from town to town, as we all did in those days, racing at Ham- ilton, Gait, Mitchell and Toronto. I had no suc- cess : the horses took sick, the weather was hot, and the runner lost his speed, so we came home, making a very sorry-looking spectacle. In 1876 I had fair success with my public stable. In my string were Lady Hill, Dominion Boy, Brown Dick, Douglas, Quaker Boy and Lady H. One of the noted races of those days in which I drove was trotted on September 15, 1876, at Woodbine Track, Toronto, Ontario. It was one of the greatest betting races ever seen on any race track in Ontario, before or since. There was in the neighborhood of forty or fifty thousand dol- lars in the box. St. Patrick and Lady Hill were about equally well liked, the selling on them switching from one hundred — eighty to ninety — one hundred. The field — Gray Eddy, William W. and Stayer — brought little. I won the first heat with Lady Hill, the time hung out being 2.35. In reality it was 2.29^. St. Patrick won the next heat in 2.35^* really 2.29^, and the third heat in 2.35, really 2.30. After this he tired and I won the fourth heat in 2.40 (2.31). On account of darkness the race was postponed. It commenced raining that night and rained all the next day. The following day was Sunday. On Monday we trotted the race off. St. Patrick won in the announced time of 2.35, which was 2.29^ to the best of my recollection. ii BREEDING THE TROTTER After this race I roaded my horses to Oshawa, Ontario, twenty-three or twenty-four miles north of Toronto. It was the first meeting over a new track. I won the 3.00 and 2.50 trots with Doug- las, and the 2.34 and free-for-all trots with Lady Hill, which cleaned up the card with the excep- tion of the county race. ICE RACING. In the winter of 1876, Mr. Eli Gregory gave me the bay gelding Alexander, by Bett's St. Law- rence, dam by Pelham Tartar, to get ready for the ice races. I also had the gray gelding Monk Boy. My first start on the ice was at Dunville, Ontario, the last week in December. I also raced at Brant- ford, St. Catherines, Toronto, Ottawa, and Mon- treal, shipping home about April 15. Monk Boy won every race in which he started ; Alexander, every race but one, winning fourteen out of fifteen starts. He started twice at Dunville, Brant ford and St. Catherines and three times at Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. He won two heats and second money in his losing race. It was a very successful season. Alexander was afterwards sold to John Reardon of St. Catherines for one thou- sand nine hundred and seventy-five dollars. He was a very peculiar horse, in that he would always take the colic if fed a bran mash, ON TO BUFFALO. In the spring of 1877 I moved to the Buffalo (N. Y.) Driving Park and opened a public train- 12 BREEDING THE TROTTER ing stable. It was in this year I first met Mr. C. J. Hamlin, in whose employ I was afterwards destined to be for some twenty-five years. He was a regular visitor to the track. During 1877 I campaigned Monk Boy, Jim Ash, Black Bear, Gray Salem, etc. In 1878 I campaigned Alexander and two others through Canada, Michigan and Northern New York. " DERRICKED." In 1878 occurred the first and only time I was taken out of the sulky. On September 12, I was racing Jim White (2.31) at Elmira, N. Y. In the same race were Nell Parks, Monk Boy, Helen R., Lady Wonder and Elliot. Elliot won the first heat. Lady Wonder won the next heat and dis- tanced Elliot. I had given the owner of Jim White some of my money to play on the horse, so after the second heat I went to him and said : ' ' I think we stand a chance to win. " ' ' All right, ' ' he replied, " your money is down.*' The "next heat I won and Lady Wonder was distanced. I won the fourth heat also. Then the owner came to me and told me not to win another heat till instructed. I was between the devil and deep sea. My financial condition was such that I could not afford to antagonize the owner. I had no religious compunction against dropping a heat now and then, if it would help my horse to win, but in this instance the field had narrowed down. My horse outclassed everything, and could win 13 BREEDING THE TROTTER easily. I asked the owner why it was necessary to drop the heat. He then confessed that he had played against his gelding all the time and had played my money also. I informed him that it was a nice time to tell me about it and advised him to play off as much of our money as he could and let me win. He would not consent to this so I dropped the next heat. It was won by Nelly Parks. The race was then postponed and only two of us were left to finish. That evening I was called to the telephone. It was about the first time I had used one. A friend down town in- formed me that it was reported I would be taken out of the sulky the next day. It did not sur- prise me any, — in fact was just what I expected. I now figured out that if I wished to protect my- self and not stand liable to expulsion I would have to see to it that the gelding lost. I sat up almost all night whittling a pair of wooden toe-weights, which I colored to resemble the metal ones. These weighed one and one half ounces, whereas the horse had been using six-ounce weights. Sure enough the next day, when Jim White and Nelly Parks came out to trot off the race, the judges took me down and put up Jimmy Goldsmith. Jim White was, of course, unsteady and they scored seventeen times. I was called to the stand. The judges told me to stay near and added that if the horses did not get the word on the next score I would be put back, as they thought I might make a better showing. I had previously promised to try to win if they would 14 BREEDING THE TROTTER let me drive. In the next score Goldsmith took the gelding way back. Jim White stayed on his feet but was far in the rear. Goldsmith nodded for the word and it was given. The horse made a double break on the first turn and I gave a sigh of relief. When he got settled at the quarter pole, Nelly Parks was entering the head of the stretch the first time round. Jim White set sail and trotted so much faster than she that he easily won in 2.37 >£, which was five seconds faster than any heat in the race. He trotted the last half in i.ioj/2- The judges awarded Goldsmith fifty dollars of the winnings for driving and mercifully let me off with a lecture. No judge ever had occasion thereafter to take me out of the sulky. I had had enough of that sort of business. This is one instance which upholds a theory of mine that more drivers are made to do crooked things by their employers than do so on their own account. And just here, one word of advice to all young trainers : Win by all means if you can. BACK TO BUFFALO. In 1879 I returned to Buffalo and opened a public stable. I had sixteen horses, including Monk Boy, Gray Salem and Lady Upton. That fall Mr. C. J. Hamlin placed in my stable Rockey, Almont Jr. and Knox. In February, 1880, I engaged to go to East Aurora, N. Y., to take charge of Mr. Hamlin's horses. At this point mention might be made of a race which did more to bring me close to Mr. Hamlin 15 BREEDING THE TROTTER than any one thing. This was the race of August 7, 1879, in which were entered Kate Hall, Daciana Gloster, Lady Upton, Argonaut, Nigger Baby and Lady B. I was second the first and second heats with Lady Upton and thought I stood a chance to win, but the owner did not want me to so I asked him to drive. After the fifth heat my mare was ruled out and the race postponed on account of darkness. The judges had not been satisfied with the way McLaughlin had driven Kate Hall, which had two heats to her credit. They took the mare away from him and placed her in charge of the police, and brought her to my stable where she remained under police pro- tection all night. The judges asked me to drive her the next day. After I had jogged Kate Hall in the morning the judges, C. J. Hamlin, Chandler J. Wells and Myron P. Bush, visited me and looked over the mare. They asked about her condition and I told them the mare seemed to be all right and had taken her jog work nicely. They cautioned me against having any of her harness changed and told me to be sure to drive to win, adding that if I did not the heat would be called no heat and another driver put up. I told them I would drive according to instructions. I re- member Mr. Hamlin 's remark : " Bradburn will win if he can ; I know he will." After it became noised about that I would drive Kate Hall I was offered fifteen hundred dollars to pull the mare and lose the race. Of course I refused, although I needed the money. Another party offered me 16 BREEDING THE TROTTER two thousand dollars to turn the same trick. I had no difficulty in winning, much to the satis- faction of Mr. Hamlin and the other judges and the owner, Mr. Hamilton. I was awarded one hundred dollars for driving. SUPERINTENDENT AT VILLAGE FARM. Village Farm, as Mr. Hamlin named his farm, because it was located within the village limits, grew rapidly and in 1880 Mr. Hamlin decided he needed a superintendent. He selected me. From that time my duties were to manage the Village Farm in all its departments, and to be able each fall to turn a stable of prospects over to the Village Farm trainers. A BETTING SYSTEM. I might mention here an incident which oc- curred in 1 88 1 while I was racing Rockey for Mr. Hamlin, at which time Mr. Hamlin gave me some advice which I took to heart and profited by, as many others might well do. Rockey looked very good for a certain race and I played almost all my money on him and lost. Mr. Hamlin heard of it. " Bradburn," he said, "make it a rule never to bet more than ten per cent of your money on a horse race. Then if you lose you have ninety per cent to commence on the next morning. They can't break you that way whether you are worth a hundred or a hundred thousand." Billy Sargent had heard of my tough luck and felt sorry, so he told me he thought he had an 17 BREEDING THE TROTTER excellent chance to win with Josephus. I bor- rowed twenty dollars and bought two ten-dollar tickets which called for one hundred and ninety dollars and one hundred and seventy dollars respectively. Josephus won the first two heats, then Fanny Witherspoon the third and fourth. The race was postponed. I was not so confident as I might have been. My confidence was shaken when Crit Davis came to Mr. Hamlin and sold him Betty Mac, a half sister of Fanny Wither- spoon and then in Kentucky, for five hundred dollars, so as to have more money to place on the Witherspoon mare. Betty Mac is the dam of E. S. E. (2.nM) and Red Regent (2.18%), and the grandam of Ed. Easton (4) (2.09%) and third dam of American Belle (3 ) (2 . 