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6
7

ED. GEERS’ EXPERIENCE WITH THE
TROTTERS AND PACERS.

EMBRACING

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HIS EARLY LIFE IN TENNESSEE,
WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME OF THE CUSTOMS
PECULIAR TO THAT STATE, AND A
GENERAL DESCRIPTION

a THE
or NOTED HORSES HE HAS DRIVEN,
TOGETHER reed
A LIST OF THE HORSES HE HAS GIVEN FAST RECORDS;
ALSO INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT
CONDITIONING AND CARING FOR THE HorsE

BEFORE, AND. DURING RACING,

BUFFALO, N. Y,

1gOT,

\

ITHE LISRARY OF
CONGRESS,
i Two Corits Received

MAR, 30 1901
_ COPYRIGHT ENTRY
Mar M,190/
CLASS Q’xXc. Ne.
#774

COPY B.

Copyright, igor, by

E. F. GEERS.

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THE MATTHEWS-NORTHRUP CO.,
QOMPLETE ART-PRINTING WORKS, BUFFALO, N. Ye
20070

TO
MR. C. J. HAMLIN,
ONE OF THE PIONEERS IN THE BREEDING AND DEVELOPMENT OF

THE LIGHT-HARNESS HORSE,
AND

TO WHOSE LIBERALITY, INTELLIGENT INDUSTRY AND
UNSWERVING FIDELITY THE RACE-GOING PUBLIC
IS SO DEEPLY INDEBTED,
THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED

BY THE AUTHOR.

BRED AC E.

OR several years past friends and horsemen in
kK different parts of the country have importuned
me to give in published form my experience in train-
ing and driving light-harness horses, and as no work
of this character has appeared in this country for a
number of years, it occurred to me that if I was ever
to do so the present is a very proper time to com-
ply with this request, therefore I have rather reluc-
tantly decided to publish this volume. I am indebted
to Mr. P. M. Babcock, an old friend of mine, now re-
siding in Buffalo, for whatever merit the editorial
work of this book may possess, as the main part of it
has been written by him, aided by such suggestions as
I have been able to give. I have never kept a diary
or other memoranda and hence the dates herein given
are mainly from recollection, and, while some of them
' may be wrong, I believe them to be substantially cor-
rect. With the expectation of a generous criticism of ©
its merits and defects this book is submitted to the

consideration of all who care to peruse its pages.

EE F_GEERS:

BUFFALO, March 1, 1901.

PITRODUCTORY

RAINING horses for races, and the development
ah of speed, are arts almost as old as history itself,
and, while different people at different epochs
in the past have employed different methods for
accomplishing the common object, the reader, in order
to form a correct judgment as to the success and
merits of one who has devoted the best years of his
life to the accomplishment of developing the light-
harness horse to his present high standard of excel-
lence, must necessarily understand and appreciate the
conditions surrounding his undertaking, and hence a
brief summary of the conditions which existed in
Tennessee at and prior to the time of my entering the
arena would seem to be desirable.

When Tennessee was settled, the lands were taken
up by comparatively few people. These few land
owners were a sport-loving people, and, to gratify their
pleasure, imported large numbers of thoroughbred
horses, some of which were among the best and most
distinguished race horses of their day. There were
very few regular racetracks in that State in those days;
but these large land owners nearly all had private
tracks, or “rings,” upon their vast estates, where the
neighbors of a community would occasionally meet in
friendly contests. It was soon demonstrated that,
owing to the hilly country and stony and muddy
roads, locomotion could best be accomplished by
the use of the saddle horse, and hence it was that

9

certain gentlemen imported from Kentucky a number
of highly-bred pacing and saddle animals, and these
being crossed with the thoroughbreds gave to the peo-
ple of the State the foundation stock of the great
families of pacers which have made the name of
Tennessee a household word wherever the pacing and
saddle horse is known and appreciated. This was the
condition of affairs when the clouds of civil war rolled
over this fair State and darkened nearly every home
within its borders. When the war was over, it was

found that most of the valuable and highly-bred horses

of the State had disappeared, and what remained were
the common-purpose horses used to carry on the
business of a pretty well discouraged and nearly
bankrupt people, and it may readily be imagined that
in this state of affairs the minds of the people were
upon something more substantial than racing horses.
So little attention had been given to the training and
development of harness horses for racing purposes
that when I commenced my career as a trainer and
driver, in 1872, there was but one old dilapidated mile
track in the State, and not a single horse bred or de-
veloped in the State had acquired a record below 2.30.
Another element that contributed to this result was
the fact that the only harness horses in the State
during this period possessing sufficient speed to engage
in turf contests were the pacers; but at that time the
pacer was not recognized as being entitled to demon-
strate his merits upon the race tracks of the country,
and hence pacing speed was of no value, and the
horse that could pace a mile in 2.10 was worth no
more in the market than one that could not pace a
mile in three minutes, the only element of value being
his ability and value as a saddle horse. But when, in

IO

:
|

1879, that great quartette, consisting of Blind Tom,
Mattie Hunter, Rowdy Boy, and Lucy, electrified the
race-going public by their brilliant achievements upon
the race tracks of the North, the broad minded and
generous hearted Colonel Edwards of Cleveland, then
the controlling spirit of that celebrated track, pro-
claimed that, at least upon that track, the pacer should
no longer be considered as an outlaw, and from that
period dates the value of the pacing horse in racing
contests upon the different American race tracks.

The first attempt to breed and develop trotting race
horses in Tennessee, within my knowledge, was about
the year 1868, when Rev. Talbert Fanning of Frank-
lin College, Tennessee, brought some Morgans from
Vermont. These horses were very beautiful in form,
and, like nearly all of that family, were great road
horses, possessing great endurance and plenty of speed
for that purpose, but not sufficently fast for first-class
track horses, and hence their breeding and training did
not accomplish much in the upbuilding of the reputa-
tion of the State as the home of the trotting race
horse. Soon after this, Colonel John Overton of
Nashville purchased and brought to the State the
trotting-bred stallion Chieftain, who, although a well-
bred horse, was not a great success upon the turf, nor
as the sire of speed; but some of his daughters proved
to be good brood mares, and the blood of this horse is
found in the pedigree of a number of good turf per-
formers. Following the advent of Chieftain, Major
Campbell Brown of Spring Hill purchased the horse
Trouble, by Almont 33, and this horse also proved a
disappointment to the breeding interests of the State.
Blackwood, Jr., was next brought to the State by Mr.
Zell of Nashville, and, while a good race horse for his

II

day, he failed to impress his speed and race-horse
qualities upon his get, and none, that I am aware of,
ever became distinguished upon the turf. Of the
other great horses that have since been owned and
bred in the State it is not my purpose at this time to
speak, but this summary should, I think, be sufficient
to show that, as regards material upon which to work
and facilties with which to accomplish results at the
beginning of my career, I at least enjoyed no advan-
tages not possessed by other drivers and trainers in
other and more favored sections of the country.

ee a

re, eel

I ATG OEE Te ET ite er ae - : ———— a

«/[12} SI JO 199} OM} MOL sNUTUT js9}TI09 dy} Wor) padstoMla Jpvo Jo]eUIs ayy —* “AZ FLU} JO Jo] OUI OF
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ay cpa Di eh a

BRIEF HISTORY OF MY EARLY LIFE — EXPERIENCE
DRIVING CALVES —SAW MY FIRST TROTTING
RACE—MY FIRST TROTTING HORSE—CONSTRUC-
TION OF MY FIRST RACE TRACK — OBJECTIONS OF
MY PARENTS TO MY BECOMING A TRAINER AND
DRIVER.

WAS born on a farm about three miles from

] Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee, January 25,

1851. My father was a farmer in moderate cir-

cumstances, and during my boyhood, in addition to

this, he also carried on a small country store at the
place.

My ambition to drive something — such as horses
mules, oxen and colts — is associated with my earliest
recollection, and when I was a small boy my father
unwittingly placed in my hands the power to com-
mence the gratification of this desire, by giving me a
pair of calves which were the pride of my life, and
for the time being satisfied all my desires. Soon after
they became mine I commenced their education and
training. I first put a rope on the horns of each and
drove them around, one at a time, fora few days; then
I thought them well enough broken to drive together.
Then I yoked them up, and, to make certain that they
would not get away, I tied their tails together hard
and fast, and started to drive them down through the
grove. They madea plunge or two, when one released
his head from the bow and became unyoked, and in

13

this condition they started to run. They raced side
by side for a short distance until they came to a tree,
then there was trouble,and I must confess that my
inherited love for educating and training animals to
drive received a severe shock, which came near
dampening all the ardor which I possessed, as one calf
passed to the right and the other to the left of that
tree, and it did not require the wisdom of a philoso-
pher to see that either the tree or the tails must give
way, and it did not take long to determine the winner,
as the smaller calf emerged from the contest minus
about two feet of his tail, and bleeding as though his
life would ebb away right then and there; and when
I contemplated the awful consequences that would
surely come should this result be the crowning effort
of my first attempt in starting up the pathway I
hoped some day to follow, my blood was nearly frozen
with fear; but the calf finally recovered and they grew
to be a fine yoke of oxen, and I spent many happy
hours driving them. After they had grown up I
traded them to my father for a two-year-old colt,
worth about $50. I took extra care of him and soon
had him thoroughly broken and looking well.

One of the first pleasures in which the farmers and
people in the country districts of Tennessee indulged
after the war was in holding local or county fairs, and
for many years thereafter this custom was, and to
some extent still is, observed in most of the counties
in the middle and western part of the State; and
while the facilities for exhibiting stock, etc., and for
giving races at these fairs were, and are, inferior to
those in some of the other parts of the country, yet
they have undoubtedly been of material benefit in
helping to raise the standard of all live-stock interests.

14

About the time I became possessed of this colt I
attended our county fair and for the first time in my
life witnessed a trotting race, which so filled me with
enthusiasm that I resolved in the not distant future to
own atrotter; and as my colt had no speed at the trot-
ting gait I resolved to trade him for one that did. I
knew of a farmer in the neighborhood who had a nice
little bay mare that could trot quite fast under the
saddle, but had never been broken to harness, and I
concluded it would be a good thing for me to trade
my colt for her and see what I could make out of her.
I approached the farmer upon the subject, and he
wanted my colt and $20 for the mare. I made up my
mind to trade if I could raise the $20, which I did not
have. I submitted the proposition to my father and
appealed to him for the money, which he gave me,
and that day I traded for her, and she was the first
trotter I ever attempted to handle for speed. I was
then about seventeen years old. The first thing I did
was to break her to harness, which was not difficult,
as she was a good-tempered animal. We had a light
open buggy on the place and it was only a few days
before I was driving her quietly to it; and as her
breaking progressed, my love to ride fast began to as-
sert itself, and I would urge her to step along every
time I came to a smooth piece of road. She soon
learned to speed in harness, and it was not long before
she could outbrush any of the horses encountered upon
the road. I was very proud of her and took the best
care of her I knew how. She was very handsome and
much admired, and I sold her for $225. After her
sale I was anxious to get another and faster one. I
knew of a plain-looking horse in the neighborhood,
owned by a butcher, and used upon the butcher’s cart,

15

that showed some speed at the trot. I bought him
for $125, and at this time I also bought an old high-
wheel sulky with springs, weighing about 110 pounds,
for which I paid $15, and with this outfit I deemed
myself fully equipped to commence preparations for
winning some harness races. But there was no race
track in that section, and a race track I must have
upon which to educate my promising campaigner;
and, having heard that necessity was the mother of
invention, I proceeded as best I could to construct a
track, but as I never had seen a regulation track and
knew nothing of the procedure necessary to employ in
its construction, the affair that resulted from my
efforts was not such a one as Seth Griffin would ap-
prove. I selected the top of a hill as a site, then tak-
ing as long a rope as I could find I staked one end to
the ground and at the other end of it drove a stake,
then swung around in a circle, sticking stakes at dif-
ferent places. Then I plowed up a space wide enough
for me to drive, and when completed the track was
about one-third of a mile long, and so irregular and
crude that a horse would be justified in going any
kind of a gait to get over it, and I have ‘often
thought I was exceedingly lucky in being able to
remain in the sulky while driving over its rough and
irregular surface. I was then attending school and
the only time I could get to devote to the construc-
tion of the track was out of school hours and on
Saturdays. At this time I was beset with troubles
and difficulties that for a time threatened to crush
my ambition, as my parents were greatly opposed
to my devoting my life to training horses, and
my father greatly desired my assistance in the store
and wished me to pursue a mercantile life; and it was
16

only after many spirited family consultations and my
persistent declarations to become a driver of fast
horses that the attempt to make a merchant out of me
was reluctantly abandoned by my parents, and I was
allowed to proceed with the education of my prospec-
tive race horse. But here I encountered difficulties
which I had not anticipated; the horse was rather
long gaited, and by reason of my track being so short
and the turns so sharp, he could not extend himself,
and I was obliged to take him on the road every time
I wanted him to step fast, and for this reason his edu-
cation did not progress very rapidly, but I finally got
him in condition so that he could trot a mile in about
2.50, which was considered very good for a green horse
in those days, and I sold him for $400. After doing
so well with this horse and selling him for so good a
price, the farmers in the neighborhood seemed to
think I could make a race horse out of most anything,
and could sell any old plug for three or four hundred
dollars; and as at that time there were only two or
three men in Tennessee who pretended to condition
and handle horses for speed, I soon had several horses
sent me to break and handle, and I did very well with
some of them and sold them for their owners for
good prices.

17

CHAP Teh ie

MY. FIRST RACE WITH LITTLE DAVE— REV.) oi
FANNING—GEORGE FULLER—MY FIRST TRIP
THROUGH THE GRAND CIRCUIT

HE success which attended my efforts in break-
ab ing and training these few horses was known to
Reverend Talbert Fanning, of whom I have
spoken, and in the summer of 1871 or 1872 he wrote
me to come and see him. I did so, and made an
arrangement with him to goto his place and handle
his recently imported Morgan horses for one year.
One of these horses was a small chestnut stallion,
about 14% hands high, called “Little Dave.” He
was a pure-gaited trotter, and we thought he could
trot quite fast for so small a horse. Mr. Fanning
also had a pair of gray geldings that were of fair
size, quite stylish, and matched well. They, also,
had quite a fair amount of speed. That fall there
were several county fairs in Wilson and adjoining
counties, and I expressed to Mr. Fanning a desire to
take Little Dave and the gray team to the fairs and
enter them in the show classes. He readily gave his
consent and I took them to Lebanon. I entered the
pair as a double team, also entered one of the geldings
as a single driver, and also entered Little Dave in the
stallion class, and took a premium with each entry.
On the last day of the fair there was a trotting race in
which I started Little Dave hitched to a skeleton
wagon and won the race, best time 3.04, and I
18

thought both the horse and myself were flying. That
was the first race in which I had ever driven, and not-
withstanding that I have since participated in many
of the fastest and most sensational races ever trotted
and paced in America, the pride I experienced in win-
ning that race yet lingers in my memory as among my
greatest triumphs. From Lebanon I went to Mur-
freesboro, and won at that place about the same as I
had done at Lebanon, and returned home as happy and
proud as I imagine a general would be after having
won a series of battles. But I was perplexed to know
what to do about telling Mr. Fanning of having raced
-Little Dave, when I reported the result of my trip to
him. While I knew him to be a man fond of horses
and one that was as fond as any one of riding fast on
the road, yet the thought that he was a minister
made me feel that he might be offended because,
without his knowledge or consent, I had entered and
raced one of his horses, as I knew as a general
thing that ministers did not indulge in horse racing;
but when I frankly told him all I had done he smiled
and, although he said nothing, I could see by his looks
and actions that he was as proud and happy over the
success I had met with as I was. He died that fall or
early winter, and, as his family did not care to continue
the training of the horses, I returned to my home more
determined than ever to succeed in the vocation I had
chosen. I did not long remain idle, as some parties
near there soon sent me three or four horses to handle,
which I trained to the satisfaction of their owners, and
this kept me busy for some time.