1 2 M) • I went back to Jo- sephus' stall and helped work on him that night. No horse received better attention. It was a matter of life and death with me. Josephus won the deciding heat. This put me on my feet and by the end of the meeting I had eight hundred dollars. After that I tried to follow Mr. Ham- lin's advice about betting only ten per cent of one's money on a race, and never since then has John Bradburn been broke, although at times perhaps he has been " bent." VILLAGE FARM GRADUATES. After I became superintendent, the first trainer at Village Farm was Frank Baldwin, who was employed in 1882 and 1883. Horace Brown was the next trainer, and his connection lasted from 18 BREEDING THE TROTTER 1884 to 1888, with W. J. Andrews, Malem Brown and Arthur Brown as assistants. Andrews was head trainer during 1889 and 1890, with great success. James Brigham was his assistant. In 1891 there was no regular trainer. The horses were prepared by George Moore and Billy Powell and turned over to Ed. Geers to be driven in races. In 1892 Mr. Geers was engaged as a regular trainer, and filled the position until 1904, after which time Ben. F. White, Mr. Geers' assistant, took charge and was head trainer until the Vil- lage Farm was dispersed at the Fasig-Tipton Company's midwinter sale of February, 1905. While Mr. Geers was head trainer the following were engaged as his assistants at various times : Charlie Lyons, Charlie Niles, Harry Benedict and Ben. F. White. The following have also trained at Village Farm : Alonzo McDonald, L. A. Dovel, Theodore Allen, Dave Clippenger, Lafe Schaeffer, John Graham, J. Scott Croy, W. L. Rhodes, George Bodimer, John Alward, Patsy Ready, Frank Vorhees, George Foster and James Humes. Many of the prominent drivers of to-day, be- cause of their former connection with the Village Farm, are known as " Village Farm Graduates." A graduate of the Village Farm office force, well known to all horsemen, is E. J. Tranter, for many years cashier at Village Farm, afterwards senior partner of Tranter-Kenney Company, and now manager of the trotting department of Fasig- Tipton Company. BREEDING THE TROTTER IDEAL STOCK FARM. Just previous to the Village Farm dispersal sale, Messrs. S. H. Knox and Daniel Good of Buf- falo, N. Y., visited Village Farm and informed me that they had decided to embark in the breeding business, starting where Mr. Hamlin left off. They marked several horses which they liked, secured them at the sale and founded the Ideal Stock Farm, East Aurora, N. Y. They employed Ben. F. White as trainer and afterwards engaged me as superintendent. My candid opinion is, considering the quality of their horses, that they have started nearer right than any others who, to my knowledge, have ever entered the business. 20 Chapter Two THE VILLAGE FARM THEORY OF BREEDING "World's Greatest Trotting Nursery." — Mr. Hamlin's First Mare. — Hamlin Patchen. — Mr. Hamlin's First Team. — Golddust. — Woful. — Mermaid and Dictator ^ Maid. — Weeding Out. — Nettie Murphy. — Minnequa Maid. — Pur- chasing a Premier. — More Purchases. — Estabella. — Almont jr — Mambrino King. — "The Handsomest Horse in the World." — Chimes. — Golden Gateway. — Rex Americus. — Athanio. — Direct Hal. — The First Catalogue. — Mr. Ham- lin's "Theory of Breeding." — The Brood-mare's Importance. — Beauty and Speed. — Developed Sires. — A Challenge. — Select- ing Brood-mares. — A Prediction. — "The Passing of Village Farm." THIS chapter will not be statistical nor en- tirely historical. I will attempt to show how certain things were accomplished at Village Farm so that the successful results may serve as an example to the younger generation of breeders. WORLD'S GREATEST TROTTING NURSERY. It must be remembered that Village Farm earned its sobriquet of " World's Greatest Trot- ting Nursery" by breeding more 2.10 performers, among them many world's champions, than any other breeding establishment, and winning more money on the Grand Circuit than any other farm. Therefore, any breeder that " follows its lead " 21 BREEDING THE TROTTER and begins where it left off will not be left behind. Messrs. Knox and Good, in my opinion, have realized this better than any others, as will be seen by reading a portion of the announce- ment of their first catalogue, that of 1905 : " In establishing Ideal Stock Farm it has been our aim to use, for foundation material, stallions and brood-mares bred on the most advanced lines and representing the results of the life work of the man who accomplished more in the way of breed- ing race-horses of extreme speed than any one breeder. When the Village Farm was dispersed, it was there we looked to secure the foundation for the Ideal Stock Farm, for the reason that Vil- lage Farm stood far in advance of all others in the production of horses possessing, in combina- tion with speed, the beauty of conformation which enables them to win the highest honors in the show ring where beauty and good individuality are the qualities demanded." Mr. Hamlin's desire to combine beauty and speed was born of an admiration, in the early days, of such stallions as Ethan Allen and George M. Patchen. Mr. Hamlin used to say : " When you go into a ball-room you would much rather choose as a partner a beautiful woman that can dance well than a homely one that can dance equally well." He held similar views concerning beauti- ful horses with speed and horses with speed but which did not come up to his standard of beauty, 22 BREEDING THE TROTTER MR. HAMLIN'S FIRST MARE. The first mare Mr. Hamlin ever owned was Little Belle, by Sherman Black Hawk, from the famous old-time race mare Belle of Saratoga (2.29), by Vermont Black Hawk. Little Belle was used as a road mare by her owner, then a country store-keeper in East Aurora, N. Y. Mr. Hamlin bred her to Addison, a son of Vermont Black Hawk, standing at Corning, N. Y., and the produce was Mag Addison. The latter was also used as a road mare and in 1862 was bred to George M. Patchen, then the champion trotting stallion and standing at one hundred dollars. The produce was Hamlin Patchen. It was previous to breeding Hamlin Patchen, 1857, to be exact, that Mr. Hamlin purchased the original sixty-six acres of Village Farm proper. This he added to from time to time. Mr. Hamlin thought a great deal of Hamlin Patchen, his first stock horse, as will be seen from a portion of the announcement in the 1884 Village Farm catalogue. HAMLIN PATCHEN. " As I have so many of the descendants of Hamlin Patchen at Village Farm a few words about him may prove of interest to those who turn the pages of this catalogue. He was foaled in 1862, and was sired by George M. Patchen, one of the finest-looking horses that ever struck the turf, and one of the fastest of his day. He made a record of 2.23^, and 2.30 performers came from 23 BREEDING THE TROTTER his loins. Hamlin Patchen is a strong, blocky- built black, standing nearly 15.3 hands, and when three years old I had hopes that he would show the speed of his distinguished sire, but he was frightened by a dog, ran away to wagon and injured himself. Thus he was compelled to enter the stud without obtaining a turf record. His sons and daughters are hardy and pleasant drivers." Hamlin Patchen's injury was a peculiar one. He was standing hitched on a barn floor when a dog ran through the stable. The horse reared and fell backwards, injuring his spine. On get- ting up he bolted out the door and while running away further injured himself. MR. HAMLIN'S FIRST TEAM. After securing Little Belle, one of Mr. Hamlin's next purchases was the team Tidy and LaBlonde, full sisters by Ethan Allen. They cost about six hundred dollars. Mr. Hamlin could drive them double close to 2.30. He could drive a double team better than any man I ever saw. These mares were sold to H. N. Smith, of the Fashion Stud Farm, Trenton, N. J., for four thousand dollars. Tidy was bred to Jay Gould and pro- duced the dam of Boodle (2.12^). GOLDDUST. One of Mr. Hamlin's next purchases was Gold- dust, by Dorsey's Golddust, dam by imported Glencoe. L. L. Dorsey had sent what he con- 24 BREEDING THE TROTTER sidered the best daughter of Golddust to Rysdyk's Hambletonian, hoping to get a stallion colt. The produce was the mare Bay Hambletonian. He bred the Golddust mare back and that fall shipped the mare and filly at side to Kentucky, via Buf- falo. He unloaded at East Buffalo in order to give the mare and colt a rest, and invited his friend, Mr. Hamlin, to see them. Mr. Hamlin liked both so well he bought them for twelve hun- dred dollars, as I remember it. Unfortunately, the mare proved not with foal and was barren for several seasons. Finally, to the service of Ham- lin Patchen, Golddust produced Black Golddust, dam of Justina (2.13 to pole, 2.20 to harness) and Glendennis (2.17*4), and grandam of The Monk (2.05%), etc. WOFUL. In 1873 Mr. Hamlin bought Woful by Min- chen's Woful, from a Mr. Minchen of Orange County, N. Y. She is the third dam of Pass- ing Belle (2.08^) and the fourth dam of Lord Derby (2.05%) (winner of seventy-four thousand eight hundred and twenty-five dollars on the Grand Circuit), Fantasy (2.06) and Shadow Chimes (2.05). MERMAID AND DICTATOR MAID. In 1875 Mr. Hamlin purchased Mermaid and Dictator Maid, both by Dictator, paying for the former twenty-five hundred dollars and the latter fifteen hundred dollars. He liked the Dictator 25 BREEDING THE TROTTER strain and once offered twenty-one thousand dol- lars for Dictator when he was twenty-one years old. Mermaid founded a family and is the fourth dam of Dare Devil (2.09). Dictator Maid is the grandam of Globe (2.14%). WEEDING OUT. On a rainy day in July, 1880, Mr. Hamlin visited the farm, and, calling me into the office, said : " Bradburn, what do you think of my horses? I want your candid opinion. A horse is a horse, and a man is a man, be he good man or bad man." My reply was, " Mr. Hamlin, what I would say to you about your horses would make you angry." He said, " No, it will not. Spit it out." Then I told him that were I a wealthy man breeding trotters, with the exception of four or five mares and Almont Jr., I wouldn't take his horses as a gift. He studied over this awhile and then he asked me which ones I would take. I replied that I liked Almont Jr. very much, on account of his style, finish and his having a great deal of natural speed for those days. My choice of the brood-mares was Bay Hambletonian, Miranda, Toy and Black Golddust. Among the fillies I liked Belle Hamlin, her sister, Belle Sloan, and Justina. Naturally my selections out of fifty head were a matter of argument. Many of those I rejected were by Hamlin Patchen and Royal George. 