It must be remembered that at this time nearly all
the horses in that vicinity which showed any speed
were natural pacers, and, as there were scarcely any

Eo.

sulkies, these horses were speeded at fairs and other
horse shows under the saddle; and, as the pacing gait
was of no value, in order to realize anything out of
their development for speed the horses must be con-
verted from pacers to trotters, and to accomplish this
with the crude facilities then at hand and the limited
knowledge I had upon the subject many incidents that
now seem amusing occurred. I knew of a horse that
could pace fast under the saddle and I believed I could
break him to harness and convert him to the trotting
gait, and so I bought him for $200, which was a large
price for a green, unbroken horse. I soon broke him
to harness and commenced my experiment in teaching
him to trot. I understood that to make a natural
pacer trot he must carry an unnatural weight on his
front feet, so I went to work contriving how to accom-
plish this result. I had him shod in front with shoes
weighing one and a half pounds each, then I had a
pair of leather sacks made that would each hold a
pound of shot, then filled these sacks with shot, soaked
them thoroughly in water, then buckled them around
the front feet, thus compelling him to carry an extra
weight of two and a half pounds on each front foot.
With this weight he would square away and trot all
right on the road, but when I tried him on the track
it was so short that he would not, or could not, handle
himself, and would get tangled up, and I was compelled
to work him almost entirely on the road. He de-
veloped speed very rapidly and within sixty days
from the time I bought him I took him to Nashville
and started him in a trotting race against four or five
other horses, and, notwithstanding his handicap by
reason of this heavy weight, he trotted a good race,
winning second money, and undoubtedly had speed
20

enough to have won the race easily if he had not been
thus handicapped. The best time, I think, in this race
was about 2.40. The day of that race I refused $1,000
for him, as I thought I had a world-beater. But I
gained some costly experience by this refusal, as after
keeping him and training him a year or two longer
Isold him for $300. His keeping and handling cost
me all the money I had made on the other horses.
This experience made me think I did not know as
much about conditioning and handling racehorses as I
supposed I did a few months previous; but this sad
experience was not without its compensations, as it
taught me that it seldom pays to try and make a
fast trotter out of a natural pacer, as the weight re-
quired to make them trot is so great as to create too
much of a handicap to enable them to compete with
natural trotters. Iam aware that there are exceptions
to this rule; the most prominent, perhaps, is that of
Old Smuggler, a natural pacer who carried about two
pounds of weight on each fore foot during his trotting
races, and although he and some other natural pacers
have made successful trotting race horses, yet my ex-
perience and observation is that as a rule the horse
will do much better if allowed to go his natural gait.
About the time I sold this horse, Mr. George Fuller,
now in the employ of the Russian Government as
chief trainer of its trotting horses, opened a training
stable at Nashville, and among the horses he was
handling, was a mare called Tennessee, which he was
preparing for the Northern circuit. She was a fast
trotter. I arranged with him to go along and take
care of her. This was my first experience in taking
Jessons of a competent man in preparing horses for a
campaign. I regard Mr. Fuller as one of the very
21

best men to condition, train and drive horses I have
ever known. I went through the grand circuit with
him, and the lessons I received under his instruction
have been of great benefit to me in my career since
that time. This experience gave me more confidence
in myself, and the next season (1875) I opened a pub-
lic training stable at Nashville, where I handled a
number of horses and had several that could beat
2.40, and, as fast records were not as numerous in
those days as they have since become, I thought I did
pretty well. While training my stable that season I
met Major Campbell Brown of Spring Hill, Tennes-
see. He was the grandest and best-informed man in
everything that pertained to the breeding of fast har-
ness horses I have ever known; and I deem it but
just to say that no man in the State of Tennessee has
done more than he did in raising the standard of the
light-harness horse in that State to the position which
it has since occupied. At that time I made an ar-
rangement with him to handle his horses that fall.
Among those he then owned was a black mare called
Alice West, by Almont 33. She was very handsome
and stylish and I soon found that she had a great deal
of speed. I took her to the fair at Columbia, with
several others, that fall, and took eleven premiums out
of twelve entries; soon after this I took two or three
show horses and two trotters and went to the fairs in
Georgia and Alabama. One of the trotters was a
horse called East Lynn,who could trot in about 2.40, and
I sold him at the first place I went. The other was a
mare called Diana. I started her in the green classes
and wound up in the free for all. I gave her a record
of 2.33,andshenever lostarace onthetrip. I returned
to Major Brown feeling that I had been quite successful.
22

Gul nee Te ines

ALICE WEST—LIZZIE THE SECOND—JOE BRADEN—A
QUEER ACCIDENT — AN UNFAIR RACE DECISION —
THE ONLY TIME I WAS EVER TAKEN OUT OF A
SULKY AND THE RESULT.

LEASED and took possession of the old fair

| ground about two miles west of Columbia, Tenn.,
in the spring of 1876, and used the old track for -
jogging and working the horses I had in training from
that time until the spring of 1889, when I was again
employed by Major Brown to train a large stable
he had at the Ewell Farm at Spring Hill, and
remained there until I went to Village Farm in the
early spring of 1892; and while at Major Brown’s I
also trained at his track the horses I had been
working at my stable, and also took some additional
horses to handle. Commencing with the season of
1877, I went North with what horses I considered
good enough and raced over the different tracks
of the North, generally commencing in July and
ending in September, leaving a good man at home
to work the horses I did not take with me; and
when my Northern circuit was over I went South
through the States of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia
and Mississippi, and sometimes extended my excur- ©
- sions as far South as Florida and Texas, and wound
up the season late in December, when I would return
to my home near Columbia and turn the horses out for
a while. I continued this custom, from 1877, as long

23

as I continued to reside in Tennessee. Early in the
season of 1877, Major Brown placed in my hands the
mare Alice West, of whom I have spoken, to condition °
and prepare for the season’s campaign. She was then
four years old, very speedy, and a game race mare.
I think I left Tennessee with her that season in July
and started her in a number of races through the
North, and at New York I gave her a record of 2.26.
She was the first trotter I ever marked below 2.30,
and this was my first experience in conducting a
campaign for myself in the North. I won several
good races with her, and returned to Tennessee and
took some other horses in my stable, which had been
worked some during my absence, and started for the.
fairs about to be held in Alabama and Georgia.
While at Montgomery on this trip a very peculiar
accident occurred, which might have resulted seriously,
but which fortunately did not, and only added excite-
ment to the race. A Mr. Beebe, the driver andipart

owner of a horse called Fred Tyler, entered his horse
in a race one day, and in the first heat of the race his
horse acted badly, and came very near being shut out.
I had an entry in another race which was being sand-
wiched in with his race. As I was about leaving the
track after a heat in my race, I met Mr. Beebe with
Fred Tyler coming onto the track ready to start in the
second heat, and he requested me to drive his horse
the rest of his race, which I consented to do. I sent
my horse to the stable and when about to get up
behind Fred Tyler I noticed that the sulky looked
weak ‘and unsafe. I took hold of one of the wheels
and it seemed loose and anything but solid. I told
Mr. Beebe I did not like the looks of his sulky, and
did not think it was safe. He said it was all right,

24

that he was a much heavier man than I was, that he
had driven a number of races with it, and if it would
hold him it certainly would hold me, and with this
assurance I reluctantly mounted the sulky and the
race soon commenced. It was a half-mile track, and
there were several horses in the race, but it scon
became apparent that the contest would be between
Fred Tyler and another horse, who had full as
much speed as he had. When we reached the head
of the stretch in the last half of the mile, Fred Tyler
and the other contending horse were about on equal
terms, and when I called on my horse for an extra
spurt, he left his feet, and to get him back to his gait
I pulled first sharply on the right rein, and then on
the left. With the second pull he settled into a
square trot, but the effort in pulling so hard on the left
rein threw my weight on the outside wheel of the
sulky, and it instantly collapsed, the spokes leaving
the hub and the hub striking the ground, but, strange
as it may seem, this mishap did not cause the horse to
break and did not unseat me. This accident occurred
about 150 yards from the wire, and I drove to the
wire with one hub dragging on the ground, and Fred
Tyler, under the persuasion of the whip, won the heat,
amid the plaudits of as excited an audience as was
ever seen upon a race track. I stopped a few feet
beyond the wire, and some gentleman in the audience
ran up to the sulky and took hold of the hub and
raised it up, and carried it in his hand while I drove
back to the judges’ stand. Another sulky was then
procured and I went on and won the race. While no
harm resulted to anything but the old sulky, I confess
I have never cared to repeat this experience. There
are hundreds of people still living in Montgomery who

25

witnessed this thrilling episode, and I never go to that
city that I do not meet some one who speaks of it.
When I started upon my career as a trainer and
driver, I was impressed with the idea that integrity,
courtesy, and gentlemanly conduct should be carried
into the training stable and upon the race track to
the same extent that obtains in the court room, the
bank and the store; and I have ever endeavored to
observe this rule of conduct in the part I have taken
in training and driving horses during the past quarter
of a century. But while upon one of these Southern
campaigns —and I think it was in the fall of 1877—
it was my fortune to come in contact with one who
did not seem to entertain the same ideas upon this
subject that I did. One of the horses I then had in
my stable was a mare called Lizzie the Second. She
was a strong, level-headed, good-gaited mare, and
speedy enough for anything in her class at these races.
At Americus, Ga., I started her in a race in which
was a Mr. Bradley driving a horse whose name I do
not remember. It was a half-mile track, and my posi-
tion in the race was next outside of Mr. Bradley. My
mare and the horse Mr. Bradley was driving were the
chief contending horses in the race. We raced along
close together and when the back stretch was reached
on the second half mile, my mare was up to his wheel
and, seeing that I was likely to pass him, he pulled his
horse toward the outside fence, and so close to it that
there was not enough room for me to pass between
his sulky and the fence. I requested him to move
over and give me room to pass. He paid no attention
to this request, but, if anything, pulled his horse still
nearer my mare. I called upon him several times to
move over, but he still continued to pay no attention
26

to my demands, and I finally told him I should try
and go through. He said nothing, but kept his horse
in the same position. My inside sulky wheel was then
locked inside of his outside wheel. I braced myself
well, and threw my weight on the inside of the sulky
shaft, took a strong hold upon the mare, and clucked
to her and she responded to my urging. When he
realized the situation he turned his horse toward the
inside of the track, which brought the force of my
locked wheel nearly against the side of his wheel, and
the spokes of his wheel commenced to fly in all direc-
tions. His wheel was broken in many pieces and he
was thrown several feet in the air. My sulky wheel
passed over what remained of the wreck; my mare
never broke her trot, and I easily won the heat. I
was then a young man and scarcely known to the
judges. He was an experienced driver, and the horse
he was driving belonged to a prominent and influen-
tial man, well known to the judges. After the heat
I went to the judges and explained the exact situa-
tion to them. Mr. Bradley and the owner of the horse
he was driving were also there. The judges heard
our statements and I think the owner of the other
horse must have exercised some hypnotic influence
over them, as they decided I did wrong; declared the
heat off; sent me and my mare to the stable, and
allowed Bradley to start again. I then thought, and
have always believed, that under the racing rules and
all rules of fairness I was in the right and clearly en-
titled to the heat. This is the only time in the his-
tory of my experience that I ever intentionally col-
lided with another driver, and the only time I was
ever sent to the stable for alleged foul driving. The
next day there was a free-for-all trot in which were the

caf

horses Hotspur, Flora Belle, Alice West and Tornado,
Alice West being my entry, and this same Mr, Brad-
ley was behind Hotspur. These horses all had records
ranging from 2.22 held by Hotspur, to 2.26 held by
Alice West. Hotspur drew the pole and was a very
fast scorer. Flora Belle and Tornado were slow in
scoring. I had by this time given Alice West suff-
cient experience, so that she was a reliable race mare,
and very handy in catching after making a break. We

commenced scoring, and Mr. Bradley would rush Hot- |

spur at the top of his speed regardless of where the
other horses were, and would not attempt to get a
fair even start. After several unsuccessful attempts
at starting I told the judges that Mr. Bradley was not
trying to score fora fair start, and that he should
come slow to the wire and allow the other horses that
could not score as fast as Hotspur to get on even
terms with him. But Bradley seemed to think he was
doing the proper thing. We went back to score again,
and, as usual, Bradley rushed Hotspur ahead of the
rest of us, and not wishing to be left entirely in the
rear, should the judges send us off, I clucked to Alice
West and she immediately broke into a run and over-
took Hotspur just before the wire was reached, when
I settled her in a trot, and she and Hotspur went un-
der the wire head and head, and the judges said ‘“‘ go,”
both Flora Belle and Tornado being at least fifty
yards back. Alice West was at that time a new horse
to the race followers in that section, and every one,
knowing of the record and reputation of old Hotspur,
thought the race to be only a matter of form and that
Hotspur could not be beaten, but I did not share in
this opinion. We raced on about even terms until we
came to a part of the track that was very sandy, when
28

old Hotspur began to tire, and I easily won the heat,
and won the race, and felt that I had been revenged
for the ill treatment I had received the day before. I
also won two or three other races at that meeting.

In 1884, I purchased Joe Braden, then a green horse,
that showed a good way of going under the saddle, and
when I took him his feet were in a very bad condition,
by reason of which he developed speed very slowly ;
but I believed if I could get his feet in condition to
stand work he would learn to pace fast. I resorted to
every device within my knowledge and spent many
sleepless hours trying to invent something that would
sufficiently protect his feet to enable him to endure
the hardships of racing. My efforts were at last suc-
cessful, and he became a good horse, and in his pre-
paratory work, one spring, paced a quarter of a mile to
a high-wheeled sulky, over the old, uneven, fair ground
track at Columbia, in thirty-one seconds. I cam-
paigned him through the North in 1885 and 1886, and
gave him a record of 2.1534. He developed into a
first-class race horse, and except for his tender feet,
which would occasionally cause him to suffer so much
pain that he would not extend himself and would
break, he would have been one of the best race horses
of his day. In the fall of 1886 I took my stable
South, and at Gainsville, Texas, entered Joe Braden
in the free-for-all pace. The track was very hard,
which caused Braden to be unsteady, but I think I
would have won the race had not Braden left his feet
in the second heat, which caused him to lose that heat.
After this heat the judges took me out of the sulky,
and put up a new driver, which did not improve mat-
ters, as the horse was more unsteady than ever, and,
with the best efforts the driver could command, Joe

29

Braden finished the heat behind the flag, thus demon-
strating that my removal from the sulky was entirely
without cause. Of course, I felt mortified at being
thus removed from my sulky, and I am proud to say
that in all my experience as a driver this is the only
time I have ever been taken out of a sulky by the
judges in a race.

30

CE aie Roe Ve.

MATTIE HUNTER— SOME OF HER GREAT RACES.