26 BREEDING THE TROTTER They were not good individuals. I told Mr. Ham- lin that from what knowledge I had gained in breeding horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens (especially game chickens), dogs, cats, etc., I was certain the families would not do. It was now nearly train time so Mr. Hamlin asked me to prepare a list of the horses which I considered undesirable and have it ready for him the next time he visited the farm. One of the first questions he asked on this next visit was, " Have you that list ready?" " Yes, sir," I replied. He looked it over and ordered me to sell all horses listed as soon as possible. I suggested that he place a value on them. " Ask a good, fair price," were his instructions, " but accept any offer you may get." And thus the least desirable animals were weeded out. NETTIE MURPHY. In 1 88 1 Mr. Hamlin purchased Nettie Murphy, for two hundred and fifty dollars, from Thomas J. Murphy of Buffalo. Bred to Mambrino King she produced Nettie King (2.20*4), dam of The Abbot (2.03^), and The Beau Ideal (2.15^). MINNEQUA MAID. The same year (1881) Mr. Hamlin and myself went to look at Woods' Hambletonian, owned by Joseph Woods & Bros., of Knoxville, Penn. This stallion was then coming before the public as a 27 BREEDING THE TROTTER sire, despite his limited opportunities because of his standing at an out-of-the-way place. Woods' Hambletonian was a roan horse and then twenty- three years old. Mr. Hamlin offered six thou- sand dollars for him, but this was refused and seven thousand five hundred asked. While on this farm Mr. Hamlin paid two hundred and fifty dollars for Minnequa Maid, by Woods' Hamble- tonian, from a running-bred mare. Minnequa Maid, bred to Mambrino King, produced Night- ingale (2.08), and bred to Chimes produced Milan Chimes (2.13%), whose racing career was ended by his untimely death, and Chimes Girl (2) (2.26). Bred to Heir-at-Law she produced Scape Goat (2.nM). PURCHASING A PREMIER. After cleaning up the odds and ends, although Mr. Hamlin was a very busy man, it required very little argument to convince him that he must have some more good mares and another stallion, for at this time he had several Almont Jr. mares approaching breeding age. In the spring of 1882 Mr. Hamlin sent me to Kentucky to look at stallions and brood-mares. I was seeking a son of George Wilkes, for I thought we needed some of the blood, although Mr. Ham- lin did not like the Wilkes family. His objec- tions to the Wilkeses were that they bred un- evenly, toed out and were low headed. I looked at Alcantara, then a six-year-old; Alcyone, then a five-year-old, for which Mr. Hamlin afterwards 28 BREEDING THE TROTTER offered twenty thousand dollars ; Onward, then a seven-year-old ; and Red Wilkes, then an eight- year-old. I next visited Dr. Herr's farm and, for the first time, saw Mambrino Patchen and his ten-year-old son, Mambrino King, which horse had been playing second fiddle to his sire. I reported to Mr. Hamlin that I had never seen a horse till I saw Mambrino King. I came back home with a list of stallions and mares that could be purchased. In the course of a month Mr. Hamlin went to Kentucky and purchased Mambrino King for seventeen thousand dollars; Gertie Smith, by Mambrino Patchen, for one thousand dollars; Play Girl, by Mambrino Patchen, for eight hun- dred dollars ; Gerster, by Hero of Thorndale, foi* four hundred and fifty dollars, at auction. Mr. Hamlin's son, Mr. William Hamlin, purchased Goldfringe, by Mambrino King, for one thousand dollars. By this time Mr. Hamlin concluded he* had invested enough money in trotters so he tel- egraphed me to come to Lexington and attend to shipping his purchases home. Soon after the purchase of Mambrino King, Mr. Hamlin's sons began to take a great deal of busi- ness off their father's shoulders and from that time on Mr. Hamlin made regular visits to the farm, when in Buffalo, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. MORE PURCHASES. In the spring of 1883 Mr. Hamlin again sent me to Kentucky to look for a young Wilkes stal- 29 BREEDING THE TROTTER lion to cross on the Mambrino King fillies when they came on. Many of the " knockers " had called Mambrino King a " dude stallion " with nothing in the 2.30 list. As a matter of fact, on account of standing on the same farm with his sire, he had never had a good opportunity. I was instructed while on my Kentucky trip to look out also for some Mam- brino King colts, which we could develop for the benefit of their sire. After looking around Lexington I went to the farm of W. H. Wilson, Cynthiana, Ky., where I found Simmons, then four years old. I tele- graphed Mr. Hamlin that I had found a stallion I believed would suit him and that I was on the track of some Mambrino King colts and fillies. We met at Lexington. Mr. Hamlin's first pur- chase was Queenie King, by Mambrino King, which he purchased of Mike Bowerman for seven hundred dollars. This was one of Bowerman's first high- priced sales. Queenie King afterwards produced The Queen (2.10 34) and King Chimes (2.10%). The next horse bought was King Philip (2.26), by Mambrino King, which Mr. Hamlin and I pur- chased in partnership from Major P. P. John- ston, for twenty-five hundred dollars. At Dr. Herr's we had the choice of Silver King (2.26^), aged two years, and Elyria, a yearling, for twenty- five hundred dollars. We chose the former be- cause Elyria was smaller and a little double-gaited. We then went to Cynthiana and offered seventy- five hundred for Simmons, but as Mr. Wilson 30 BREEDING THE TROTTER would not sell for less than ten thousand dollars we returned without the horse. ESTABELLA. In the fall of 1884 Mr. Hamlin went to Stony Ford Farm, Charles Backman, proprietor, and purchased Feroline, by Kentucky Prince, for five thousand dollars; Barbara, by Kentucky Prince, for two thousand dollars ; and Marjorie, by Ken- tucky Prince, for twenty-five hundred dollars. Estabella, by Alcantara, owned by David Bonner, was on the same farm. She was then a little, low-down, squatty three-year-old filly, but we purchased her for one thousand dollars. Fero- line produced the dam of Lord March (2.nJ^). Estabella produced Heir-at-Law (2.05%); Prince Regent (2.16^), for whom Charles Marvin once offered fifty thousand dollars ; Princess Royal (2) (2.20), dam of The Earl (3) (2.17), and Princess Chimes, the dam of Lady of the Manor (2.04^), etc. A prominent breeder once offered twenty- five thousand dollars for either of two fillies by Chimes, from Estabella. Barbara produced Emily (2.11). Mr. Hamlin was a good judge of a horse and an excellent buyer. On the other hand he was a poor seller. Often after he had refused a good offer for a colt I have induced the would-be pur- chaser to return to the farm in Mr. Hamlin's absence and would effect a sale. I remember one occasion in particular when he refused an offer of twenty-five thousand dollars for four fillies and a 31 BREEDING THE TROTTER stud colt. He hated to sell his best, in fact, advised strongly against it. Mr. Hamlin's first stallion was Hamlin Patchen, which he bred, as previously mentioned. ALMONT JR. He bought Almont Jr. (2.26) as a four-year-old in 1876, paying Mr. William Payne of Scott County, Ky., twenty-five hundred dollars for him. He kept Almont Jr. until 1891, when he was leased two seasons to Mr. William C. Dickin- son of the Connecticut River Stock Farm, Hat- field, Mass. Mr. Dickinson had bred a number of mares at Village Farm, and purchased Elect- mont, that has since sired Lady Sealskin (2.06^) and others, for twenty-five hundred dollars. In 1893 Almont Jr. was back at Village Farm. In 1900 he was leased to Stillman M. Thomas of Franklinville, N. Y., for four seasons. In 1904 he was returned to Village Farm. He was then thirty-two years old but vigorous and was allowed to cover a coach mare, which he got with foal. As his teeth were decaying rapidly the horse was chloroformed. MAMBRINO KING. The purchase of Mambrino King was spoken of in connection with the brood-mare purchases. Mr. Hamlin thought so much of Mambrino King that he always " spread " on him in his catalogues. The following is what he said of the horse in his first catalogue, that of 1884 : 32 BREEDING THE TROTTER " Mambrino King stands 15.3 hands, and he is universally conceded to be what the French Com- missioners pronounced him, ' The handsomest horse in the world.' He combines strength, intel- ligence, courage, faultless action and good breed- ing with symmetry and style. His second dam was the dam of Fisk's Mambrino Chief, a horse that sold for twelve thousand dollars. His legs are stoutly corded and free from blemish, and his feet are entirely sound. He has no imperfections to transmit and, judging him by his stud fruits, he has the power to stamp out defects in the dam. " He has never been put in trotting condition, but has often been driven by Dr. Herr and his colored groom quarters in thirty-four and thirty- five seconds and thirty-five and a fraction, in the presence of David Bonner and hundreds of others. In the fall of 1881 he showed in an exhibition trot at the Lexington Fair, when he was speeded, a half-mile in 1.14 ; jogged to the half-mile pole and repeated in just exactly the same time, without making a break or the least urging, and this after the regular season in the stud. He wears light shoes and no toe- weights. Dr. Herr writes me that the colts left in Kentucky by him are coming to the front as trotters, and he predicts that in three years from now Mambrino King will stand at the head of all trotting stallions. He has a rich speed inheritance, and this he can hardly fail to perpetuate. I paid a large price for him, and during the short period he has been located at 33 BREEDING THE TROTTER Village Farm not less than sixteen thousand people have called to see and admire him.* I believe in breeding a class of horses which possess beauty and style as well as speed, and am satis- fied that I will accomplish my purpose by using Mambrino King in the stud. I reproduce in this connection a description of the horse, written by the well-known S. T. H., of Cincinnati : " ' His rich, satin-like coat glistening in the sunlight, more handsome in his exquisite pro- portions and lofty in his splendid carriage than the proudest Nedjed Arabian of the desert. In- deed, as he stood before us, his eyes flashing and his gazelle ears pointing forward, and his arching neck revealing the delicate network of swelling veins, and his symmetrical barrel revealing every contour of equine beauty, and his full, flowing tail, gracefully floating like a gossamer banner, we thought that if he could be instantly trans- formed into marble he would remain forever the sculptor's model of an ideal horse.' " I also call attention to the following extract from the official report of Baron Favorot de Ker- beck, French Colonel of Dragoons, who was de- puted by his government to make an extensive tour of inspection of the horses of America : " ' Mambrino King is the most splendid speci- men we have had an opportunity of admiring. Imagine an Alfred de Dreux, a burnt chestnut, whole colored, standing 15.3 hands, with an ex- *I recall one day when Mambrino King was taken out of his stall to be shown to visitors one hundred and seventy times. John Bradburn. 