FIRST saw Mattie Hunter in the summer of 1875.

| - She was then three years old. She was very hand-
some and stylish, a bright chestnut, with white
strip in face, white stockings behind, and one in front.
I do not think she had then been broken to harness,
but could pace quite fast under the saddle. Her con-
formation, style and gameness gave evidence of breed-
ing of a high character, but beyond her sire and dam
nothing can ever be known. At the close of the war,
the Government had a large number of horses at
Nashville, which had been gathered in by the soldiers
from different places, and no one knew from whence
they came or anything about their breeding. These
horses were sold at public auction, and among them
was a tall, rangy, chestnut colt, then three years old.
He was very poor, and had every appearance of having
been ridden hard and poorly taken care of. This colt
was purchased by Major Alman of Cornersville, Tenn.,
and by him named Prince Pulaski. With rest and
care he improved rapidly, and when matured was one
of the handsomest and best show horses I ever saw;
and while his breeding was, and probably will forever
remain, unknown, his style, beautiful head and neck,
perfect legs, and smooth conformation, furnished
indisputable evidence of royal breeding, and that he
possessed a large element of the best thoroughbred
blood then known in that section of the country. In

31

1871, he was bred to a small chestnut mare with white
markings, of unknown breeding, the product being the
filly Mattie Hunter, foaled in 1872. I know that
many turf writers in speaking of Mattie Hunter have
said that her dam was a Texas pony, while others
have said she was by Driver, but I have never known
or seen anything to warrant these statements, and
from all the information I have been able to gather
upon the subject I believe she was a small chestnut
saddle mare and a natural pacer. Early in 1878 the
owner of Mattie Hunter brought her to me to train
and race that season. I had never ridden or driven
her before then. She had been broken to harness, but
had been speeded but littlein harness. She developed
speed very rapidly, and I soon discovered that she had
more speed than any horse I had yet handled, and was
one of the purest-gaited pacers I have everseen. Her
temperament was of the best, and it was not long
before she could show a 2.20 gait. In the fall of 1878
I concluded to take some of the horses I had in train-
ing to several fairs in the Southern States, among
them being Mattie Hunter. On this trip I met Sleepy
George in a number of contests. He was driven by
Mr. Crawford, known as “‘ Counselor” Crawford, who
was an accomplished reinsman. At that time Sleepy
George had a record, as I remember, of about 2.15,
and was considered the fastest pacer then upon the
turf. In the first race or two Sleepy George, by reason
of his being an experienced campaigner, was able
to defeat the mare; but as soon as she had had alittle
experience she could outpace him, and I won several
good races from him with her. She retired that fall
with a record of 2.1934. This does not seem to be
very fast time for a horse of her ability; but it must

32

be remembered that these races were over tracks that
were very sandy, and as a general thing not in first-
class condition. I concluded to winter my horses in
Montgomery, Ala., that winter, so as to get them in
good condition for the next season’s campaign; and
as I had done so well with Mattie Hunter, her owner
concluded to leave her in my hands to winter, and to
campaign the next season. The weather was quite
warm, and the roads and track were soft, and very
favorable for jogging horses. I took the shoes off
Mattie Hunter after her fall campaign, and jogged her
barefooted nearly all winter. She did not require any
boots in jogging, and scarcely any at all in her races.
While working her barefooted one day in the early
spring I drove her a quarter of a mile to a high-
wheeled sulky in thirty seconds, a feat I have never
known to be equaled by any horse. She came out
in the spring of 1879 in splendid condition, and I
believed her good enough to go in any company.
While pacing races up to that time had not been
favored at the great race meetings of the North,
it so happened that season that there were a number
of fast pacers being worked and developed in different
parts of the country, among them being Blind Tom,
Rowdy Boy, Lucy, Sleepy George, and others. The
newspapers had printed so much about the ex-
treme speed each of these horses could show, that the
public clamored for their appearance in contests at
the different large race meetings, and public opinion
demanded of the different associations in the Grand
Circuit that purses sufficiently large be offered to ac-
complish their appearance; and yielding to this de-
mand, the associations did offer very liberal purses for
a class of free-for-all pacers. I knew that the horses to

33

be met in these races were experienced campaigners,
and very fast, game, and reliable race horses. I also
knew that in Mattie Hunter I had as good-gaited a
pacer and as game a race horse as the turf had yet
seen. So I concluded to enter her in these great con-
tests. The first of these meetings was at Jackson,
Mich. And in that race, as near as I can remem-
ber, were Blind Tom, Lucy, Rowdy Boy, Sleepy
George, and Mattie Hunter. This race was won by
Blind Tom, I think, in about 2.14, Mattie Hunter
finishing a very close second. From there we went to
Grand Rapids, Louisville, Toledo, Cleveland, Chi-
cago and other places. While Sleepy George was a
contending factor in the first few of these races the
pace soon became too warm for him and he dropped
out, leaving the great quartet to continue the battle.
These races were the sensations of the racing world
that year. I won some of the races with Mattie
Hunter, but Blind Tom carried off a majority of the
victories. I think one of the best races I have ever
witnessed was in Chicago, which was won by Blind
Tom. In the fifth heat of that race, which was paced
in about 2.12%, and was won by Blind Tom, Mattie
Hunter finished second, and was only about a neck
behind the leader. As near as I can now remember, I
gave Mattie Hunter a record in these races of about
2.13 or 2.14. While at the meeting in Chicago, Mat-
tie Hunter was sold to Mr. R. C. Pate of St. Louis,
who finished that season’s campaign with her, and
raced her some time afterwards. She afterwards re-
duced her record to 2.1234, and was finally purchased,
after her racing days were about over, by Mr. Emery
of Cleveland, where she was used as a brood mare
until she died some time ago.
34

CA Pal Re iV:

TENNESSEE PASTIMES— FIRST MONDAY—COLT SHOWS
—FOX HUNTING.

EOPLE residing in the North who have not visited

P or become acquainted with the methods pecu-
liar to the people of Tennessee, can hardly ap-
preciate some of the pastimes in which those people
indulge. The first Monday of every month in the
year has been a holiday nearly, if not quite, ever since
the State was settled, and on this day nearly all the
people in the county will go to the county seat and
spend the day. On these days every one who has
horses to sell or trade, cattle, pigs, machinery or pro-
cuce to sell, will bring their stock and property to the
county seat to be seen, exhibited, sold and traded, and
it is not an uncommon thing for several thousand
people to congregate there on these occasions, and
amusing incidents are of frequent occurrence. Not
Many years ago, on one of these occasions, at Pulaski,
Giles County, a man appeared seated in a wagon,
having in front of him a glass churn, three or four feet
high, filled about one-half or two-thirds full of cream.
He was seated in a large, easy rocking chair, reading a
paper and smoking a pipe. There was a rod running
from the churn to the rocking chair and so adjusted
that every time he rocked the dasher of the churn
would rise up and down, and so he continued to rock,
smoke and read, occasionally looking out from behind
his paper to see if the butter had come; and many a

35

boy, as he watched this process of butter-making and
remembered how his back and arms ached when pur-
suing the methods taught by his father, voted this the
greatest invention of the age, and that the man who
invented that churn ought to have cold watermelon
the rest of his days. Another feature of these days is
the horse trading, and in some counties it is known
as “ Jockey Day,” and every one who has a horse he
desires to sell or trade will bring him in and put him
in a yard known as “ Jockey Yard,” and it is not un-
common to see several hundred horses of all kinds and ~
descriptions in one of these yards, and before night
they will generally be disposed of. If any are left
after the buyers and traders are through, an auctioneer
is brought in and the balance are sold under the
hammer. When night comes, every one who has
“ swapped ”’ horses thinks he has made a small fortune
by his cleverness in outwitting the man at the other
end of the trade; but I imagine they generally come
out about the same as the two men of whom a story
is told, who went.into the woods in the fall of the year
to chop wood; one of them had a watch and the other
a fiddle. The first evening after they arrived they
traded even, and each thought he had made several
dollars by the transaction ; and as this business seemed
to be much easier and more lucrative than chopping
wood, they did nothing all winter but trade the watch
and fiddle back and forth; and when spring came each
claimed to have made a good winter’s work, each
having the same property he had when winter began
and nota dollar had passed between them. In the
spring months. stallions owned in the county, and
frequently those of an outside county, are brought to-
gether on these days for the inspection of farmers and

36

breeders of the vicinity, and as the saddle and pacing
gaits are the ones generally desired in the country dis-
tricts, the horses are shown under saddle; first show-
ing the saddle gaits, such as the fox trot, running walk,
single foot and canter, and then they will go up the
road a few hundred yards and pace down to a given
point, and sometimes these horses will show a great
turn of speed. I think one of the best exhibitions of
riding and speeding under saddle I ever remember to
have witnessed was at Lebanon, when I was a boy.
On one of these days, in the spring of the year, there
were a number of stallions exhibited, among them
being a gray or white pacing stallion, called Mountain
Slasher, a horse well known to Tennesseeans. This
horse was shown by William Goldston, one of the best
riders and horsemen in the State. After the horses
had shown their saddle gaits they all went up the road
several hundred yards to pace down. When they
were ready, Goldston placed the riding whip in his
mouth, dropped the bridle rein on Slasher’s neck,
placed his hands on his hips and, with arms akimbo,
started with the others; and on they came, Goldston
sitting as erect as a piece of statuary, and every little
while sticking the spurs into the sides of Slasher, who
with the reins lying loose on his neck, and without
anything to steady him except his inherent pacing in-
stinct, regardless of stones and the rough uneven sur-
face, never broke his true even pace, and clearly out-
paced all his competitors and carried off the laurels of
the day. I mention this incident mainly to show how
intensely the pacing instinct is instilled in the pacing
horses of Tennessee, and how difficult it has been to
convert them to trotting. From the time the colt is
old enough to stand he knows nothing but pace, and

37

I have seen dogs set upon colts a year or two old and
they would race across the fields and never break the
pacing gait.

In that portion of the State known as Middle Tennes-
see, and in other counties where the breeding of horses
is carried on to any considerable extent, the custom of
holding colt shows has been observed for many years.
These colt shows are generally held in August, and
concluded just before the beginning of the county
fairs, which commence early in September and con-
tinue through September and a large part of October.
They are held in or near the small villages and are
looked forward to by the farming community as one
of the chief events of the year. The “ring” is gen-
erally made in a shady woodland, and when the morn-
ing of the show arrives a sight is presented to one not
accustomed to it as picturesque as it is novel. Along
the road leading to the ring will come the owner of a
stallion leading or riding the pride of his life, all
bedecked with ribbons and groomed soslick as to raise
a suspicion that bear’s grease has been used in his final
preparation. Next will appear a farmer leading a
mare, beside which is her offspring several months old,
and often the colt will be wearing a fancy bitting
harness, in which it seems perfectly at home. But
more curious than all these is the old colored mammy
mounted on the old reliable saddle mare, with one child
astride in front and several mounted in the same
way behind, so that this “beast of burden” is loaded
from her shoulders to her tail, and traveling in this
manner most of the community gather near where the
exercises are to be held. These shows commence in
the morning and frequently last all day, and no one
ever need be afraid that he will suffer from hunger in

38

attending a show of this character, as the good and
thoughtful housewives of the exhibitors will prepare
a spread large enough to feed an army. Several thou-
sand people often attend these shows, and they are
not only very enjoyable but instructive to the breed-
ers who attend. Classes are made and premiums
offered for pretty much everything, including stallions,
brood mares, sucklings, yearlings, two and three-year-
old colts, etc. When the master of ceremonies is ready,
the judges enter the ring and class after class is brought
in and exhibited, and it will surprise a novice to see
how fast some of these colts can pace. Seated upon a
running or pacing horse the attendant will take the
reins attached to the colt’s bitting harness and away
they will fly, the colt pacing up tothe saddler’s head.
This manner of exhibiting speed is observed with the
different colt classes, and when everything any one
desires to enter has been exhibited and passed upon by
the judges, the crowd disperses to assemble again ina
few days at some neighboring village, where the same
ceremony is repeated, and at these miniature fairs is
commenced the career of some of the great horses the
State sends out to the racing world.

Fox hunting is a custom common to most of the South-
ern States, and I know of no sport more enjoyable or
exhilarating, not even an exciting horse race; and I
have spent many happy hours in this enjoyable pas-
time. Many of the prominent residents of these States
own packs of hounds, and when a fox hunt is desired,
frequently several neighbors will assemble together,
when the host will produce a fox-horn, blow a blast or
two, and the hounds will come running and baying
from all directions, ready and eager for the chase.
Then, mounted on saddle horses, the hunters with the

39

hounds will start for some locality where the red fox is
supposed to have his domicile, and when that territory
is reached the fun commences. When the dogs strike
the trail there is no mistaking the fact, as their deep,
rich voices can be heard for miles, and, as soon as
they indicate the direction in which the fox is heading,
the hunters start at breakneck speed and endeavor to
keep within hailing distance of the hounds. These hunts
are often had at night when it is so dark that the
hunters can scarcely see ten feet ahead, and the course
pursued by the fox frequently requires them to ride
through the woods, over fences and ditches, logs and
rocks, up and down hills so steep, that serious injury
seems to await both horses and riders; but these hunters
are fearless, and experts in the saddle, and the horses
are surefooted and courageous, and seem to enter into
the spirit of the chase with as much enthusiasm as
the riders, and accidents of any consequence rarely
happen. When the fox is caught or the chase aban-
doned, a blast on the horn will call the hounds to the
hunters, and another field will be invaded ; or hunters
and hounds will return to their homes, and, whether
laden with the trophies of victory or not, they have
enjoyed a most delightful outing. I recall one hunt of
this character which occurred when I was a boy, that
was so fraught with exciting and comical incidents I
cannot repress the impulse to relate it. One of our
neighbors was Squire Winford, whose son Alfred was
about my own age, and we were great chums. Squire
Winford had one of the best packs of fox hounds in
the State, and in this pack were two of the best
hounds I ever saw. Their names were ‘“‘ Troupe” and
“Flounce.” I then owed five or six pretty good
hounds, and Alfred and I often went fox hunting with

40

our combined forces. Some two or three miles from
our house one of the largest red foxes ever seen in
that locality had his habitation, and he was known far
and wide as “Old Spot,” because he had a large white
spot on his right side, which was plainly visible to
hunters in the daytime. Old Spot was as game and
wily as any fox that ever led a pack of hounds a for-
lorn chase, and: seemed to enjoy being pursued by
hounds better than stealing and eating a tender young
chicken from a farmer’s hencoop; and whenever Alfred
and I wanted some fun we would take the dogs down
to the domain of Old Spot, who seemed to anticipate
our coming and was always ready to mingle in the
sport. _He had his regular runways, and had so
planned his course that it would describe the figure 8
and cross and recross his tracks, and when the hounds
would get tired of following him he would seek his
resting place and be ready for another chase. We had
chased him so much that we did not believe all the
hounds in the State could catch him, and so declared
to our friends; and this declaration stirred up the
hunting blood of a number of sportsmen far and near,
who each claimed to have the best dogs in the world,
and ones that no fox could escape, and it was not long
before an organized effort was suggested to try and
catch Old Spot. The ones forming this sanguinary
syndicate were Mr. A., Mr. G., Mr. B., Mr. S., Alfred
and myself. Each of these gentlemen had a pack of
hounds, numbering about nine or ten, so that when
the hunters assembled there were more than fifty
hounds, each eager to get the first taste of blood from
Old Spot. At the head of Mr. A.’s pack was a hound
called “‘ Ranger,” that was celebrated for his fleetness
and staying qualities. The pack of Mr. G. was led by
41

a hound called “Revenge,” to whom his owner was
deeply attached, and who claimed that no fox in
Tennessee could outrun or outlast him. The pride of
of Mr. B.’s pack was a dog called “ Royalty,” who had
never been defeated in a chase; while Mr. S. was the
proud owner of a hound called “ Leader,” who was at
the head of what he considered the best pack of
hounds in several counties. Arrangements were made
to start upon the expedition to exterminate Old Spot
between sundown and dark one evening, and at the
appointed hour the hunters, with their fifty or sixty
hounds, assembled, and at the word of command we
all started in quest of Old Spot. We soon arrived
upon his favorite racing ground, and it seemed as
though he must have intuitively known of our coming
and had already taken a warming-up heat, for we had
scarcely invaded his territory before up he jumped and
challenged the formidable array of death pursuers to a
test of skill, speed and endurance; and as soon as the
race commenced the volume of noise that came forth
from the mouths of this army of fox destroyers was
sufficient to remind one of an artillery engagement,
and as pursued and pursuers sped over the hills and
the voices of the hounds echoed and reéchoed
through the woods the voices of the different ones
could be clearly recognized. Alfred and I were so
familiar with the tactics of Old Spot that we could
tell about the course he would pursue, and at our sug-
gestion all the hunters dismounted, hitched their
horses, and we built a fire and prepared to make our-
selves comfortable during the night if the chase should
last that long, and Alfred and I believed it would. As
the race progressed and the voice of Ranger could be
heard, Mr. A. said that it was not possible for the
42

chase to last much longer, as no fox ever lived that
could keep on earth before the terrific speed of that
dog. On they went, and as the voice of Revenge was
heard, his owner requested us to listen to the pace he
was setting, and assured us that Old Spot made a mis-
take when he entered the race in front of him. As
Old Spot circled round, and crossed and recrossed
his tracks, the well-known voice of Royalty was recog-
nized, close up to the leaders, and his owner said that
Old Spot would be obliged to find a hole of some kind
very soon, as no fox could stand the pace that
Royalty could set when he became thoroughly warmed
up, a condition to which he seemed to be fast
approaching. When the owner of Leader heard the
voice of his favorite dog, he poked the fire and lighted
his pipe, and offered to bet a mule against a jack-
knife that Old Spot would not last an hour. One of
the hounds belonging to the pack of Mr. A. was named
“Old Cuff,” who had a voice like a calliope, which
could be distinctly heard above the roar of the other
voices; and when the dogs were fairly straightened out
in the race, Old Cuff was a long ways behind the
leaders and seemed to be bringing up the rear, but his
owner said that if the chase should last all night Old
Cuff would be found in the front ranks in the early
morning, and so for several hours we sat around the
fire, smoked, told stories, and listened to the great feats
that each of these pet dogs could accomplish. Alfred
said nothing in praise of the ability of Old Troupe and
Flounce. Old Spot continued his usual tactics of
circling and keeping just far enough ahead of the
_dogs to be cruelly tantalizing. About midnight a
number of the hounds came straggling into camp.
Old Spot, wishing to give his pursuers an enjoyable
43

entertainment, changed his course and ran so far from
us that for an hour or two the dogs were entirely out
of hearing, and during this period Old Ranger
appeared, and when his owner saw him he said the
fox must either be dead or in his hole, as his old,
reliable dog would never have left him alive. Then
in succession appeared Revenge, Royalty and Leader,
and when they came their owners each said the chase
was all over, that the fox had retired for the night, and
we had better follow his example. Other dogs of less
celebrity than these also came straggling in and made
themselves comfortable by the fire. While Alfred
heard these suggestions about retiring he said nothing,
but kept up a lively thinking, and about two o’clock
in the morning went down a little ways from the fire
and listened, and heard the familiar voices of Old
Troupe and Flounce in the dim distance, apparently
heading towards us. By this time nearly all the dogs
except Old Troupe and Flounce had abandoned the
chase, and as Old Spot drew near to where we were
standing Alfred called upon the owners of the other
dogs, who had talked so loudly about their prowess, to
“call out their dogs of high-sounding names and royal
lineage and let them join Old Troupe and Flounce and
be in at the death.” And these gentlemen did rally
their dogs, who once more joined in the chase, but
they soon tired and returned to camp. Old Spot, with
Troupe and Flounce close behind him, circled near us
several times, and each time the rest of the several
packs would join in the chase, only to soon return in
apparent disgust. Old Cuff, however, proved himself
a stayer, and although unable to keep near the leaders
his great voice could be plainly heard a mile or so
behind during the latter part of the chase. Finally,
44

a _—E rrr

(SPAq PIM dy} JO SSuOs at} YIM Surpsurur soroa [eorsnut

May} Jo sauo} uote] ay ‘apis Aq apis Suruuna sounoyy pue sdnory, pio aoa Wry pulyaq spied paipuny v ynoqy,,

Old Spot, thinking he had afforded his intending cap-
tors sufficient amusement for one night, headed for his
old resting place, and just as the morning sun began to
gild the eastern horizon he appeared in sight running
easy and fast, and about a hundred yards behind him
were Old Troupe and Flounce running side by side,
the clarion tones of their musical voices mingling with
the songs of the wild birds, and thus they continued
for a short distance, when Old Spot entered his den to
rest and get ready for another entertainment. At the
closing hours of the chase all but about half a dozen
dogs had retired from the contest, and these few were
so far behind Old Troupe and Flounce as to clearly
show they were outclassed. The owners of these
much-touted dogs were honest in their belief that
their dogs were great, and able to catch any fox that
wore fur, but the contest to which they were invited
was essentially different from any in which they had
ever participated and Old Spot was a different racer
than any which their dogs had ever pursued.

The next year Iwas employed by Mr. John Harding
to break and handle some young animals he owned.
His place was on the Cumberland River, about nine
miles from Nashville. Near him lived Mr. David
Magavock, who owned a large pack and I often went
hunting with him. I told him of Troupeand Flounce
and what great dogs they were, and as Alfred had
married and moved away, and no one was left to hunt
with Squire Winford’s dogs I recommended them to
him, and he purchased them and considered them the
best dogs he ever saw. Troupe got one of his legs
broken and was shut up in the carriage house. One
day while he was there the dogs started a gray fox not
far from the house, and, notwithstanding his broken

45

leg, Old Troupe got out and joined in the chase. The
fox was soon caught, and one of the first dogs at the
death was Old Troupe, who stood over the fox holding
up his broken leg with the broken bone protruding
through the skin, and seeing him in that condition
Frank Magavock, a son of the owner of the dog,
thoughtlessly drew his revolver and shot him; and
when I witnessed the death of that noble dog there
was something came up in my throat, and I experi-
enced a sorrow and grief I cannot express.

The horses ridden upon these occasions in Tennes-
see embrace the best and speediest that State has pro-
duced. Tom, Hal, Clipper, Brooks, Mattie Hunter,
Little Brown Jug, Joe Braden, Joe Bowers, Brown
Hal, Hal Pointer, Bay Tom, Duplex, Locomotive, and
Mountain Slasher have all participated in these hunts
and contributed to the enjoyment of their owners.

46

CRAP re in Wille:

THE HAL FAMILY—KITTRELL’S HAL—GIBSON’S TOM
HAL— LITTLE BROWN JUG—LOCOMOTIVE—
BROWN HAL—HAL POINTER.

HE pacing interests of Tennessee were fortu-

nate in the quality of the horses which were

brought to the State at an early day, from
which sprung the great campaigners that have given
to the State its exclusive title of the mother of the
pacing family. Back in the fifties, Major Kittrell of
Taylorsville, Tenn., went to Kentucky, and purchased
a roan saddle stallion that was a natural pacer; this
horse became known as Kittrell’s Hal, and is the
foundation head from which has come nearly all the
celebrated horses from that State. Other pacing and
saddle horses were brought to the State from Ken-
tucky about the same time; but, as my name has been
associated to a considerable extent with the Hal family,
I shall confine my observations to it. Kittrell’s Hal
was a horse about 1534 hands high, very heavily
muscled, and in the exhibitions of speed which he gave
under the saddle at fairs and other horse shows
proved him to be a fast, natural pacer, but he never
was handled for speed. The facts obtainable respect-
ing his breeding are so few and unsatisfactory as to
render any statement concerning it unwarranted, but
that he was a highly-bred horse there can scarcely bea
doubt. In 1862 he was bred to a mare called Betsey
Baker, the produce being Gibson’s Tom Hal, Old

47

Tom Hal, or Tom Hal, Jr., as he is known in the
registry. Betsey Baker was a mare fully one-half
thoroughbred. Gibson’s Tom Halwas speeded under
saddle at the country fairs and spent much of his time
before the plow and the log wagon, and was never
hitched to a sulky.

He was a roan horse about 15% hands high, and
one of the strongest and best muscled horses I ever
saw; and when he died, in 1890, being then twenty-
seven years old, his back was as straight as a two-year-
old, and his muscular development showed no signs
of impairment.

48

HE first of his get to attract the attention of the
country was Little Brown Jug, and his history
is so unique I think it well deserves to be

given here. In 1874, Mr. O. N. Fry, of Mooresville,
Tenn., was the owner of Gibson’s Tom Hal, who was
making the season at $5 by the insurance, and if,
when the colt was old enough to wean, it did not
show the saddle gaits no fee whatever was charged.
A neighbor of Mr. Fry then owned a mare named
Lizzie, by John Netherland, a pacing-bred horse. Mr.
Fry happened to meet the owner of Lizzie one day
and suggested to him the advisability of breeding Liz-
zie to Tom Hal; but the owner of Lizzie demurred,
saying he could raise a mule, and that when the mule
was a yearold he could sell it for $50, which was
much better than he could do raising colts. Finally,
Mr. Fry proposed that if he would breed to Tom Hal
he would pay him $50 for the colt when it was a year
old, if sound and all right. This proposition was ac-
cepted, and one day the next year the man appeared
at Mr. Fry’s place leading a colt so thin that he would
hardly make a shadow, and in addition to apparently
being half starved, he was covered with lice, which
had eaten his mane and tail and nearly finished what
little vitality was in his body. This colt was Little
Brown Jug, which this man had brought to Mr. Fry
pursuant to their contract, as he claimed, and de-
manded the $50. When Mr. Fry saw the colt he re-
fused to receive him, and told the man he did not want
such a looking colt upon his place. The man said he
had no money and had relied upon the promised $50
49

to buy necessaries for his family, and finally Mr. Fry,
out of sympathy but under protest, took the colt and
paid the $50. After a thorough cleaning and cleans-
ing the colt was given plenty to eat and improved
very rapidly. The next year Mr. Fry leased a por-
tion of his farm to a colored man to work on shares,
who had no horse, and in the spring that Little Brown
Jug was two years old he was sold by Mr. Fry to this
colored man for $75. The colored man broke him to
harness and used him to plow the land and put in his
crops; and in addition to this work every Sunday his
wife and two or three children would get upon the
back of the colt and ride several miles to church; and,
in addition to all this, the colored man’s son had a
sweetheart who lived two or three miles from his
home, and he would take this colt, after having worked
him all day, and go across the fields to the home of
his sweetheart, hitch him outdoors, where he would
stand with nothing to eat, and often in the storms,
until the early hours of the morning. This per-
formance was repeated several times a week during
the entire season. When fall came the colt was in a
pitiable condition, and showed his hard usage very
plainly. That fall the wife of the colored man was
taken sick, and, after attending her for some time, the
doctor refused to come any more unless Mr. Fry
would become responsible for his bill, which he finally
consented to do, and the doctor attended her until she
died. The doctor's bill was $60, and seeing there was
no other way out of the difficulty the colored man
gave the colt to Mr. Fry and he paid the doctor the
$60. At that time the colt could not be sold for $60,
and Mr. Fry only allowed that amount for him be-
cause there was nothing else for him todo. The colt

50

was then turned out and with rest and plenty of feed
soon commenced to improve, and in the summer and
fall of 1878, when the colt was three years old, Mr. Fry
rode him to the colt shows and fairs and soon dis-
covered that he could pace fast, and the next year
placed him in the hands of a trainer who trained on a
half-mile track near Lewisburg, Tenn. The rapidity
with which he improved was simply astonishing, and
in a few weeks that half-starved and much-abused colt
became one of the speediest horses that had up to
that time ever been seen in harness. I saw him at
Nashville the following spring, and gave him a work-
out, and I do not think I was ever behind a stronger,
easier going horse. His conformation was the most
remarkable of any horse ever seen upon the turf. He
was only about fifteen hands high, a rich brown in
color, his slim neck, small ears, large expressive eyes,
and finely-molded head, clearly showed the thorough-
bred blood which he had inherited; but the most re-
markable thing about him was his abnormal muscular
development. His fore legs were large, flat and well
tapered, and his hind quarters were so immense as to
make him look like a deformity. What he was asa
race horse we know, but what he might have been had
he received the care and attention in his early career
bestowed upon promising race horses in modern times
isa matter of conjecture. It is claimed by reliable
people that he paced a trial quarter on a poor half-
mile track the first season he was handled in thirty
seconds, and that the next year he paced a half mile to
a high-wheeled sulky in one minute, and many people
still believe him to have been possessed of as much
natural speed as any horse that ever lived, and I am
not prepared to say but what this belief is well founded.

51

NOTHER son of Tom Hal, which, though little
A known to the outside world, was, as many believe,
at least equally as fast as any of his get, was the

gray stallion Locomotive. This horse also has a pecu-
liar history. His dam was bya horse called Rock, about
half thoroughbred and quite a celebrated quarter horse.
Locomotive was bred, and all his life owned, in the
rural districts of Tennessee, and was never to my
knowledge hitched to a sulky nor conditioned for
racing. He was a very large, powerful horse, fully
1534 hands high, and would weigh about 1,300 pounds,
and his appearance more resembled that of a truck
horse than that of an ideal racer. If he was ever used
in harness it was before the plow, the log wagon, or
doing some other heavy work. He was in the stud
for many years and frequently exhibited at the differ-
ent horse shows under saddle, and many gentlemen
now living in Marshall and Maury counties, Tennessee,
who have seen him at these exhibitions, declare they
have seen him pace a quarter of a mile under saddle
in thirty seconds. I have often seen him at these ex-
hibitions, but never held a watch on him; but this I
do know, that he was one of the most rapid-gaited and
powerful-going horses I ever saw, and seemed to have
as much natural speed as any of his distinguished
half brothers, and it is to be regretted that he did not
appear at a time when the pacing gait was appreciated,
and his speed ability properly developed. As a sad
illustration of the neglect to which this grand horse
was subjected, I will cite the following incident: In
1878 (I think that was the year, but am not entirely

52

certain) a fair was held at the old fair ground near
Columbia, at which a race was arranged between Loco-
motive under saddle and old Joe Bowers in harness.
Near the track was a creek with quite a volume of water.
Two heats of the race were paced in the evening, each
horse winning oneheat. After each heat the rider and
owner of Locomotive rode him into the creek to cool
him out. The water was up to about the horse’s side,
and he cooled him out by splashing the water over his
heated body, and, as though this treatment was not suffi-
cient to ruin him, that evening he was fed twenty-two
ears of green corn for his evening’s feed. It is a well
authenticated fact that the horse ate fourteen ears
of this corn, and the result was, what might have been
expected, the next morning he was not in racing con-
dition, and his racing days were practically over. Thus
ended the racing career of a horse that would have
added additional lustre to the name of his distinguished
sire had he been given the opportunity to demonstrate
the ability with which he was so richly endowed.