34 BREEDING THE TROTTER pressive head ; large, intelligent and spirited eyes ; well-opened lower jaws, well-set ears ; the neck and shoulders splendidly shaped, long and grace- fully rounded off ; the shoulders strong and thrown back well ; the withers well in place and top mus- cular, the ribs round and loin superb, the crupper long and broad ; limbs exceedingly fine, the joints powerful ; the tail carried majestically and all the movements high and spirited — imagine all this and you have an idea of this stallion. He is as open, if we look at him in front, as he is in his hind quarters — the whole animal being an em- bodiment of purity of lines, elegance and elas- ticity. He is, in fact, perfection/ ' Later, Mr. Hamlin added this paragraph to his description of the horse : " It should be borne in mind that until he was ten years of age Mambrino King was owned by Dr. Herr, and being so overshadowed in reputa- tion as a stock horse by his famous sire, Mam- brino Patchen, he had few or no opportunities of serving mares of the best breeding. The natural speed and great beauty of the fillies which I have seen that were sired by him when he was in Ken- tucky, and the same qualities in those which he has sired since he came to Village Farm, together with the fact that Mambrino King is far more beautiful and more richly bred than Mambrino Patchen, warrant me in making the prediction that his daughters will be superior as brood-mares to those of his sire, which have proven them- selves the most valuable of any in the country. 35 BREEDING THE TROTTER In this opinion I am fully sustained by the judgment of Dr. Herr." Without special preparation Horace Brown once drove Mambrino King a public exhibition half-mile, at Buffalo, in 1.12, with the horse in stud condition. Mambrino King was still vigorous at twenty- seven years but his teeth were decaying and he had a painful injury on the knee, due to the kick of a mare, and he was chloroformed. CHIMES. When the Mambrino King fillies came on it was necessary to select a stallion to cross on them. Usually Mr. Hamlin would buy for Village Farm anything I advised. Effecting the purchase of Chimes was the hardest proposition I ever ran up against. I had first seen Chimes at Rochester, N. Y., as a yearling in the fall of 1885. I was working out a mare that could step around 2.32. Charlie Marvin was out behind Chimes and asked me how fast I was going. I replied, " Around 2.40, with the last half in twelve." " I'll work with you," he said. Horace Brown was out behind a mare and the three of us worked to- gether, giving the colt the pole. Chimes kept the mares busy to the half, while Marvin was buggy riding. At the head of the stretch the two mares were on their toes, while Marvin commenced moving away. Chimes was soon so far in the lead that I was ashamed to finish the mile and, pulling 36 BREEDING THE TROTTER my mare up, I turned around and went back to the stable. I talked Chimes all winter. He was a rapid- going colt and would, I thought, mate well with the Mambrino Kings, which did not have enough knee action and were long striders. Mr. Hamlin saw Chimes that fall at the St. Louis Fair but was not greatly impressed, because the colt went low headed and did not carry his tail as Mr. Hamlin liked to see a horse do. In 1886, while at Sagi- naw, Mich., Mr. Hamlin promised to make an offer for Chimes. He asked Marvin what the colt could be bought for. Marvin replied, " He is the best colt we ever raised and I do not care to price him. However, I will telegraph any fair offer you may make to Governor Stanford. " Stanford was at that time in the Senate at Washington. Mr. Hamlin offered ten thousand dollars for the colt. Marvin said he did not like to telegraph so low an offer. Mr. Hamlin then offered twelve thousand dollars and Marvin telegraphed his employer to that effect. Governor Stanford's answer was that if the colt was going to a good home and the sale was for cash, to sell. That was how Chimes came into the possession of Mr. Hamlin. We worked Chimes a mile in 2.25 as a two-year- old. In the spring of 1887, as a three-year-old, we bred him to sixteen mares and raced him that summer. He won nine thousand dollars and took a record of 2.30%, which was no measure of his speed. Marvin, in his book, tells of driving 37 BREEDING THE TROTTER Chimes a quarter in thirty-five seconds at fifteen months. Chimes was very successful in the stud, financially and otherwise. One year he made twenty-one thousand dollars for Village Farm, covering forty-two outside mares at five hundred dollars. GOLDEN GATEWAY. Golden Gateway, by Guy Wilkes (2.15^), was purchased at auction in 1889, when he was ten months old, for fifty-one hundred dollars. He was believed to be the first colt with three pro- ducing dams. REX AMERICUS. Rex Americus (2.1 1 J4) was purchased, as a two- year-old, from J. H. Thayer, for fifteen thousand dollars. He made a season as a three-year-old, producing Battleton (2.09%) and American Belle (2.12^) from these services. ATHANIO. In 1895 Mr. Hamlin and Mr. Geers purchased Athanio (2) (2.19^), from George L. Warton, Fresno, Cat, for twelve hundred dollars. After taking a record of 2.10 he was sold at auction for three thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars and went to Austria. DIRECT HAL. The last stallion Mr. Hamlin purchased, and the only pacing stallion, was Direct Hal, owned 38 BREEDING THE TROTTER by Mr. Ed. Geers. I saw Direct Hal first as a two-year-old and liked him. At that time we had about gone the limit on the Mambrino King- Chimes cross and needed an out cross. As some of our mares produced fast pacers I thought Direct Hal would make a good cross and advised Mr. Hamlin to breed some mares to him. To this suggestion he replied, " If I want the use of a stallion I can afford to own him. What do you suppose people would say if I bred to an outside stallion? I don't want to dig my own grave. Let some one else do that." It was some time before Mr. Hamlin could induce Mr. Geers to sell, but the horse finally changed hands for ten thou- sand dollars. At that time his fastest mile had been in 2.17}^ with a half in 1.06. We bred him as a four-year-old and five-year-old, and in the latter year he worked a mile in 2.06 %• As a six- year-old he was raced. He was unbeaten down the Grand Circuit and took a record of 2.0414, winning twenty-six thousand five hundred dollars. At one time Direct Hal could have been sold for forty thousand dollars. THE FIRST CATALOGUE. The Village Farm catalogues record many of Mr. Hamlin's views on the breeding problem. The first catalogue of Village Farm was issued in 1884. It was my first experience as a catalogue compiler and I never worked so hard on anything in my life. At that time the facilities for com- piling catalogues were not what they now are and 39 BREEDING THE TROTTER the tracing of pedigrees and establishing of dates was a tedious undertaking. In the announcement of the 1884 catalogue Mr. Hamlin briefly outlined his " theory of breed- ing," as he called it, in these words : MR. HAMLIN'S THEORY OF BREEDING. " My great aim in breeding is to combine speed with size, soundness, style and elegance of form. In the pursuit of this object I have weeded from the list the mares which have not produced foals up to the standard, and the stallions have been selected with the greatest care." Speaking of weeding out I might mention that a great deal of it was done at Village Farm. If a stallion colt was not up to the standard he was gelded. If a colt came crooked we knew it was the mare's fault. The colt was killed and the mare sold. Speaking of these brood-mares Mr. Hamlin, in his 1884 catalogue, published the following opinion : THE BROOD-MARE'S IMPORTANCE. " The brood-mares cover every branch of the explored field. Every line of demonstrated worth has been given a place in the collection. As I wish to stamp out, instead of to perpetuate, in- firmities, no mare has been purchased or retained, regardless of fashionable breeding, which has a blemish of a constitutional character. I believe that the brood-mare is an important factor in the 40 BREEDING THE TROTTER problem of reproduction, and so I have given as much thought to her selection as to that of the stallion. " I do not see how I can fail, by grafting the best qualities of one family upon the best qualities of another family, to produce a superior breed of horses. I believe in giving to the foal t Incapacity to trot young, but I am opposed to the abuse of this capacity. I shall not, as a rule, impose a strain upon the colts which the joints and liga- ments are in no condition to sustain, therefore few reports of fast trials of yearlings and two- year-olds will go out from Village Farm. The man who waits upon a colt until it matures will have the satisfaction of owning an animal able to stand the wear and tear of the road and track." BEAUTY AND SPEED. Mr. Hamlin was continually preaching, through his catalogues and the public prints, his doctrine of combining beauty and speed. In his 1885 catalogue he says : 1 The get of a very large percentage of the plain trotting stallions now in use in this country have no speed, and, being without beauty or other attractive qualities, can be marketed only for street railroad and other ordinary purposes at prices that do not pay the breeder one-half what it costs to raise them. This is the cause of a great number of breeders becoming disgusted with the business," 41 BREEDING THE TROTTER In the 1891 catalogue he had more to say on the same subject : " I wish briefly to direct attention to a few points which, in my judgment, are of the greatest moment to the breeding world. The crowning ambition of every breeder is to produce a perfect horse, but it is evident to careful observers that much must be accomplished before the hope is realized. Progress is not dead, but some breeders are more progressive than others. The cardinal points in the make-up of a perfect horse are beauty, size, strength, endurance, intelligence, speed and balance. The absence of any of these points would cause the animal to fall short of the standard of perfection." DEVELOPED SIRES. About this time Mr. Hamlin became convinced that hard-racing campaigns sap the vitality of a stallion and make him undesirable for a stock horse. These views, when they appeared in the Turf, Field and Farm, were widely criticised. He continued the controversy in his 1888 cata- logue in which he says : * ' All breeders are more or less rivals, each being anxious to excel the other. This being the case, I feel privileged to say a few words about the claims put forward by the owners of other stal- lions, especially those stallions with fast records. I combat the theory that stallions with low records are of the highest value for breeding purposes. I contend that the fastest and gamest performers 4.2 BREEDING THE TROTTER are not likely to come from them. It is beyond dispute that a horse which trots race after race passes through a vitality-sapping ordeal. The stallion that is trained, season after season, for the purpose of forcing him down to the lowest record made, goes through a continual strain which necessarily takes from him something of the vigor so important to the highest results in the stud. The hard work of the track causes a waste of the vital force, so much needed in perfect stock-get- ting. I believe that the stallion which is over- worked for the sake of a record has his ability for reproducing speed weakened instead of increased, and to show my sincerity on this point, to prove