33

ROWN HAL, a full brother to Little Brown Jug,

B was purchased by Major Campbell Brown and
Captain M.C. Campbell when he was three years

old, and, by reason of the brilliant achievements of
Little Brown Jug, it was but natural to expect that his
full brother would prove to be a race horse of a high
order. His early training clearly indicated that this
expectation would be realized. In looks and conforma-
tion there is scarcely any resemblance between Brown
Hal and Little Brown Jug. Brown Hal has a long
body and rather a rangy conformation. He is about
15.2% hands high, and wil lweigh about 1,100 pounds.
One of the peculiarities of the Hal family is that they
are rather slow in developing speed, and it is rather
uncommon to find a young colt of this family show-
ing a fast gait; but from the time Brown Hal com-
menced to be used under the saddle, when he was two
years old, he could pace fast; and when he was pur-
chased by Messrs. Brown and Campbell he was recog-
nized as a very promising colt. At that time Mr.
John Bostwick, an experienced trainer, was handling the
horses in Major Brown’s stable, and he gave him his
first education in speeding in harness. At one time it
was thought he could be converted to the trotting gait,
and Mr. Bostwick experimented with him the first
season he handled him in an attempt to make a fast
trotter of him. While this experiment was in prog- |
ress I saw him trot a mile in 2.21, and I believe that
was about as fast as he ever trotted. He was a pure-
gaited natural pacer, and the weight required to make
him trot was so great it became evident that if he suc-

54

Brown Hat, 2.1242.

ceeded in making a great race horse it would be asa
pacer, and all further attempts to make a trotting race
horse of him were abandoned. He was very fast in
the pacing gait from the time he was first handled
at that gait ; and the first year he was taken North
and started in the pacing races I do not think he lost
a race, and, as | remember, it was that year, or the
next, that Mr. Bostwick gave him a record of 2.13.
On Major Brown’s place were several large paddocks
enclosed by high picket fences, where stallions were
turned when not in training; and the next winter
after Brown Hal made this record he was running in
one of these paddocks, and in an adjoining paddock
was another stallion. These two stallions commenced
fighting through the fence separating them, when
Brown Hal reared and caught one of his fore legs
between the pickets, and this accident sprained a
tendon of that leg so seriously that he never fully re-
covered from it. Brown Hal was placed in my hands
to train early in the season of 1889, and, although he
was in the stud, I gave him a longand careful prepara-
tion; but from the time I first commenced to work
him I was fearful of that injured leg, and had my
doubts about his being able to stand the strain incident
to training and campaigning. I went along very slow
and careful with him, and did not attempt to give him
any fast work for several months after I commenced
with him, as I was satisfied that if his leg would only
stand the hardships, and I could get him in proper
condition, he had sufficient speed to wipe out all
pacing records and defeat any horse then upon the turf.
Along in June I had him in good racing condition,
and as his ailing leg still stood the work I think he
_ was then the fastest horse I ever saw. In one of his

55

workouts that season, before leaving for the North, I
drove him to a high-wheeled Toomy cart a quarter of a
mile in 28% seconds; but the hard work necessary to
properly prepare him for the coming campaign finally
began to affect that leg, and it was with many misgiv-
ings that I concluded to start him in the free-for-all
pace at Cleveland, in which he had been entered, as
he had already commenced to go lame in the fast
workouts I was giving him. But it was finally con-
cluded that he would probably never be in better
condition to goa fast race than he then was, and under
all the circumstances we had better starthim. In that
race were entered several of the fastest pacers then in
training, among them being Roy Wilkes, whom I knew
to beadangerous competitor, for I had on several occa-
sions met and defeated him with Duplex. In the
warming-up heat before the race, Brown Hal showed con-
siderablelameness. At the commencement of that race
the record of 2.13 held by Brown Hal was the pacing
stallion race record, but in the first heat of that race,
which was won by Roy Wilkes, the record was reduced
to 2.1234, and for a short period Roy Wilkes was the
king of pacing stallions. This heat satisfied me that
with Brown Hal’s lameness increasing all the time, the
race would bea hard one, but I still thought that, if
he did not give out entirely, I could win the race. We
got a good start in the second heat and I called upon
Brown Hal for his best effort and he did not disappoint
me and won the heat in 2.12%, and thereby again
became king of this division. But this heat seriously
affected his leg and the next heat was won by Roy
Wilkes in slower time. I rushed Brown Hal for the
fourth heat, and, notwithstanding his lameness kept
increasing, he won the heat. When the horses came
56

out for the fifth heat, Brown Hal was so lame that
he could scarcely touch the foot of his injured leg
to the ground, and when we were sent away I could
hardly get him to pace at all, and during the first few
rods he could not pace a 2.30 gait, and before the
eighth of the mile pole was reached he broke, and
before I could get him settled all the horses, with Roy
Wilkes in the lead, were at least 100 yards ahead of
me at the first quarter; but about this time I suc-
ceeded in getting Brown Hal on his stride, and he
seemed to be inspired with a determination to win that
heat, even if he had but three good legs and his cour-
age with which to make the effort, and he seemed to
fairly fly in pursuit of the leaders. I soon over-
took and passed the rear horses, but Roy Wilkes still
maintained his lead until near the draw gate, when I
came up to him and saw he was so tired that he was
reeling and had had about enough. Brown Hal was
also in about the same condition and both horses
showed signs of distress. When within a few feet of
the wire I took a strong hold on Brown Hal, so as to
steady him, then shook him up and applied the whip
once or twice, to which he gamely responded and
forged ahead of his rival and won the heat by a head.
While there is no means of knowing exactly how fast
Brown Hal paced that heat from the first quarter, I
believe he must have paced the middle half of the
mile in about one minute; and thus ended what was,
everything considered, the most remarkable race in
which I ever participated. But the great effort of
Brown Hal in his crippled condition put a final veto
on his further racing that season, and I shipped him
home, this proving the last race he ever paced. In
1890 I again prepared him for the campaign and he

BY

seemed to be faster than ever. I shipped my stable,
including Brown Hal, to Pittsburg, and in the work-
outs I gave him there, he went so lame that I con-
cluded it was no use trying to race him any more, and
shipped him home, and he has never been conditioned
for racing since then. He is now owned by Captain
M. C. Campbell of Spring Hill, Tenn., where he will
undoubtedly spend the balance of his life. He had all
the elements of a great race horse, viz: speed, game-
ness and endurance, and these essential elements he
transmits to his get in a remarkable degree. Nearly
twenty years ago, ina communication I made to one
of the turf journals, I prophesied that a horse would
go a mile in harness in two minutes, and that the first
horse to accomplish that feat would be a pacing horse
and a member of the Hal family; and I rejoice
to know that I have lived long enough to see that
prophecy fulfilled, and that the horse that fulfilled my
expectations was a distinguished son of Brown Hal.

68

‘vo? AFLNIOQ TVH

AL POINTER was foaled in 1884, and was bred
by Captain Henry Pointer of Spring Hill,Tenn.

He was sired by Old Tom Hal and his dam was

the grand old mare Sweepstakes, by Knight’s Snow
Heels, dam of Star Pointer 1.591%. Asa two-and three-
year-old he was used under saddle, and in 1888 it was
claimed he could show a 2.40 gait at the pace under
saddle,— a claim he could hardly justify. He isa bay
gelding with one white ankle in front and one behind
and has a small star. When matured he was a horse
of grand conformation, standing about 1534 hands high
and weighing about 1,100 pounds in ordinary flesh. His
legs were large and well shaped, and when in training
his muscles stood out like those of a trained athlete.
His beautiful and intelligent head plainly showed his
sixty or more per cent. of thoroughbred blood that
coursed through his veins. In June, 1888, Mr. Wal-
ter Steele of Columbia, Tenn., purchased him and
placed him in my stable to be trained. He had then
been broken to harness, but it cannot be said that he
was very handy at that way of going. He had been
used so much under saddle that his gaits were very
badly mixed. He would pace a little and single foot
a great deal. I experimented some time with him
trying to make him go square and finally shod him
with a twelve-ounce shoe in front and added a six-
ounce toe weight to each front foot; this seemed to
improve him, and he would go square in front; but
still he seemed to lack something, and to not be en-
tirely balanced; finally, I put on long shoes behind,
that is, shoes that projected an inch or more béyond

59

his heels, and this balanced him and he would pace
square. I worked with him about a month before I
went North with my racing stable. The first mile lI
drove him it took him three minutes and thirteen
seconds to make the circuit, but before I went away
he showed me a mile in 2.30. He was then turned
out and not taken up again until about September Ist.
During my absence he was started in a race at the
Columbia Fair in September, in which he took a record
of 2.29%. When I returned that fall, I commenced
working him again and kept taking the weight off his
front feet and he kept increasing his speed. I finally
got him so he did not require any extra weight, and
during his races he generally wore a five-ounce shoe in
front and a six-ounce shoe behind. Before I turned
him out that fall he showed me a mile over my old
half-mile track in 2.17, and I became satisfied that I
had a first-class race horse if nothing happened. His
hind legs always had rather a curby look, and when
he paced this good mile that fall he developed a curb
on one leg that caused me much anxiety; but I
blistered it and turned him out and he never again
showed any signs of weakness in it. I commenced
work with him early the next spring and he improved
so rapidly that I was more than ever convinced that
he was one of the coming turf sensations and I pur-
chased a half interest in him. I concluded to start
him first in the 2.30 class at Cleveland that year, and,
as he had never been on a mile track, I took him and
my other herses there some time before the meeting,
that he might get used to the track and surroundings.
His front feet were always flat and of a tender and
delicate formation. The track at Cleveland was very
hard and in the work I gave him before the meeting
60

commenced his front feet became sore, a condition
which continued during the whole of that season. I
shod him with bar shoes and pads, which greatly helped
to break the concussion; but still in jog work he
would nod, and a stranger would think him unable to
stand the hardships of a hotly-contested race; but as
soon as the excitement of a race was on he seemed to
forget all about his tender feet, and his pace was as
even and true as any horse ever seen ina race. I won
the race at Cleveland and moved down through the
Grand Circuit and started him at every meeting; and
after that I went to St. Louis, Terre Haute and other
places and he won every race in which he was started
that year, except at Rochester.

Everything considered, Hal Pointer was the greatest
race horse I have ever driven. I always drove him
with an open bridle, and as soon as he had had a little
experience he seemed to know how to rate his speed
just as well as I did; and also that the purse belonged
to the horse that first passed under the wire rather
than the one that reached the quarter or half-mile pole
in advance of the field, and when in the lead he
would watch the attempts of a rival to pass him with
the same degree of interest as his driver, and was ever
on the alert to prevent another horse from getting
dangerously close. This characteristic was well illus-
trated in the race at Terre Haute, in the fall of 1889,
in which was the pacer B. B. who had been defeating
everything he had met that season, and many pre-
dicted that when these two horses met, Hal Pointer
would taste the bitter pangs of defeat. In one of the
heats of that race I had passed B. B.in the stretch
_and, expecting him to make a rush near the wire, was
watching him and so was Pointer; and after the race

61

was over, the driver of B. B. said he “‘ could stand it to
have me watching him, but when he saw Hal Pointer
with one ear laid down also watching him he saw it
was no use and that he could not steal a march on
him, and so abandoned the attempt.” He retired that
fall with a record of 2.0934, which made him a candi-
date for the free-for-all class the next season. A long
run barefooted that winter cured the soreness in his
feet and he was in good condition the next spring to
commence his training. I anticipated a hard cam-
paign for him in 1890 and carefully prepared him for
it. Istarted him first at Pittsburg that season and had
no trouble in winning at that meeting; but at Cleve-
land, which is regarded as the great storm center of
the Grand Circuit, I knew I should meet a different
antagonist than I had yet encountered. Adonis was
at that time the pride of California’s race goers and,
with the experienced and accomplished Hickok behind
him, he had been campaigning through the minor cir-
cuits without meeting defeat, and all horsemen
expected that when he and Pointer met there would
be a battle royal, and those who saw the race were not
disappointed. There were a number of starters in the
race, but, as expected, the contest for first place was
between Pointerand Adonis. In the first heat Adonis
led until the last quarter was reached, when I, having
succeeded in passing the other horses, moved up so
that as we entered the stretch Pointer’s head was upon
the wheel of Adonis, both going true and very fast,
Pointer gaining at every stride, and when within
about fifty feet of the wire he was fully a neck in the
lead, without any known cause, he left his feet and
passed under the wire on a run, thus giving the heat to
Adonis; but this mishap made no difference in the
62

outcome of the race, as he won the next three heats.
We had several other contests during the Grand Cir-
cuit meetings, but Adonis did not succeed in winning
one of the races. The defeat of Adonis greatly
agitated the horsemen and sporting element cof Cali-
fornia, and the next year they sent over the fast and
almost unbeaten Yolo Maid to take the measure of the
great son of Tom Hal. Our first meeting was at
Cleveland, and the known speed and race-horse quali-
ties of these two contestants caused excitement to run
high. Yolo Maid could show a great burst of speed
and was very fast in getting away, and in every case
would lead Pointer to the first quarter by many yards;
but I never drove Hal Pointer in any race where if he
could get his nose to the wheel of the sulky of the
other horse at the head of the stretch he could not
beat him to the wire, and Yolo Maid proved no excep-
tion to this rule. She would rush away at a two-
minute gait for the first quarter, but Pointer saved his
fast rush for the home stretch and in his races often
paced the last quarter in thirty seconds; and, like
Adonis, Yolo Maid returned to California without
having won a single race from Pointer, although she
attempted to do so all through the Grand Circuit.
But the Californians did not give up. I started Hal
Pointer that season (1891) in July, and raced him the
whole season over all kinds of tracks, some of which
were very hard and his feet became a little tender, so
much so, that he would not fully extend himself on a
hard track; and while in this condition, Direct, who
had been brought from California early in the
season and given an easy campaign, was especially
prepared to try and wrest the crown from Hal Pointer.
We first met at Terre Haute in October, where, after

63

a very hot contest, Hal Pointer won. Our next meet-
ing was at Nashville, where the track was hard, and
Direct won. We met a few days later at the then new
kite-shaped track at Columbia, Tenn., and the track
was so hard that I could not get Pointer to do himself
justice, and he again suffered defeat; but to accom-
plish this feat, he compelled Direct to pace the three
fastest heats that had up to that time ever been made
in harness.

The next season, when the horses were more nearly
on an equality, in a number of races Hal Pointer
clearly demonstrated his superiority as a race horse,
and defeated Direct every time they met. I cam-
paigned him during 1893, 1894 and 1895. In the free-
for-all pace at Philadelphia, in 1894, he was taken sick
during the race with an ailment that baffled all veter-
inary skill to diagnose. He had never been sick
before and showed no signs of illness until in the race.
Both he and Yolo Maid were taken sick in the same
heat with the same ailment, which gave rise to a sus-
picion of foul play on the part of some one. But
whatever it was, he never recovered from it. I win-
tered him with the rest of the Hamlin stable in Cali-
fornia during the winter of 1894 and 1895, and started
him in several races in 1895; but he still showed the
effects of that sickness; and we gave up campaigning
him. After his race at Cleveland, in 1890, Mr. Steele
and myself sold him to Mr. Harry Hamlin of Village
Farm; but he continued in my stable until I went to
Village Farm in 1892, and was after that in that stable
and was driven by me as long as he continued to race
through the Grand Circuit. I do not believe any
horse ever lived that possessed more racing sense,
gameness, and endurance than did this grand horse.

64

I have often seen him, after a hard-fought five-heat
race, being cooled out when another race would be
called on, and he would commence to get restless and
uneasy and show by every action that he wanted to
get back to the track and take a hand in the excite-
ment.

Hal Pointer was a difficult horse to make score
fast, and was always slow in starting away. He did
not seem to be imbued with the necessity of winning
the heat until the middle or latter part of the mile had
been reached, and then he would bend all his mighty
energies in an endeavor to first reach the wire, and
very few horses were ever able to withstand his
terrific rush. He never required, and would not
endure, punishment. Once when I was giving him a
workout he did something I did not like and I struck
him with the whip twice, and, in spite of everything I
could do, he ran three miles before I could stop him;
I never tried it again, and in all the races I ever drove
him I never did anything more than to carry the whip
over him, and when I wanted some extra speed I
would shake it at him. I gave him a record of 2.04%,
which was the world’s record at that time.

It is a lamentable fact that many good horses after
their days of usefulness are over, and theyare no longer
able to earn money for their owners, are, through
avarice or want of sympathy, either killed or compelled
to eke out a miserable existence doing drudgery for
strangers, when, by reason of their past services, they
should be tenderly cared for by those whom they have
faithfully served. Iam glad to know that no hard-
ships of this kind are in store for grand old Hal
Pointer. I am giving him just enough light road work
for exercise, driving back and forth from Village Farm

65

to the Jewett covered track. I generally drive him —
over to the hotel at East Aurora and hitch him under
a shed when I goto lunch. He is very fond of carrots,
and I always intend to put three in my pocket and
feed him two before I go to lunch and the other when
I am ready to start back. If I have the carrots for
him, he seems perfectly happy and will be cheerful all
the rest of the day; but if I happen to forget them, he is
mad and acts as ill-natured as does a smoker when de-
prived of his after-dinner cigar. The following article,
clipped from the columns of a recent number of the
“Vouth’s Companion,” very aptly illustrates different
dispositions respecting the fate of a faithful horse
after his days of usefulness are over :

“Tt was a mournful little procession which filed out
of the barn and took its way along the lane towards
the pasture. First came Azariah, with the old musket.
Then followed Thad, leading a horse, tall, gaunt and
aged ; and in the rear, with a shovel over his shoulder,
plodded old Benjamin Heminway, the owner of the
farm. .

““No one said anything, but all three of the men
glanced furtively at the house, and Thad carefully
steered old Prince around some outcropping ledges
where his shoes would have been likely to make
a noise. When they reached the pasture, they
halted.

“<T s’pose we might’s well pull his shoes off,’ sug-
gested Azariah.

““Ves,’ said Thad. ‘Three of ’em’s nearly newand
the other ain't much worn. I brought the hammer
along.’

‘“‘ He handed it to his brother, who took it and began
to pry off the old horse’s shoes.

66

“While the group was occupied with this task a voice
broke in upon them. A little old lady had come
quietly up the lane, and now stood nervously twisting
her apron and regarding them with reproachful eyes.
The men dropped the hammer and the two shoes they
had removed, and stood silent and shamefaced.

‘“‘¢ Father,’ said the old lady, laying her hand on her
husband’s arm, ‘ you know how I’ve felt about this all
along. The more I think of it the wickeder it seems.
I just can’t stand it!’

“<«There, now, mother, don’t take it so hard. It
ain’t pleasant, I know, but what’s a body goin’ to do?
He’s past any kind o’ work, an’ it costs something
to keep him. Besides, the boys are all the time com-
plainin’.’

““« Well,’ broke in Thad, ‘we have to cut up all his
fodder an’ take milk to him every day, and he’s for-
ever getting into the corn-field or the garden.’

““« Thaddy, it ain’t what he is now but what he’s been
that I’m thinking about,’ said the boy’s mother.
‘You don’t remember, as I do, how he worked here
on the farm year after year, an’ how willin’ and gentle
he always was. You don’t think of the time when
your father had the mail contract, and old Prince
traveled his forty miles a day, week in and week out,
summer an’ winter; or the day when the limb fell from
the tree on the mountain road, and knocked your
father senseless in the bottom of the sleigh. How
long would he have lived in that cold, or where would
you or any of us be, if Prince hadn’t brought him home ?’

“Thad was idly kicking a hole in the sod with the
toe of his heavy boot, and Azariah shifted the musket
uneasily from his shoulder to the ground. The old
lady went on:

67

“ “Father, old Prince has done hisshare to help us pay
for the farm. He wouldn’t owe us anything for board
if he lived fifty years longer, but if he’s got to be killed
because you think we can’t afford to keep him, I’ve
got something to say. Here’s eighteen dollars. It’s
my butter money, an’ I’ve been savin’ it to carpet the
parlor with, but never mind. It’ll pay for Prince’s keep
while it lasts, and there'll be more when that’s gone.’

“A crimson flush crept into the old man’s sunburned
face. ‘Stop, mother, stop!’ he said. “Vm arselnem
brute, an’ I’m ashamed of myself, but I ain’t so mean
as that! Old Prince has earned the right to fodder
and good care the rest of his life, as you say, an’ he
shall have it if he lives to be a hundred! Thad, Az’-
riah, you go put him into the four-acre clover lot ; an’
if either of you ever pester me again ’bout killin’ him,
I’ll take one o’ them new tug straps an’ make you
dance livelier’n Prince ever did when he was a four-
year-old.’”

68

GATE Rr Vis

STRANGE INCIDENT IN HORSE TRAINING— THE TEN-
NESSEE PACING-BRED PACER.

ONCE hada very remarkable incident in horse train-
ing occur. A gentleman by the name of Brown,
living near Lynnville, Tenn., owned the bay mare

Ella Brown. About the first of March, 1890, he sent her
to me to be trained. She had the reputation of being
quite speedy and much was expected of her. I worked
faithfully with her from the time she was first brought
to me until about the first of June, and the best I
could do with her was to drive her a mile in about
2.45 ; and as that was not fast enough to compete with
horses she would have to meet, I wrote Mr. Brown
that I did not think she had speed enough to make a
first-class race horse, and I would not advise him to
spend any more money on her, and that he had
better come and take her home, and if he would let me
know when he would come I would save her and work
her in his presence. He notified me of the time he
would call, and at the appointed time he came, and I had
her hitched up, shod, harnessed and hitched in exactly
the same way she had always been during the several
months I had been training her. After warming her
up I commenced to show her speed to Mr. Brown. She
seemed to take in the situation at once and instead of
pacing along at a 2.45 gait, as she had always done
before, she just let herself out and paced a quarter at
a 2.20 gait ; and when she showed this burst of speed

69

I was so astonished that I nearly fell out of the sulky,
and Mr. Brown returned home without her. I am not
much of a believer in telopathy, but it has always
seemed to me that in some way she knew that if she
did not make a satisfactory showing that morning she
would probably spend her life working on the farm
instead of the glamor of the race track. She kept
improving and finally took a record of 2.11%, and was
a successful race mare.

While residing in Tennessee I campaigned quite a
large number of horses, other than those I have men-
tioned, through the Northern Circuit, including Joe
Rhea, Annie W., McCurdy’s Hambletonian, McEwen,
Bay Tom, Joe Bowers, Jr., Joe Braden, Fred S. Wilkes,
Duplex and many others, and did fairly well with
them ; but the limits of this book will not allow any
attempt at a description of the races in which they
started.

The Hal family of pacers are preéminently the
great pacing-bred pacers of America. So far as I
have any knowledge upon the subject, I do not know
of more than a dozen of the get of Tom Hal that have
been conditioned and trained for racing, and of this
number I do not know of one that could not beat 2.30.
Of those that were trained I have already mentioned
Little Brown Jug, Brown Hal and Hal Pointer, and I
firmly believe that if I now had them and they were
in their prime and in perfect condition, I could drive
each one of these a mile in two minutes; and it is
possible that Locomotive could be added to this list,
but his speed was not sufficiently developed to warrant
me in making the statement. Of the daughters of Old
Tom Hal I only know of two that were ever trained.
One was a roan mare called Sky Blue, that with a few

7O

days’ training paced a mile on a half-mile track in
2.24; and the other, Bessie Hal, dam of Direct Hal, that
I trained a few weeks, and she paced a mile in 2.12.
What her ability would be if fully developed I cannot
Say, as an accident to one of her feet compelled me to
cease her training before the measure of her speed had
been ascertained. How many others of the get of
Old Tom Hal that would have been sensational turf
performers had they been trained and given the oppor-
tunity the racing world will never know, as they spent
their lives at the plow and doing the drudgery of the
farm, and their possible brilliant achievements lie
buried beneath the dust that filled the eyes of a prej-
udiced and unappreciative public. Many people not
familiar with the form and beauty of the Tennessee
pacing-bred pacer have a wrong impression respecting
the conformation and qualities of that horse. From
what they have read, and been educated to believe, the
pacing-bred pacer is a horse carrying his head low,
with a steep rump, a ewe neck, crooked legs, and
sleepy-looking head, with no life or ambition except
what is injected into him by a vigorous application of
the whip; whereas, the Tennessee pacer is a horse of
beautiful form and finish, with a head as intelligent
and showing as much fire and ambition as that of any
horse that ever looked through a bridle; and in all
the qualities that go to make up an ideal race or
driving horse, they compare favorably with those of
any breed with which I am familiar.

8

CHAPTER: VTE

BELLE HAMLIN — DOUBLE-TEAM RECORDS — GLOBE —
HONEST GEORGE — JUSTINA — NIGHTINGALE.

ARLY in the spring of 1891, I made an arrange-
ment with Messrs. C. J. and Harry Hamlin,
proprietors of Village Farm, to drive their

stable of racing horses that season. I shipped the
stable I had been training in Tennessee that spring
North in July, and the horses I was to drive for the
Messrs. Hamlin were shipped to me after I got North,
and, combined with what I had, made quite a large
stable. Among those I campaigned that year belong-
ing to the Messrs. Hamlin were the trotters Belle
Hamlin, Justina, Globe and Nightingale, and the
pacers Hal Pointer, Moonstone and Glendennis. I
used Belle Hamlin in double harness, giving exhibi-
tions at most of the large race meetings. She was a
very handsome bay mare, about 15% hands high, very
smooth and stylish, and her impressive way of going
made her a very attractive race horse. Her tempera-
ment was pleasant, and she possessed about as many
of the elements that go to make an ideal driving
horse as is ever seen. Without any exception she was
the best pole animal I ever saw. Her mouth was
neither too hard nortoo soft. She had plenty of life and
spirit, but was perfectly tractable and easily governed,
and could always be relied upon to do her share and a
little more when driven with another horse. This
statement is proven by the following record: Her

72

own record is 2.1234, yet hitched with Globe, whose
record is 2.1434, they trotted a mile in 2.12. Hitched
with Honest George, whose record is 2.14%, they
trotted a mile in 2.124%. Hitched with Justina, whose
fecord is 2.20; they trotted a mile in 2.13. _ Hitched
with Globe and Justina, the three abreast trotted a
mile in 2.14. Speeding in double harness will prob-
ably always be more or less popular with the owners
of horses, as well as race goers; but one effort in driv-
ing three horses abreast satisfied all the ambition I
had in that direction, and I never care to indulge in
any more sport of that character.

I regard the driving of Belle Hamlin, Justina, and
Globe abreast a mile in 2.14 as the greatest feat I
have ever accomplished as a reinsman. No one who
has not tried the experiment can appreciate the diff-
culty he will encounter before the end of the mile is
reached. Any horse going at that rate of speed will
require the expenditure of much strength to steady
him, and when three are hitched together the amount
of this strength can be multiplied by more than three,
because they are racing with each other, and the
ambition of each to defeat the other two causes them
to exert their utmost strength, and if one or more of
them break, it is impossible to steady and settle them.

When driving these horses this trial, ] was fortunate
in keeping them all on their feet, owing to which they
were able to make that record.

73

HEN Nightingale was placed in my hands, she

did not promise to be the great race mare she

afterwards became. Her gait was awkward and
rough and her feet in bad shape. She had run away
once or twice, which affected her disposition ; and when
I commenced with her she could not trot a mile in 2.20,
and to go anything like that fast seemed to be a labored
effort for her. I soon discovered that she was not
shod according to my ideas of shoeing, and after I had
shod her as I thought she should be, she commenced
to improve in her speed and, by kindness and patience,
she finally got over her cranky notions. She was
strong and game, but her speed was more the result of
patience and education than of a natural gift. I
started her in a great many races and defeated nearly
everything in her different classes. The most impor-
tant race in which I started her, in 1891, was for a
$10,000 purse for 2.20 trotters at Hartford, in which
were Little Albert, Abbie V. Reilman, Prodigal, Miss
Alice, and Frank F. Asa test of speed, gameness
and endurance, this race will, I think, go down in turf
history as one of the most remarkable ever trotted.
It took nine heats to determine the winner, which were
trotted in 2.1734, 2.184, 2.18, 2.1934, 2.1802) gznane
2.214%, 2.21, and 2.221%. Nightingale won the sixth,
eighth and ninth heats and trotted a dead heat with
Little Albert in the fourth heat. Her best race in
1892 was at Chillicothe, Ohio, in the 2.13 class. In
that race she defeated- Little Albert, Rylandew:
Charleston, and Lakewood Prince. This was a six-
heat race, Nightingale winning the third, fifth and

74

NIGHTINGALE, 2.08.

ie

or

sixth heats in 2.12, 2.14%, and 2.14. One of her best
races in 1893 was the Consolation Race at Buffalo, for
a purse of $7,000, in which she met and defeated the
black mare Nightingale, the bay mare Alix, and the
bay gelding Greenleaf. It took seven heats to decide
eis contest, the time being 2.1214, 2.12, 2.12%,
2.13%, 2.144%, 2.144%, and 2.18, Nightingale winning
the fourth, sixth and seventh heats.

The stallion Greenlander had justly acquired the
reputation of being one of the speediest, long-distance
race horses that had been upon the turf for many
years, and as Nightingale was an aspirant for first
place as a two-mile performer, arrangements were
made to bring these two contestants together. They
met at the Grand Circuit Meeting at Buffalo, August
9, 1894. Nightingale won the first heat in 2.36%,
Greenlander was drawn after this heat and Nightingale
won the race. Her time in the first heat of this race
is the World’s race record for two miles, but Green-
lander holds the trial record for that distance.

At Fresno, Cal., on February 1, 1895, she defeated
Azote and Kiamath by winning the first, third and
fourth heats in 2.14, 2.14, and 2.1334. This race was
trotted in the mud, when the track was several seconds
slow, and was a severe test of gameness and endur-
ance. She wonthe 2.10 class at Fort Wayne in the
fall of 1895, in straight heats, in 2.1034, 2.10, and 2.10.
No race ever seemed too long for her and she would
trot the third, fourth or fifth heat with the same ease
as the first. In October, 1895, I started her at Terre
Haute against Onoqua, Dandy Jim, and David B.
Nightingale won the third, fourth and fifth heats in
2.08, 2.10, and 2.0934. She also won the same year
at Louisville; and at Lexington, in October of that

75

year,.,in the 2.09 class, she defeated’) Locklear
David B., and Lesa Wilkes, in straight heats, in 2.1134,
2.1134, and 2.12%. Before her racing days were over
she became one of the most beautiful-gaited and best
trotting race horses I have ever had anything to do
with. I do not think her record was the full measure
of her speed, as she constantly improved from the
time I took her until she died. That she was a mare
of great speed, gameness and endurance is evidenced
by the above record, and the further fact that I gave
her a three-mile record of 6.55%, which I believe is the
world’s record for that distance. She was a very
smooth and stylish chestnut mare, about 15% hands:
high, and would weigh about 1,050 lbs.

76

ON 5 Waid do ara a. G:

LEAVING TENNESSEE FOR VILLAGE FARM —NEW FIELD
VERY LARGE—GET OF CHIMES AND MAMBRINO
KING — FIRST PNEUMATIC SULKY USED IN GRAND
CIRCUIT — PURCHASE OF ROBERT J.—HIS GREAT
RACE WITH JOE PATCHEN — USING SHEEP TO
DRY RACE TRACK — RECORD OF ROBERT J.

URING the season of 1891, the Messrs. Hamlin
1) offered very tempting inducements for me to
| move to Buffalo and assume the management

of the speed department of Village Farm, but I hesi-
tated long before thinking favorably of the proposi-
tion, as both my wife and myself were deeply attached
to our home and friends in Tennessee, and to sever
our relations with a people who had always treated us
with a kindness which we can never forget was no easy
matter; but the offerwas so generous that I could not
afford to disregard it, and late in the fall concluded to
accept their proposition. As soon as my friends in
Tennessee became aware of my intention they offered
all kinds of inducements for me to remain in Tennessee
and suggested objections of a very discouraging nature
to my contemplated action. Among them was that
Mr. C. J. Hamlin was a very exacting man, and one
that scarcely any one was able to please in handling
his horses. While my acquaintance with him at that
time was very limited, I knew him well enough to know
that he was a thorough horseman and business man,
and I did not believe that I or any one need have any

77

trouble with him if they did what was right; and so,
against the protests, but with the good will, of my Ten-
nessee friends, I moved to Buffalo with my family in
February, 1892, under a five years’ contract with the
Messrs. Hamlin, and have been here with them ever
since, and during all this time our relations have been
most pleasant and agreeable.