my faith by my words, I offer the following chal- lenge : A CHALLENGE. " I will trot this coming season heats, best two in three, tinder the rules of the National Trotting Association, over any good mile track, as con- venient to reach by both parties as possible, four of the get of Mambrino King (an undeveloped stallion), foaled in 1885, bred, raised, devel- oped and owned at Village Farm, against any four of the same age, bred, raised, developed and owned by the owner of any stallion having a record of 2.22 or better, the said four to have been sired after the stallion had obtained his fastest record. I will make each of the four races for from one to one thousand dollars a side, and I would prefer that the challenge be accepted by the owner 43 BREEDING THE TROTTER of Phallas (2.13%), or the owner of Jerome Eddy (2.16^2). Both of the stallions named are fast, but up to the present time I have been unable to discover that either has sired a trotter. I am willing, however, to go on a voyage of discovery, and my proposition cannot be deemed one-sided, for the reason that both stallions have a large number of colts of the proper age from which their owners, who employ first-class trainers, can make selections. If the theory is sound that a horse which has trotted a wonderfully fast mile should necessarily get very fast stock, the advan- tage should be with Phallas and Jerome Eddy, because they have the fastest records and have been serving mares for several years past at high prices. For the good of the trotting community, as well as for those breeding with the hope of getting a trotter, I think it time that the bubble, so full of deceptive ideas, should be pricked." How this challenge was received is best told by Mr. Hamlin himself in his 1889 catalogue : " This direct and business-like proposition stirred up a series of cyclones throughout the country, and although many counter-proposi- tions were made by the owners of developed stal- lions, not one of these had the courage to accept my challenge. The four three-year-olds by Mam- brino King, upon which I depended, did not dis- appoint me. Every one showed the ability to trot in from 2.25 to 2.35. One trotted a trial in 2.26, and the other two trotted in 2.31. Mam- brino King is all I have claimed him to be." 44 BREEDING THE TROTTER SELECTING BROOD-MARES. Mr. Hamlin was not only a non-believer in tin- cup records, but did not consider it necessary to race a mare in order to make a successful brood- mare. He thought nothing of stopping us work- ing our best fillies and ordering them to be placed in the harem. For that reason most of Village Farm's fastest performers were stallions or geld- ings. On many an occasion have the Village Farm trainers been actually sickened when prospective 2.10 trotters were taken from their strings to be placed in the brood-mare ranks. A PREDICTION. Mr. Hamlin took great pleasure in making pre- dictions in his catalogues, almost all of which were fulfilled. The most important one appeared in his catalogue for 1891 : ''While it is dangerous to make predictions, and while I realize that the whole world is in compe- tition, I wish it recorded that there are now on Village Farm a number of youngsters that will score lower marks in contested races than have heretofore been made by any trotter, living or dead." Several world's champions afterwards appeared to fulfil this prediction. " THE PASSING OF VILLAGE FARM." Before leaving Village Farm to take up the practical side of this book, I wish to call atten- 45 BREEDING THE TROTTER tion to what I consider the best eulogy written on this famous establishment. It was penned by Rev. Andrew M. Shea, of Ames, la., one of our patrons, and was published, I think, in the Spirit of the West, of Des Moines, la., but is deserving of a wider circulation. I am sorry there is not space here to print the entire article, excerpts from which follow : " Life is full of pathos. Change and decay characterize our journey between birth and judg- ment. In obedience to this principle everything advances, either in an increasing or a decreasing series. The solid granite gradually crumbles into dust ; the tall oak of the forest is first a tender shoot, then a green sapling, until, ultimately, it is succeeded by decay. So with the institutions of man — they are first seen in the tenderness of in- fancy, then in the beauty of youth, then in the strength of maturity, till age steals on apace, impairing their beauty, wasting their freshness and destroying their strength, till, bowing under the weight of infirmities or ceasing to be among men, their day has become night and their mis- sion history. The experiences and enterprises of Leland Stanford, Robert Bonner and J. Mal- colm Forbes constitute personal illustrations of this transitory life. And now comes the announce- ment of the absolute dispersal of Village Farm, and though Mr. Cicero J. Hamlin, its dis- tinguished founder, at least as great, if not indeed the greatest Roman of them all, still lingers this side of the portals of the grave, it is appar- 46 BREEDING THE TROTTER ent to his friends and to none more so than the great horseman himself that he too must soon join his colleagues in the invisible land, and herein, perhaps, more than anything else, lies the secret of ' The Passing of Village Farm.'* " And what a farm it has been! What history it has made! How vastly different the records of the turf would read had Village Farm never had an existence! The list of men who have mixed brains with the founding of a stock farm and have carried the enterprise to successful con- summation, at least in the degree, as has Mr. Hamlin, is not large. Few men are entitled to start in his class. His judgment in selecting and handling Mambrino King and Chimes has been vindicated by their achievements. . . . " In the spring of 1903 the writer bade adieu to the dear ones of his Western home, climbed into a box car with our three-year-old filly, whose blood lines read like a poem and whose ancestors have distinguished themselves in the stud and on the track, and sped away to Village Farm. After the varied experiences incident to travel by freight we reached East Aurora, N. Y. We went to the depot 'phone and called up Village Farm, from which came the courteous reply, ' We will send for you and your mare immediately.' In due time came a man on horseback for the idol of our heart and the foundation of our dreams — dreams of a colt, a sale at a long price, and a trip to the Holy Land. Just behind him rode another *Mr. Hamlin died February 20, 1905, scarcely three weeks after the Village Farm dispersal sale. 47 BREEDING THE TROTTER behind an attractive-looking pacer hitched to a top buggy. We were invited to a seat behind the pacer and in response to our inquiry, ' What's this you are driving?' the driver smiled and said, ' You are now riding behind Hal Pointer.' Con- fess, yes ; we can but be true. Our first impulse was to tip our hat and then get out and walk. Shades of the great ones! Had we not read and re-read the Hal Pointer-Direct duels? Had not our heart beat fast as the dailies told of his demonstrating to the world that a horse could pace in less than 2.05? Had we not said, ' I wish I could see him ' ? And behold, we were actually riding behind him. And notwithstanding Mr. Bradburn's most cordial welcome and the fact that we had had nothing warm to eat for four days, we actually stood on the office porch until the old hero had entered the barn. . . . Like the Queen of Sheba, who had heard the glories of Solomon, we, too, had heard of the greatness of Village Farm, but we confess in the language of the ancient queen, ' The half had not been told.' . . . However, as we are writing about the passing of things, we pause to note that it was here The Abbot struggled to get command of himself and, after succeeding, flew to the top and carried the world's record — a coveted crown — to the camp of his owner. But where is he? Gone! Passed for- ever! From this spot, a few days ago, we looked away to the hillside where rest the bones of old Hal Pointer. How are the mighty fallen, and now the entire plant is to become a thing of the past." 48 Chapter Three FOUNDING A STOCK FARM Location. — Soil. — Water. — Size of Farm. — Acres of Land per Head. — The Track. — Rules for Laying out Track. — The Cinder Track. — Paddocks. — Fencing. — Stables. — Main Barn. — Water in Paddock. — Brood-mare Shed. — The Farm Superintendent. AT this point I will take it for granted that I have satisfactorily explained to the reader who I am, have told as much of my history as he will be interested in knowing, have shown how my knowledge of horses was gained, and have described how that experience was applied to the management of Village Farm. With this in mind, I will presume to write several chapters of advice on the breeding and development of trotters, with advice on the man- agement of stock farms. I propose to begin at the very beginning and will devote this chapter to the founding of a stock farm. LOCATION. We will suppose that the reader contemplates starting in the breeding business and has come to that point where he must decide on the loca- tion of his stock farm, be it large or small. Those who are expecting a long-winded argu- ment on the climatic theory will be disappointed. 49 BREEDING THE TROTTER In my opinion the main thing to be considered is to locate the farm within easy access of its owner's place of business. If the owner lives in a large city his farm should be at some point not farther away than thirty or forty minutes' ride by rail. The farm should be so located that the owner can visit it often and at all seasons without tedious journeys, otherwise he is liable to lose interest and quit the business. The nearer the farm is to the railroad station the better, and the less expense the owner is put to in hauling supplies. This is an important factor. For every mile the cost of hauling in- creases expenses hundreds of dollars, according to the size of the plant, and this soon runs into thousands. The farm that is within ten or fifteen minutes' walk of the depot is admirably located. The owner, his friends, or visitors, can reach such a farm without a tiresome drive. Too many of our large stock farms are almost inaccessible. \ SOIL. In locating a stock farm at any particular point, if there is any choice of soil I would pre- fer it to be sandy or gravelly. The muddy season will be shorter and the grass will come earlier and stay later. Rolling, but not hilly, land has my preference. WATER. If possible there should be spring water on the 5° BREEDING THE TROTTER farm. It is the best water for man or beast to drink, and for both is the most pleasant and healthful. SIZE OF FARM. Now as to the size of the farm, that will depend on the amount of stock. If I were a millionaire I would never want over forty brood-mares and would prefer twenty. Twenty brood-mares will raise enough colts to keep a trainer busy. If you start on twenty mares, by the time your oldest foals are four years old you should have sixty- eight or seventy colts to keep your trainers occupied. After deciding on the number of brood-mares you wish to start with it will become necessary to determine how many acres of land will be required to support each mare. ACRES OF LAND PER HEAD. In New York State your mare will live on grass for about six months. Two acres of pasturage should keep her, and colt by side, for the season. During the winter months she will eat about fifteen pounds of hay per day, for six months, or about twenty-seven hundred pounds in all. In New York State one acre of land will raise this much hay or more each season. If you wish to raise your own oats, you will have to allow the mare more ground. During the six winter months she will be fed about six quarts of oats a day (in addition to bran, wheat, etc., as set BREEDING THE TROTTER forth in chapter five), or about thirty-five bushels for the season. This will require, in New York State, seven-tenths of an acre of land. The straw from this land will provide enough bedding for your mare during the winter if your men are not wasteful. Sooner or later the colts will come on and you will need more land. We will suppose that you keep all the colts until they are two years old. This will give you the pleasure of breaking and driving them and developing their speed if they have any. In the long run you will make a larger net profit selling your colts as two-year-olds than at any other age. Now, to determine how much land will be needed to support the colts. The weanlings should have eight pounds of hay per day during the winter months or seven hundred pounds for the season. One quarter of an acre of land will keep the weanling in hay every season. When the yearlings come on they will eat almost as much hay as aged horses. The weanling will eat seven quarts of oats per day or forty bushels dur- ing the winter. Four-fifths of an acre of ground will raise enough oats for the weanling. The yearlings will eat the same amount during the breaking season and following winter. One and three-fifths acres will raise the oats needed for this purpose. After your oldest foals are year- lings, in order to be prepared to support your mare, her weanling and her yearling up to the spring of its two-year-old form, you must have BREEDING THE TROTTER seven and one-half acres of land for each mare you started with, figured as follows : Two acres in pasturage for mare ; one acre in hay for mare; seven-tenths acre in oats for the mare; one-fourth acre in hay for the weanling; one acre in hay for the yearling; four-fifths acres of oats for the weanling ; one and three-fifths acres of oats for the yearling. Of course if you keep your colts after the spring of their two-year-old form you will need more land, but the above figures give you a basis to work on. THE TRACK. After the farm is purchased the plot should be selected on which to lay out either a mile or a half- mile track. If possible this should be located somewhere within sight of the public highway. It is a good advertisement for the farm, besides giving it a " ready-for-business " appearance. With the track so located visitors will not have to go to a distant part of the farm to see the horses work. I prefer that the track be laid out on low ground if convenient. By doing this you get away from the high winds, the soil ;~ usually soft and spongy, and the track does not get hard. RULES FOR LAYING OUT TRACKS. For reference, the rules for laying out tracks are here inserted : To lay out a half-mile track, lay off two straight sides, six hundred feet each (parallel) and four 53 BREEDING THE TROTTER hundred and fifty-two feet four and three-eighths inches apart, connected at each end with a per- fect semi-circle (radius two hundred and twenty- six feet, two and three-sixteenths inches). Place the fence exactly upon a line so formed (which is the inside of the track), and the track will measure exactly half a mile three feet from the inside fence, to be placed according to the width of the track desired. Thirteen acres will be required for a half-mile track thirty feet wide, fifteen acres for a half-mile track sixty feet wide. If not convenient to obtain an engineer to run the curve, it can be done as follows : Place a stake midway between the parallel straight lines at each end ; take a wire with the loop at the end, loose enough to turn upon the stake, and measure upon this wire two hundred and thirty-six feet two and three sixteenths inches (the radius of the curve), which from the centre stake will exactly reach the ends of the straight lines ; then describe a semi-circle, beginning at the end of one side, 54 BREEDING THE TROTTER putting down a stake every twelve feet, if this is the length of the fence panels desired. To lay out a full mile track, select a level field of forty-two acres ; draw through the center of it a straight line of four hundred and forty yards (a quarter of a mile). On each side of this line, and an exact distance of one hundred and forty yards two inches from it, draw parallel lines of equal length, so that the space between the two outer lines will be two hundred and eighty yards, four inches. This being done, a stake should be driven at each end of the centre line ; a cord should be fas- tened thereto. Extend the cord at right angles for one hundred and forty yards two inches, until it touches the end of the outer line, and then describe with the extreme end of the cord an outer curve or semi-circle between the ends of the two outer lines. There will be a continuous outer line, being exactly a mile (one thousand seven hundred and sixty yards) in length, and requiring an en- closure of forty-six acres of ground. From this outer line or track, set the fence of the course three feet in on the straight sides and curves. In this way an exact mile (as near as may be) is pre- served for the actual foot track of all the horses. The first distance post is sixty yards from the judges' stand, the second is two hundred and forty yards, and the stand is sixty yards before entering the turn. The track should be graded around the turn like the track of a railroad or circus, the outer portion highest, so that a horse can extend himself at full speed. 55 BREEDING THE TROTTER THE CINDER TRACK. A cinder track should be built inside of the main track, about three-eighths of a mile in cir- cumference, with turns well thrown up. The track should be from fifteen to twenty feet wide and fenced on both sides. This makes a minia- ture track for leading and breaking colts and jog- ging in muddy weather when you cannot get onto your main track. PADDOCKS. In dividing your farm and in fencing remember to have plenty of paddocks from one to five acres — different sizes for different purposes. Most farms have a large pasture-field for their brood-mares. I prefer dividing them into lots or pasture-fields of not over ten acres. If there is no shade in the pastures then trees should be set out in order to afford the mares protection from sun, storms and flies. In some of the brood- mare pastures you will want small feeding pad- docks for the colts, as mentioned in chapter five. To lay out the farm in the most convenient manner, a road should be built through the center so that the owner, his family, his friends or vis- itors, can drive about the farm and see all the horses without wasting a lot of time driving through the fields. FENCING. As to fencing, never allow any barbed wire on the place. A board fence, five feet high, is the 56 BREEDING THE TROTTER best. I prefer sixteen-foot boards with posts set eight feet apart and three and a half feet in the ground. The fence should be capped with a six- inch board. The posts should be of cedar, chest- nut or second-growth oak, which I fancy in the order named. A fence properly built will last twenty-five years. There should be good, strong gates connecting the lots. STABLES. When the time comes to build stables you will probably first build your main barn. Later, if you have a large number of colts to train, it will be necessary to build a training barn near the track. When it comes time to build this barn locate it where visitors are least likely to visit it and bother your men. MAIN BARN. The main barn on the largest farms should con- tain from thirty to thirty-six stalls. Sixteen stalls are enough for one training barn to contain. In the main barn there should be a hallway, twenty feet wide, of yellow clay that will pack solid and clean. This is the most sanitary floor- ing. The barn should be light, airy and well ventilated. If possible, it should be lighted by electricity, with gas as second choice. If this cannot be done lanterns will have to be used. Establish a rule on the farm that no lanterns shall be carried about unless absolutely necessary. Enforce this rule as a precaution against fire. 57 BREEDING THE TROTTER Allow no smoking or lighting of matches in the barn. The evening feeding should be done before dark so that it will not be necessary to use lan- terns. The stalls should be of different sizes, for in- stance, twelve by fourteen, twelve by twelve, ten by twelve, while a few eight by twelve stalls may be built for weanlings. Everything should be arranged as conveniently as possible. The grain and bran bins should be so placed overhead that the feed will not have to be carried long distances. Water hydrants should be so located that water will not have to be carried any further away than three stalls. This makes it easier for the men, is time saved, that means money and affords increased fire protection. The main barn should contain an office or wait- ing room for the owner and visitors, and adjoin- ing working office where the records may be kept. I present herewith plans of what I consider an ideal main barn for a stock farm, except that I would prefer it from four to six feet higher, in order to have more room for hay. As to building material, that depends upon how much architectural beauty is desired. I prefer a wooden barn to one of stone or brick because it is drier. WATER IN PADDOCKS. I have previously mentioned the importance of good water. There should be running water, 58 BREEDING THE TROTTER spring water if possible, in all lots and paddocks. The troughs should be eight to twelve feet long and about sixteen inches deep. A large trough is better than a small one, because it does not become heated so quickly in summer. Pine wood makes the best troughs. The tops should be covered with tin, zinc, or galvanized iron, so that the horses will not eat the wood. The troughs should be well painted. They will look neater and last longer. BROOD-MARE SHEDS. We now come to the brood-mare barn. No matter how much money I might have, and even if able to build an expensive brood-mare barn, I would build sheds and winter the mares that way. With this arrangement the mare gets out at all times during the winter and takes her natural exercise. On account of this exercise she will have stronger and straighter foals than otherwise and the mare is less liable to be