The new field upon which I entered when I came to
Village Farm is so extensive, the horses I have trained
and the races in which I have driven are so numerous,
that I can do nothing more than mention a few of the
most important horses and events with which I have
had to do. This statement will be appreciated when it
is considered that nearly one hundred colts are foaled
at this farm every year, which require training when
old enough, and that during the nine years I have been
at Village Farm I have driven on an average in more
than one hundred races each year. The horses with
which I have had most to do since coming here have
been the get of Mambrino King and Chimes, and they
are certainly two very remarkable families of horses.
Mambrino King was the king of show horses, and his
get generally possess the stylish conformation of their
sire, and no family of horses ever seen upon the turf
possess more gameness and endurance than they do.
I consider the cross of Mambrino King and Chimes to
be the acme of American trotting-horse breeding. I
am very fond of the get of Chimes, especially those
out of mares by Mambrino King. They possess some
characteristics peculiar to themselves, and which I have
never known in any other family of horses I have
handled; they nearly all amble when first broken,
and, unlike any other horses I have ever seen,
weighting them in front does no good, and will

78

not make them go square. I generally shoe them ©
light and when they commence to amble often rush
them to a break, and when settled from the break they
will trot or pace square and improve in their speed
very rapidly.

Soon after the bicycle craze became prevalent
I commenced to ride a wheel, and soon became
satisfied that if the ball-bearing pneumatic tire
wheel could in some way be made available for the
sulky it would be a great improvement, and I formu-
lated a crude sort of plan in my mind for their adjust-
ment to the high-wheeled sulky I then used, but did
not attempt to put my ideas into any practical shape.
There was a gentleman in the East who seemed to
entertain the same views, that had the genius to gratify
his ambition, and during the Detroit meeting of 1892
he shipped one of his contrivances to Budd Doble, and
requested him to try itinarace. It consisted of a
pair of pneumatic wheels adjusted to a high-wheeled
sulky frame, and made quite a grotesque appearance
when it first arrived. For some reason, Mr. Doble did
not care to gratify this gentleman’s desire, and for
several days after its arrival the sulky stood unused.
I had in my stable that season the horse Excellence,
and one day I desired to work him four pretty stiff
heats, and hitched him to my high-wheeled sulky and
drove him a mile, and the time was 2.23%. I then
told Mr. Doble I would like to make the next trial in
that new-fangled contrivance of his, and he said he
would be glad to have me do so. I hitched to it and
drove him a mile in 2.21144. The next mile I tried my
own sulky again and the best he could do was 2.23%.
The next trial I again hitched to the new sulky, and
he again trotted the mile in 2.21%. This trial satisfied

79

me that a horse could make faster time in the new
sulky than the old. That afternoon I was to start
Honest George in a race, and borrowed this pneumatic
sulky for that purpose; and when I appeared on the
track with Honest George hitched to it, you could hear
the spectators laugh for a block, and so curious did it
appear to some that their comments would indicate
they thought I was the advance guard of Buffalo Bill’s
show. But, notwithstanding the jeers and laughter, I
won the race, and this was the first time within my
knowledge that this modern invention that has been
such an important factor in revolutionizing track records
was ever used in a race in the Grand Circuit. The
next week I had Honest George entered in a race at
Cleveland and borrowed this sulky again in which to
make the race, and again won; which I doubt if I
could have done in my own sulky, as Honest George
was a strong favorite and, as is usual in such cases, the
whole field was against me. Afterthis race, Mr. Doble
became satisfied of the advantage of this sulky over
the high wheel and commenced to use it in his races,
and it was not long before they were in quite general
use throughout the Grand Circuit and elsewhere.

$0

"“eArio'% “( LYACOY

N a slow-pacing race at Philadelphia, in the early

| part of that season in which I started Glendennis,
appeared anew horseto me. He wasa bay gelding
about fifteen hands high, of very smooth conformation
except his knees, and they were so bowed as to give
him the appearance of being badly knee-sprung, and a
stranger would not think it possible for those legs to
stand the strain of a hard contested race. This horse
was Robert J., that afterward became one of the most
sensational and greatest turf performers ever known.
He was then four years old and this was his first racing
season. He was distanced in the race at Philadelphia,
but won a race in New York a fewdays later and soon
after that at Albany. Although he did not then have
a fast record and had not shown phenomenal speed, yet
there was something about the horse and his easy way
of going that caused me to like him; and at my sug-
gestion, while we were at Albany, Mr. Hamlin pur-
chased him and also purchased his dam. As soon as I
commenced to work him I became satisfied that we had
a great horse if those bow legs would only stand the
hardships of fast racing, about which I had serious
doubts, and many times after I had given him a stiff
workout I would sit and watch those crooked legs to
see if I could discover any trembling or signs of weak-
ness in them; but I never saw any indication that
they were not as strong as those of any horse in my
stable ; and in all the great races in which I afterwards
drove him he never weakened, and would stand the
strain of a long race as well as any horse I ever drove.
He was a very pure-gaited horse and I generally shod

81

him with a five-ounce shoe, both in front and behind,
and in his races he required no boots except to pro-
tect his quarters and coronets. We got him early in
the season of 1892, and I worked him some before the
meetings commenced in the Grand Circuit, and con-
cluded he was good enough to start in the great races —
which are there given. I first started him at Detroit
in a slow class, which he won in straight heats; and
the next week I started him in the free-for-all pace at
Cleveland, which he won without trouble; and in the
different important races in which I started him that
season he won them all except at Buffalo and Lexing-
ton, where he finished second in each race. In 1893, I
started him at all the important meetings and do not
remember of his losing a single race. I started him,
in 1894, against the fastest pacers then upon the turf,
including John R. Gentry and Joe Patchen, and de-
feated them in many contests. John R. Gentry never
defeated him, and Joe Patchen never defeated him but
three times in all their numerous contests. I won so
many good races with him that it is difficult to say in
which race or races he most distinguished himself ; but
I think his best race was the special at Indianapolis,
against Joe Patchen. Robert J. was then six years old
and at his very best. The track was good and the day
favorable for fast time. The friends of the respective
horses were many, and all the elements conspired to
make it a most exciting and interesting contest, and
such it proved to be. Robert J. won the race, in three
straight heats, in the phenomenal time of 2.0334, 2.02%,
and 2.0434, and his time in the second heat of that
race was the world’s greatest race record. I gave him
a record that season of 2.01%, which was the world’s
harness record. After the racing season of 1894 was
82

over I concluded to ship my racing stable to California,
and try the experiment of wintering in that far-away
southern climate. Robert J. was one of those I took
along. The owner and driver of Joe Patchen were not
satisfied with the results of the different meetings
between Robert J. and that horse, and when they
found I was to take Robert J. to California they
shipped Joe Patchen there to continue the turf con-
tests. We first met in California at Los Angeles,
where Robert J. again defeated the fast son of Patchen
Wilkes. In February, 1895, a special race was arranged
for these two horses at Fresno, California. The date
set for this race happened to be in the rainy season
which every winter visits the just and the unjust of
that State. When the day of the race came it simply
poured, and the mud on the track and everywhere else
was ankle deep, so the race was postponed from day
to day, and the rain continued to come down in such
torrents as to dampen our spirits as wellas the track.
Of course, we were familiar with the usual appliances
used in drying tracks, but they were of no use in face
of such a deluge as we were then experiencing.
Among the horsemen who were there were Monroe
Salisbury, Andy McDowell, Tom Raymond, Jack
Curry (driver of Joe Patchen), and myself. As we
were confronted with an unusual condition, unusual
methods must be employed to accomplish our purpose,
so we arranged for the use of 2,300 sheep owned near
there, and every day the gentlemen mentioned, includ-
ing myself, would gather these sheep together and
drive them several times over the track, and by night
the track would be in fairly good condition, but it
would rain again in the night, and the next day the
mud would be as deep as ever; then the sheep would
83

be brought out again and raced over the track. We
continued this process for so long a period that I
became thoroughly tired of training and racing sheep.
The condition of affairs gave me no peace in the day
time and at night I would dream of bleating sheep,
and at breakfast imagined I could taste wool in the
doughnuts, and I scarcely dared venture on the streets
for fear of meeting an old ram with a wicked look on
his sober countenance, as though he was looking for some
one upon whom to wreak his vengeance for disturbing
his peaceful flock. Finally, one evening, we agreed to
have the race the next day, however muddy the track
might be; and when the race was called the track re-
sembled a mortar bed more than a race track, and
every time a horse would pull one of his feet from
the mud it would sound like the good-night parting
of a young man and his best girl. The mud flying in
all directions subjected both drivers and horses to a
genuine mud bath, and made Robert J. nervous, and
he broke in the last two heats, and Joe Patchen won
the race.

After the race was over I returned to the stall of
Robert J. and endeavored to separate myself from a
portion of the real estate of Fresno, which covered me
so completely that I resembled a clay model of an
artist. John Easely, the colored groom who cared for
Robert J., fairly worshiped the little horse, and took
his defeat very much to heart. He said to me as I
entered the stall: ‘“‘ Look dar, boss, no wonder dis hoss
couldn’t win dat race,’ and looking up over the door
of the stall where John’s finger pointed, I saw the
ominous figure 13, and John continued: “ Dat is the
hoodoo what caused us to lose, and no hoss can eber
win a race hitched in dis stall; and old Joe Patchen

34

never could beat Robert no how, if dis little hoss has
a fair show,” and, thinking of the combined misfor-
tunes of the mud and hoodoo, John refused to be
comforted. I won the free-for-all trot the same day
with Nightingale, which in part compensated for the
defeat of Robert. I drove him in many races after
this, and he won nearly all of those in which he started.
He combined the elements of extreme speed, game-
ness, endurance, and gentleness in a degree second to
no horse I ever saw.

The records show Robert J. has paced in races, one
heat in 2.02%, one in 2.0234, two in 2.03%, one in
2.0334, one in 2.04, two in 2.04%, two in 2.0434, two
in 2.05, three in 2.05%, three in 2.05%, four in 2.053,
four in 2.06, one in 2.06%, four in 2.06%, three in
2.0734, five in 2.08, one in 2.08%, three in 2.08%,
two in 2.0834, one in 2.09, one in 2.09%, one in
2.09%, three in 2.0934, and one in 2.10. Against time
he has paced one mile in 2.01%, one in 2.02, one in
2.0234, one in 2.03, one in 2.0334, two in 2.04, one
in 2.04%, one in 2.0434, one in 2.06, one in 2.063%,
three in 2.07, and one in 2.10. The sum of the above
is 67 heats in 2.10 or better, eleven of which were
paced in 2.04 or better; which were, at the time he
retired from the turf, five times more than had been
paced within the 2.04 circle by all the other pacers
that ever wore harness,

CHA Pi Ek oe

SOME VILLAGE FARM RECORD BREAKERS — FANTASY —
BRIGHT REGENT — THE MONK — HEIR - AT- LAW —
AMERICAN BELLE— MILAN CHIMES— LADY OF THE
MANOR —LORD DERBY—DARE DEVIL—THE AB-
BOLL.

ANTASY, the great daughter of Chimes and
Homora, by Almonarch, foaled March 7, 1890,
was one of the first of the get of that sire that

was trained by me. She was broken and worked some
as a two-year-old and could trot fast from the begin-
ning of her development. She made her debut as a
three-year-old at a time when others of her age of
superior quality were numerous in different parts of
the country. Her first start was at Pittsburg, in July,
1893, in the 2.27 class for three-year-olds. She won
the last three heats of this five-heat race and tooka |
record of 2.1834. Among the fast and sensational
three-year-olds out that year, were William Penn,
Silicon, Margrave, Wistful, Elfrida, and The Con-
queror. At Buffalo, on August 8th,’ she started
against Margrave, William Penn, and Silicon, and won,
in straight heats, in 2.1534, 2.15%4,and2.15. At Evans-
ville, Indiana, the same year, she defeated The Con-
queror, Elfrida, and Wistful, in straight heats, in a
three-heat race, in 2.1834 and 2.2134. At Nashville,
October 7th, she defeated a field of ten three-year-
olds, in straight heats, in a three-heat race, in 2.16%
and 2.0834. Her record in the second heat of this race
86

FANTASY, 2.06.

ep

te

J
i

fai

is the world’s race record for three-year-olds. She also
won in straight heats at Detroit, Rochester and
Chicago, making a record for her first season’s cam-
paign of winning every race in which she started and
all, with one exception, in straight heats. She
made several successful starts in 1894, and took a
record at Terre Haute in September of that year of
2.06, which is the world’s record for mares of that age.
I took her with some of the other horses I had in
training to California in the fall of 1894, where she
wintered. Her first race in 1895 was the free-for-all
at Minneapolis, July 3d, where she met and defeated
Directum, David B., and Kentucky Union, three race
horses of the highest quality. This was a great race
and was desperately contested from start to finish.
Directum, by reason of his almost unbeaten record,
was looked upon by the public as the probable
winner; while the reputation of David B. and Ken-
tucky Union was scarcely second to anything then in
training. Fantasy, while a nervous, high-strung mare,
was level headed, and up to the time of this race had
never made a break in all the races I had driven
her; but on the Minneapolis track was a roadway
across the track, used by carriages in crossing to and
from the inside enclosure of the track, and when she
came to that crossing, in the second, fourth and fifth
heats, she jumped and left her feet, and these were the
only times during her life that she ever broke in a race.
Fantasy won the first heat in 2.09, Directum the
second in 2.12%, Fantasy the third in 2.09, Directum
the fourth in 2.13%, and Fantasy the fifth in 2.11%.
From Minneapolis I went to LaCrosse, Wisconsin,
where I started her in the free-for-all against the great
race horses Azote and Phoebe Wilkes, and here it was

87

that the first defeat of her life was recorded. Azote
won the race in straight heats in 2.07%, 2.124% and
2.09, Fantasy finishing second in each heat. She was
a great mare in 1896. In the free-for-all at Columbus
she defeated Beuzetta, Onoqua, and Lord Clinton, in
straight heats, in 2.061%, 2.08, and 2.09%. In the
free-for-all at New York she vanquished a great field,
consisting of William Penn, Kentucky Union, Onoqua,
and Beuzetta, in straight heats, in 2.09%, 2.08, and
2.10. At Medford, Massachusetts, she made short
work of William Penn, Onoqua, and Kentucky Union,
by winning, in straight heats, in 2.11, 2.10, and 2.1034.
Perhaps the greatest race of her life was at Readville,
August 27th of that year, where in the free-for-all she
met her great rivals Kentucky Union, Onoqua, Beu-
zetta, and William Penn. This was at that time the
fastest four-heat race on record. Fantasy won the
first and second heats in 2.09 and 2.08% ; Kentucky
Union won the third in 2.0734 ; and Fantasy ended the
agony by winning the fourth in 2.08. This was her
last racing season, as while being jogged on the road
at Selma, Ala., in the spring of 1897, she met with an
accident of so serious a nature that she could never be
trained again; and thus passed from the race track one
of the greatest performers known in all its annals.
Fantasy is a very rangy, racy-looking mare, about six-
teen hands high, and in ordinary flesh will weigh
about 1,150 pounds.