injured as she sometimes is when passing through stall doors. During the last fifteen years at Village Farm the mares were wintered in sheds and we were very successful with them. One spring there were one hundred and two brood-mares on the farm, many of them outside mares left to be wintered. Out of this number one hundred and one had foals. This success was in no small degree due to the care they received at the hands of Michael and Joseph Fisher, now of Snydersville, N. Y. When mares are kept in sheds it makes less work 62 BREEDING THE TROTTER for the brood-mare men. One winter at Village Farm one man looked after seventy-eight mares. The brood-mare shed should vary in length according to the number of mares to be housed. Allow ten feet to each mare. The shed should, ordinarily, open to the east, thus the mares will get full benefit of the morning sun and be pro- tected from the prevailing winds. Local weather conditions might alter this plan and the stable open preferably to the south or southwest. A manger should be built the entire length of the shed. It should be twenty-four inches wide at the bottom, forty inches wide at top, thirty-six inches high. The manger should be made of plank, built tight to hold grain, and should be raised about eighteen inches from the ground. On each side of the posts supporting the front of the shed should be nailed a triangular piece of plank, four feet high and twelve inches wide, the base of the triangle resting on the ground. This keeps the mares away from the posts and there is less danger of their injuring their hips. On the south end of the shed ten box stalls, fourteen by fourteen, should be built. These may be used either in foaling or for sick mares, which need immediate attention, or for cross mares. In front of the shed should be a yard extending three hundred feet to the fence. Of course there will be a trough in the yard so mares can drink whenever they desire. 63 BREEDING THE TROTTER THE FARM SUPERINTENDENT. Now, unless you are a practical horseman, or even if you once were a horseman and your knowl- edge of horses has been lying dormant for years while you were accumulating a share of the world's goods, the next thing for you to do will be to select your farm superintendent. You will be besieged with applications for the position and you may gain the mistaken idea that a competent superintendent is easy to secure. The contrary is the case, which you will see by studying the superintendent's requirements, as set forth in detail in the chapter on " Manage- ment of Stock Farms." A farm that has been laid out as directed will come close to being an ideal one. Naturally, there are minor details which can best be left to the owner's good judgment. Chapter Four THE STALLION Purchasing a Premier — Over -developed Sires. — Concrete Examples. — Almont Jr. — Almonarch. — Natural Speed. — Blood Lines. — The Stallion's Sire — The Stallion's Dam. — The Stallion's Individuality. — My Ideal Stallion. — Trotter vs. Pacer. — Shall the Stallion be Raced ? — The Stud Season. — Care of Stallion. — Feeding. — Covering the Mare. — The Breed- ing Pen. — Trial Sheet and Stud Book. AFTER having selected a site for your stock farm, purchased the land, laid out the track and built the stables, you are ready to appear before the world as a breeder. You will be warmly welcomed, for horsemen are loyal to one another. The turf press, to encourage you and perhaps in anticipation of your becoming one of their advertising patrons, will say nice things about you. Everything will look rosy, but your troubles have just begun. PURCHASING A PREMIER. After engaging your superintendent, if you are to have one, the next thing to do is to purchase a stallion to head your stud. You will have many advisers anxious to assist you in making your selection. If the advice comes from experienced horsemen, give it heed, but do not hesitate to exercise your own judg- 65 BREEDING THE TROTTER ment, for you are now at a very critical point in your career as a breeder. If you make a mistake in selecting your stal- lion and his produce fail to fulfil your expecta- tions, it will mean a loss of time and money, and be a matter of constant regret. If you do make a mistake in your stallion dispose of him as soon as you discover it, rather than hang on, .hoping against hope, and finally becoming so disap- pointed as to cause you to give up in disgust. OVER-DEVELOPED SIRES. Above all things, do not join that mad scramble of young breeders anxious to secure a stallion that has been prominently before the public as a rac- ing machine for several seasons. Such racing has sapped his vitality and has taken from him some- thing nature cannot replace. It is sometimes advisable to race a stallion one year so that the public may decide whether or not he is game, good-gaited and has speed to transmit. The stal- lion should not be raced hard during this one season. Two or three good races are sufficient. Before continuing my advice on the selection of the stallion, let me say that my views against severely campaigned stallions as stock horses are very decided and have been gained through actual experience. CONCRETE EXAMPLES — ALMONT JR. The year following Almont Jr.'s retirement from the turf, after being almost drilled to death, 66 BREEDING THE TROTTER he got only forty per cent of his mares with foal. The following season the percentage was sixty and the next year seventy per cent, and in time he became a sure foal getter, which he had been previous to his hard racing campaign. Later, when his produce came on, it did not surprise me to find that his best performers were sired before his severe training and racing season, although he attracted the best mares after his reputation as a race-horse was established. The good performers that were sired after his retirement were foaled several years after the severe campaign of 1881. The following is the list of Almont Jr.'s fastest performers gotten before 1881, with the year indicated in which the dam of each was covered, viz., Belle Hamlin (2.12%), 1878; Globe (2.14%), 1880; Maud T. (2.19^), 1876 and Justina (2.20), (2.13 to pole), 1878. The following is the list of the fastest performers gotten by Almont Jr. after 1881 : Wardwell (2.15), 1882; Ovid (3) (2.15^), 1888 \Glendennis (2.17 M), 1885 ; Play Boy (2.18^), 1884, and Lucretia (2.20), 1884. ALMONARCH. I noticed the same thing in connection with Almonarch (2.24%). His season of 1883 on the Grand Circuit was a severe one, and most of his races were long-drawn-out affairs. In 1885 I had him in charge and he was a well worn-out stallion. He was bred to forty-two mares and got but fifteen foals. The following season he stood on the farm of J. D. Yeomans, East Aurora, N, Y,, and I 67 BREEDING THE TROTTER watched the outcome closely. He was bred to fifty odd mares and got about thirty foals. In 1887 he was bred to sixty-two mares and got about forty-five foals. After that time, with rest and care, he proved as sure as the average stal- lion. Previous to his severe campaign he had been a very sure foal getter. The dam of Topsey (2.091/2), Almonarch's fastest trotter, was covered twelve years after his retirement. Homora, the dam of Fantasy (2.06), and Satory, the dam of Mandolin (2.16) and grandam of Dare Devil (2.09), were both gotten in 1881, before the severe cam- paign. The register gives Satory as foaled in 1884. This is incorrect, she was foaled in 1882. Her dam, Mollie O, produced Golconda, by Mam- brino King, in 1884. Almont Jr. and Almonarch are two good ex- amples of the deteriorating effect a severe cam- paign has on a stallion for from three to five years afterwards. I know of a number of other stal- lions which could be cited as examples, but the reader may draw his own conclusions. Mention could be made of many hard-raced stallions to which breeders flocked, after those horses had made arduous Grand Circuit campaigns, that have not proved successful sires, or did not, until many seasons after their retirement from the turf. Of course there are exceptions to all rules and once in a while you will run across a fast trotter gotten by an over-developed sire soon after his retirement from the turf. Such a trotter is often found to be from a mare of great vitality or was 68 BREEDING THE TROTTER sired by a sluggish horse which would not, of his own accord, race to his limit and would thus save himself some. The experience gained from watching the pro- duce of Almont Jr. and Almonarch after their severe campaigns was of great interest to Mr. C. J. Hamlin. After studying the matter he became so prejudiced against developed sires (by that he meant those raced excessively) that he never hesi- tated to express his views in print, as has been noted in a previous chapter. I have wandered somewhat from my subject, but I consider this phase of the breeding problem important. It is something to consider in select- ing your premier stallion. NATURAL SPEED. Do not understand me to mean that because I do not fancy over-developed sires I do not want speed in a stallion. I want all the natural speed I can get, the more the better, for if a stallion does not have natural speed he cannot transmit it to his progeny. As previously stated, in order to satisfy the public I do not object to a stallion's speed being developed up to a certain point. BLOOD LINES. Having decided whether or not you want a developed sire you must give some attention to the blood lines of the different stallions which you have in mind. BREEDING THE TROTTER I would not presume to limit you to any par- ticular blood line for there are many successful strains. THE STALLION'S SIRE. I prefer the sire of a stallion to be a horse known to possess great natural speed and descended from a line of stallions known to possess great natural speed. If the sire of the horse which you are con- sidering was raced severely and campaigned to death, I advise you to make sure his son was gotten either before his severe campaigns or from three to five years after his retirement from the turf. The sire of your stallion, if old enough, should be a successful producer of speed, and in all events descended from a line of successful producers of speed. By a successful speed-pro- ducing sire I do not mean a horse that has sired a large number in the 2.30 list with but a small percentage of good race-horses, nor a sire that has sired just one or two fast performers. A truly successful sire is one that gets a fair proportion of speed from every crop of colts. The best way to compare sires is by the amount of money their produce win at the races. The time is bound to come when more attention will be given to statis- tics in this direction and less attention will be paid to the number of a horse's 2.30 or 2.20 per- formers. The sire of your stallion should be a beautiful horse and the sire of beautiful horses. The farther back the stallion's paternal ancestors have combined beauty and speed the better, 70 BREEDING THE TROTTER If you find a stallion that fulfils requirements on the sire's side you must turn to his dam. THE STALLION'S DAM. The stallion's dam should be a beautiful show mare known to possess great natural speed. The farther back her direct maternal ancestors fulfil the same requirements, the better. I do not object to a mare that has been raced enough to demonstrate to the public that she has speed, and thus benefit her sire and dam ; in fact, I prefer it. However, my objections to over-developed dams are as deep rooted as my objections to over- developed sires. The dam of your stallion should be as nearly a perfect individual as possible. If choosing for myself I would want her to be like my ideal brood- mare which I describe in the following chapter. If the dam of the stallion under consideration is old enough, her produce should have shown speed. If the stallion is from a young and untried mare I should prefer him to be her first or second foal. In the long run these are a mare's best foals. This subject is treated more in detail in the next chapter. The previous remarks as to the pedigree of the sire of your stallion can be applied to the pedigree of his dam. THE STALLION'S INDIVIDUALITY. If from your original list of available stallions you have found one that fulfils the pedigree re- quirements you must pass on to his individuality. BREEDING THE TROTTER As to size I prefer a stallion about 15. 2, but, all other things being satisfactory, his size might range anywhere from 15.1 to 16 hands. The majority of the most successful sires stand about 15.2 hands. Only a small percentage of the 16- hand stallions become great sires. There are too many blanks at that height. A comparison in the human race is the weight of the greatest men, more of them weighing one hundred and fifty pounds than two hundred pounds. The stallion should have a beautiful masculine look in all his actions; an impressive, clean-cut head and a long neck, with great width between expressive eyes. The eyes I prefer to be hazel- colored. He should be full-chested, well-muscled and carry a beautiful waterspout tail at all times. In color of coat I prefer a seal brown. There are fewer blanks in that color. The next colors in order of preference are dark chestnut (not sorrel), bay and black. I prefer as little white marking as possible, although there are many good horses with white legs. I do not object to a star and hind ankles white. Many people object to a great deal of white about a horse because such animals are hard to mate. Others object to white hoofs, but I con- sider that nonsense. I do not think white hoofs are any more brittle or thin-shelled than black ones. You find such hoofs of both colors. The stallion should have plenty of substance and be a horse of quality. He should have good bone, the very best of legs and feet and perfect 72 BREEDING THE TROTTER hocks. I insist on strong hocks for they are usually a horse's weakest point. There are three things my ideal stallion must possess : good looks, good eyes, and good hocks. As to action the stallion must have plenty of it, a nice round stroke, but he must not be choppy gaited. The greatest trouble with many trotters is, they have not action enough in front to get out of the way of their hind feet. There is some- thing impressive about a horse with an even, unchangeable stride. The stallion should have plenty of natural speed, so that he may be hitched at any time, go out for a brush and show within a notch or two of his speed without making any fuss about it or asking to be excused. MY IDEAL STALLION. My requirements may be very exacting, but if they are satisfied the horse will be nearly per- fect. The horse which in my experience came nearest filling the bill was Prince Regent (2.16^ to high wheels). He was a son of M^mbrino King and the first foal of Estabella, the dam of Heir-at-Law (2.05%), etc. Prince Regent died in the spring of his seven-year-old form, just pre- vious to commencing his stud season. Sixty- four mares had been booked to him that year at five hundred dollars. He sired twenty-three foals, of which nine have standard records averag- ing 2.16, including Bright Regent (2.06%), Emily (2.11), etc. 73 BREEDING THE TROTTER Had he lived I think Prince Regent would have been one of the greatest sires the world has ever known. Village Farm refused offers of fifty thousand dollars for him on two different occa- sions. . TROTTER VS. PACER. It will be noticed that in speaking of the stal- lion to head a newly established farm I have men- tioned only a trotter because where a man wishes to purchase but one stallion I would advise buy- ing a trotter. You can secure better paying patronage with a trotting stallion and you will get enough pacers from him. So many breeders give you that knowing smile when you speak of breeding to a pacing stallion. The good trotters are harder to get, and they are better liked by wealthy patrons, who support the breeding in- dustry. SHALL THE STALLION BE RACED? After purchasing the stallion you must decide whether or not to race him. I have given my reasons for not wishing a horse to be raced ex- cessively and said that it is advisable sometimes to race the stallion one season in order that the public may have a chance to judge of his gameness and speed. If you are to race the stallion, place him in the hands of a competent trainer. Do not try to economize at this point and give him to a cheaper, but less experienced, man, who may injure your horse for life. Do not race the horse too hard, even in the one season you are to cam- 74 BREEDING THE TROTTER paign him. Three or four good races are prefer- able to a season of ins and outs. You can escape a possible chance of racing-out your horse by giving him a time record, but this opens an oppor- tunity for the " knockers " to claim he is not game. THE STUD SEASON. We have now arrived at the stud season. If you have selected a good stallion there will be several outside brood-mare owners anxious to breed their mares to your horse and you should try to inter- est more. Many stallions pay for themselves in their first stud season. Remember that you are in the same position as a merchant with goods to sell and do not therefore be afraid to advertise judiciously. Always patronize a few of your local papers, including nearby horse papers, ac- cording to the good they can do you, and by all means advertise in at least one or two turf journals of national reputation. This keeps your horse before the general public, and will not only secure you enough extra mares to pay for your adver- tising but will augment the reputation of your stallion and increase the selling price of his colts, when they come on, and that is one of his best advertisements. Work every legitimate scheme to interest brood-mare owners, but do not " knock " the rival stallions. Enter every mare you breed in the futurities. Enter in all if you think you can afford it, if not, divide the entries among them. Ask your brood-mare patrons to 75 BREEDING THE TROTTER enter their mares. The more mares in foal to your stallion that appear in the futurity entry books, the more advertising the horse receives. A futurity entry materially increases the value of the foal and the more high-priced colts by your horse that are sold, the quicker he reaches the top. Nothing helps a young stallion more than to have it known that you are breeding some of your best mares to him. You might as well find out from the first crop of foals whether your stallion is a success or not. CARE OF STALLION. In preparing the stallion for the stud season he should be jogged every day except Sunday, when he should be walked for half an hour and grazed when there is grass. The horse should be jogged early, before eight o'clock, so that he will be ready for visitors. My method of jogging stallions is to jog them four miles on Monday, eight on Tuesday, four on Wednesday, eight on Thursday, four on Friday, and eight on Saturday. This was the practice at Village Farm, where the stallions lived to a hale old age. I prefer that most of the time the stallion be jogged on the road, taking a different route on different days. Twice a week he should be jogged on the track. Let him brush through the stretch, say a quarter in thirty-four or thirty-five seconds, but never urge or force him to his limit. Stal- lions like the brushing and delight in it. BREEDING THE TROTTER FEEDING. Great care should be taken in feeding all ani- mals, particularly stallions, which are more sen- sitive than mares or geldings. Horses should be fed very regularly. Feeding time should not vary ten minutes from a stated hour. The stomach is a sensitive organ and soon becomes educated to expect food at certain hours. If that expecta- tion is regularly gratified the animal thrives better. My method of feeding horses is : morn- ing feed at 5.45; noon feed at 11.45, and night feed at 5.30 in winter, 5.45 in summer. The amount of food to give a stallion, except during the stud season, is about three quarts of oats in the morning, two quarts of crushed oats and two quarts of bran at noon ; three quarts of boiled oats, one quart of bran and one tablespoon of oil meal at night. The stallion should have from fifteen to eighteen pounds of hay each day the year round. He should be given a light feed of hay (say five pounds) in the morning, the bal- ance in the evening. After the stud season commences, about March i, I add two quarts of boiled barley to the even- ing feed. The barley strengthens the stallion in flesh and semen and makes him a surer foal getter. During a heavy stud season mix a half dozen fresh, raw eggs with the evening feed. The stallion should be watered before feeding. Let him drink all he wants. Water him after feeding also. 77 BREEDING THE TROTTER COVERING THE MARE. We now come to the actual act of breeding. I advise that the stallion visit the mare after four o'clock in the afternoon, or even after six. It is quieter then, and neither mare nor stallion is so liable to become uneasy and excited. The stallion should be led to the breeding pen as quietly as possible, to avoid nervousness. Everything should be ready. Do not keep him waiting. I would advise hobbling the mare on all occasions in order to protect the horse from fright and accident. If the stallion is slow to cover he should be treated as set forth in chapter eleven. Treatment for masturbating is also given in the same chapter. ^_ /:SE EALTH ORSE EALTH ORSE FALTH ORSE EALTH ORSE EALTH ORSE EALTH Used by most every Breeding Farm of prominence in the United States Horse-Health contains absolutely no poisonous, re-active drugs and is adapted for treating either colts or aged horses. 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The life- saver from colds, coughs, fever, distemper and lung troubles. These famous remedies can be had in almost any country on earth and most any drug store in any town. Information DR. A. C. DANIELS, Inc. 172 MILK STREET, BOSTON, MASS. 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. • LD21-35m-8,'72 (Q4189S10)476 — A-32 General Library University of California Berkeley TU