NE of the best and fastest natural-gaited pacers
() I ever campaigned was the chestnut gelding
Bright Regent. When I commenced with him

as a three-year-old he was a cripple, but I nursed his
ailing legs that fall and winter, and the next season(1895)
thought him strong enough to race. I started him first
at Minneapolis in the 2.23 class, which he won in straight
heats and took a record of 2.184%. I also started him
at La Crosse, Saginaw, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo,
Rochester, New York, Louisville and Terre Haute,
and won every race in which he started, and all in
straight heats, except at Saginaw and Detroit; and at
Louisville he took a race record of 2.08%, which I
considered was doing pretty well for a green four-year-
old in a partially crippled condition. His legs bothered
him more or less all the time, and it required constant
care and attention to keep him strong enough to stand
the strain. His legs were not very strong in 1896, and
I feared he would be unable to make much of a cam-
paign that year, and only started him twice during that
season. The first was at Detroit, in July, in the 2.09
class, in which he won the first two heats in 2.08%
and 2.09%; but his legs weakened and he lost the
race. I then gave him a long rest, and did not start
him again until the Lexington meeting in the fall,
where he won the 2.09 class, in straight heats, in
2.0634, 2.0634, and 2.0714; and this, I think, was his
best race. In 1897, I started him in three races in
which he met defeat in each race, viz: Glens Falls,
Readville, and Portland; but at Portland he won the
third and fourth heats, and took a record in the third

39

heat of 2.061%, which is his record. After that race
his legs were so bad that I regretfully gave up training
and racing him.

go

‘NE of the bright stars of the Village Farm pro-
() duction is The Monk, a bay gelding, foaled in
1893, sired by Chimes, dam Goldfinch by Mam-

brino King. This horse is the same age and bred in the
same lines as The Abbott, and at the time he met with
the accident hereinafter mentioned was a faster horse
than the now world’s champion. He was taken up when
three years old, while I was away, and his speed at-
tempted to be developed; but when I returned in
the fall he could not trot a three-minute gait, and
was as awkward and clumsy as any three-year-old I
ever saw. They had him shod with about sixteen-
ounce shoes in front, and he simply would not, or
could not, show any speed to speak of. I had those
heavy shoes taken off and shod him with eight-ounce
shoes in front and added a light toe weight, and
after he was thus shod he would shuffle and mix
his gaits for a little way, then strike a square trot
and go a few feet, then commence to shuffle again;
but every time I drove him he would trot more and
more, until finally he quit shuffling and would trot
square, and after I got his gait straightened out he
could trot fast. I first started him at Detroit in July,
1898, when he was four years old, in the 2.27 class,
which he won in straight heats, the best time being
2.1634. I also started him at Cleveland, Columbus,
Fort Wayne, Glens Falls, Readville, New York, Hart-
ford, Portland, Louisville, in the 2.20 and 2.30 classes,
and at Lexington in the Transylvania Stake and the
2.17 class. He was first in every race in which he
started, except at Fort Wayne, Readville, and in the

go!

Transylvania Stake, in which races he finished second
and won two heats in each of these races. He won
the first two heats in the Transylvania Stake in 2.09%
and 2.08%, but was defeated by Rilma the next
three heats. This was his first and last campaign,
as an accident to one of his forelegs has rendered it
impossible up to this time to train him again; but
with the long rest he has now had, I hope and be-
lieve he will again be able to stand the hardships
of campaigning; and if he does, he will, I think, be
one of the best horses in his class. From what I
have said it will be seen that he started in thirteen
races, in which he was first in eleven and second in
two. What he would have been, except for this ac-
cident, when fully matured, is largely a matter of
conjecture, but my belief is that he would have been
in the front ranks of the greatest of turf performers.

92

HE black stallion Heir-at-Law, sired by Mambrino
King, dam Estabella by Alcantara, and foaled

May 20, 1888, I first started in a race as a trotter

in 1894, and during that season he started at Chicago, In-
dianapolis, Rochester, Terre Haute, Fort Wayne, Lex-
ington, and Nashville. He took his first record at In-
dianapolis, where he won the second heat in 2.14%.
His best trotting race was at Nashville, in the 2.21 class,
which he won, in straight heats, in 2.134%, 2.14, and
2.12. This was the only season in which he ever trot-
ted, as my work with him that season convinced me
that he could pace much faster than he could trot,
and his subsequent record shows the correctness of
that conclusion. He was in the stud in 1895, and
not started at all. His early work in the season of
1896 gave evidence of a first-class pacing race horse
at no distant day. I first started him in a pacing
race at Peoria, Ill., July 1, 1896, in the 2.40 class, in
which he won two heats and took a record of 2.13.
I also started him that season at Saginaw, Detroit,
Cleveland, Buffalo, Fort Wayne, Providence, Med-
ford, Mass., Portland, and Lexington. His record
when the season was finished was six times first, three
times second, and unplaced once. In 1897 I started
him at Cleveland, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Glens
Falls, Providence, New York, Portland, Louisville,
and Lexington. At Lexington I gave him a race
record of 2.0534. This was his last racing season, as
when running in the paddock the next year he acci-
dentally broke one of his forelegs, and, of course, his
racing days were over. MHeir-at-Law is a very rugged,

93

strong horse, and was a very speedy, game and reli-
able race horse, and his records of 2.0534 pacing, and
2.12 trotting, are, I think, the world’s race records for
one horse at the two gaits.

94

ful three-year-old campaigner. I first started her

at Readville in the 2.30 class for three-year-olds,
and she finished third in a great field. A few days later
I started her at New York in the 2.40 class, where she
finished ahead of a large field, but was beaten for first
place by Cresceus, the present champion stallion. These
two races did her much good, and she kept improving
very rapidly. Her first winning race was at Hartford
in the 2.40 class for three-year-olds, which she won, in
straight heats, in 2.174%, 2.1434, and 2.19%. She also
won in straight heats at Portland, Louisville, Lexing-
ton, and in the fall meeting at Readville. At Port-
land she won the second, third and fourth heats in
2.1234, 2.14%, and 2.16. Cresceus winning the first
heat in 2.12. Thus in the only eight races I ever started
her she was first in six, second in one, and third in
one, and took a record of 2.12% in the third heat of
a race, a record that few three-year-olds have ever
equaled.

, ‘HE bay filly American Belle was a very success-

95

COLT that gave promise of becoming one of the
A best ever produced at Village Farm was Milan
Chimes. He was broken as a two-year-old, and in
the fall, when three years old, I took him with the pros-
pective campaigners for the next year (1898) to Selma,
Ala., and from the time I first commenced to work him
he was a pure-gaited and very fast trotter. I never tried
to drive him to his limit, and have no means of telling
what it was. His first and only race was at Hartford,
on July 5, 1898, in the 2.20 class. Hewon the second
heat in 2.1334 in a jog, and could have trotted that
heat several seconds faster. He was unsteady in the
third heat and lost it, but won the fourth in 2.16%.
He was leading in the fifth heat and when coming
down the home stretch, without any warning or known
cause, he fell and died almost instantly; and by his
death I think the turf was robbed of one of its bright-
est ornaments.

96

‘Yitoz ‘AONVIN SHL dO ACvV'T

ADY of the Manor, holder of the world’s pacing
record for mares, was foaled May 31, 1894, sired
by Mambrino King, dam Princess Chimes by

Chimes. She was worked some as a three-year-old, and
soon gave evidence of possessing great speed. I first
started her in the 2.24 class at the Detroit meeting, in
1898, where she won the first heat in 2.09%, but had to
be satisfied with third place in the race. Her first win-
ning race was at Cleveland, where she won the third,
fourth and fifth heats in 2.1534, 2.1034, and 2.11. She
also won at Hartford, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Glens
Falls, Fort Erie, Portland, Readville, and two races at
Lexington.

At Lexington she took a race record of 2.084%. She
also started at Louisville, but was unplaced. From
the above statement it will be seen that in her first
racing season as a four-year-old she was first in ten
races, third in one, and unplaced in one. Her record
of 2.0814 advanced her to a very fast class in 1899, but
she was first in three out of the six starts she made
that season, and they were all great races. Her first
winning race that season was at Glens Falls, where
she won the second, third, and fifth heats in 2.044,
2.114%, and 2.08%. She won at Hartford, in straight
heats, in 2.06%, 2.0534, and 2.084%. At Readville she
won the first and third heats, in a three-heat race, in
2.0534 and 2.07%. I never sawa horse that possessed
more speed than did this mare. She had shown mea
half mile in one minute, and I firmly believe that she
would have made a record of two minutes or better
had she remained on the turf a season or two longer ;

97

but in the fall of 1899, while being worked on the
track at Louisville, she met with so seriousan accident
that she could never be trained again; and when she
retired, another star of the first magnitude set before
it had reached its zenith.

98

‘loz “Adaaq auAoT

EXTER was undoubtedly the greatest trotting
1) horse the world ever saw up to the time of his
retirement. He was foaled in 1858, and was first
trained for racing as a five-year-old in 1863. In Novem-
ber, 1864, when he was six years old, and after he had
been trained, and raced the whole season, by Mr. Hiram
Woodruff, the greatest trainer and driver of his day, he
trotted atrial mile driven by Mr. Woodruff, and his time
was 2.234%, which was the fastest mile he had up to
that time ever trotted, and in speaking of this trial
Mr. Woodruff says: “Mr. Shepard F. Knapp and Mr.
Alley were present and they timed him. I knew all
the way round that Dexter was doing a great thing.
I had hardly ever then, if ever, except in the cases of
Flora Temple and the gray mare Peerless, that
belonged to Mr. Bonner, seen such a stroke kept up
from end to end. When I turned and came back I
lifted up my hand and said to the gentlemen, ‘ Oh, what
a horse!’ ‘What do you think you made,’ said they.
‘Not worse than 2.24,’ I answered. ‘It was just 2.234%,’
they said, and I was satisfied. This was speed enough
for a six-year-old horse in his first season of trotting.”
I mention this incident, not for the purpose of dis-
paraging the merits of Dexter but for the purpose of
calling attention to the mighty strides that have been
made since that time, both in breeding the harness race
horse and the appliances for his speed development.
Lord Derby was foaled May 26, 1895, sired by Mam-
brino King, dam Claribel by Almont, Jr. He is a dark
bay gelding with some white markings on his feet,
15% hands high, and will weigh about 1,000 pounds.
In conformation, Lord Derby resembles a thorough-

99
i. of ©.

bred more than any trotter I ever handled. He is
slim and rather delicate in appearance, but in the races
he has trotted he has exhibited as much stamina as any
race horse need have. I first commenced to work him
in the fall of 1899, when he was four years old, and he
did not then give promise of such extreme speed as
he has developed. That fall he could not trot a half
mile better than 1.10, but his gait was beautiful and in
the work I gave him he improved very fast. I started
him at different places in the Grand Circuit in 1900,
among them being at Lexington in the Translyvania
Stake, which I think he would have had a fair chance of
winning but for an accident which occurred in the first
quarter of the first heat; the field was quite large and
just in front of Lord Derby two sulkies collided and
threw the drivers out, and to avoid the mix-up I had to
bring him to a complete stop, and thereby came very
near being distanced, and to get inside the flag he was
compelled to trot the last three-quarters of the mile at
such a terrific gait that he was unable to do himself
justice in the next heats. I think he trotted the
middle half of that heat in 1.02. His best race was at
New York, which he won, in straight heats, in 2.07,
2.07,and 2.08. This horse is now in perfect condition
and what he may accomplish in the future I hardly
dare hazard an opinion. That he is a great horse
there can be no question. Whether he will be zhe
greatest time alone can disclose. But measured by
the records of one season’s racing, he is the greatest
trotting race horse I have ever driven; and if Hiram
Woodruff were now living and compared his race
record of 2.07 as a five-year-old with the trial mile of
Dexter in 2.231% as a six-year-old, is it not probable
that he would again exclaim, ‘Oh, what a horse!”
100

‘Yooz “IAIq FAVG

Bod

TAR(| -eay(l

R. C. J. HAMLIN says that when he was a
| \ young man he used to attend dancing parties,
and was very fond of dancing with a young
lady that was a good dancer, but he soon found that it
added much to his enjoyment to dance with one that
was beautiful to look upon as well as a good dancer;
and that when he commenced to breed trotters, having
in mind his experience in the gay whirl of his giddy
days, he determined, if possible, to combine beauty
with speed in the animals he should produce, and he
has consistently adhered to that theory during all the
long years he has been engaged in the business.

The black stallion Dare Devil is a product of this sys-
tem of breeding, and is one of the most beautify] horses
ever seen upon the race track or in the show ring.
He is a coal black, with three white ankles, a small
star, and snip foaled June 1, 1893, sired by Mam-
brino King, dam Mercedes by Chimes. His first race
was at Detroit, when he was four years old, in which
he won the last three of four heats in 2.15%, 2.16%,
and 2.15%. He also won at Cleveland, Columbus,
Fort Erie, Glens Falls, Portland and Louisville, and
met his only defeat that season at Lexington, after
winning the first heat in 2.0934. His showing that
season was so good that it was decided to keep him
in the stud in 1898, which proved a very unfortu-
nate experiment, as, somehow, in his stall he
wrenched one of his hips, and he has never been
strong enough since to stand proper training. [I
trained him the best I could in 1899, but he plainly
showed the effects of his injury. I started him in

IOI

four races that season, in which he was second in
two, and third in one, and finished the season at
New York, where he was so lame that he could
hardly trot at all, and finished eighth in the first
heat, when I drew him. I trained him again in
1900, and started him in two or three races, when
he became so lame I had to send him home, and it
is not probable that he will ever again listen to the
admonitions of a starter. Dare Devil possesses all
the gameness of the family of which he is a dis-
tinguished member, and at the time he took his record
of 2.09% could have trotted a mile in 2.06 or 2.07.

102

O ONE nowadays need think he has a sure
enough winner in the Grand Circuit, however
fast and promising his candidate may be, as

that great arena is like a mighty river fed by innumer-
able streams. It opens at Detroit late in July, and to
it come all the choice performers of the smaller race
tracks that have been campaigning the earlier part of
the season, as well as the great horses who have won
their laurels over its historic tracks in years gone by,
and have been specially prepared to continue their
triumphs amidst the scenes of their former conquests.

The world’s champion, The Abbott, was foaled July
20, 1893; sired by Chimes, dam Nettie King, record
2.204%, by Mambrino King ; second dam Netty Murphy
by Hamlin Patchen; third dam by a son of Kentucky
Whip —thoroughbred. He isa dark bay gelding, 15%
hands high, left hind foot white, and in ordinary flesh
will weigh about 1,050 pounds. He has an intelligent-
looking head, and his general conformation is smooth ;
while his legs are not unusually heavy, they are well
formed, and his feet are perfect. Taken as a whole,
he comes about as near being an ideal-looking race
horse of the modern school as is often seen. I first
commenced work with him in the fall of 1896, when
he was three years old. At that time he was rough-
gaited and inclined to amble and mix his gaits. I ex-
perimented with him for some time before he con-
vinced me that he possessed material sufficiently good
to be eligible to start in the Grand Circuit. I finally
shod him with eleven-ounce shoes in front and added
three-ounce toe weights, and put a square-toed shoe

103

on the left front foot and the right hind foot, and
made the shoe on the left hind foot full at the toe
and a trifle longer than the shoe on the other hind
foot, and, shod in this way, he would trot square
after the preliminary amble in which he would usu-
ally indulge when first started—a habit he has not
yet entirely forsaken. His first start was at Detroit,
July 13,1897, in the M. and M. stake, in which he won
the second heat in 2.11%, the fastest heat of the race,
and finished in fourth place. He started a week later
at the same meeting in the 2.20 class, and was unplaced.
But at Cleveland, the next week, he won the 2.18 class,
in straight heats, in 2.1234, 2.11%, and 2.144%. At
Fort Wayne he won the first two heats in 2.13% and
2.131%, was third in the third heat, and distanced in
the fourth. At the August meeting, at Readville, he
won, in straight heats, in 2.1434, 2.13, and 2.144%. He
also won at Hartford, in straight heats, in 2.15, 2.16%,
and 2.16%. At Louisville he won the first heat in
2.13, was second in the second and third heats, and
distanced in the fourth. At Lexington he won the
second, third, and fourth heats, in 2.13, 2.15%, and
2.1534. At the September meeting, at Readville, he
again won, in straight heats, in 2.15, 2.134%, and 2.134.
At Portland he won the first, second, and fourth heats,
in 2.18%, 2.13%, and 2.15%. Making for his first .
season the following record: Six times first, fourth
once, and unplaced three times. His first start in
1898 was at Hartford, July 4th, where he won a three-
heat race to wagon in 2.14 and 2.124%. His record in
the second heat being the world’s race record to wagon.
He next started at Detroit in the 2.10 class, which he
won, in straight heats, in 2.12%, 2.12, and 2.0834. In
the same class, at Cleveland, the next week, he met and

104

defeated Eagle Flannigan, Pilot Boy, Don Cupid, and
Rilma, in straight heats, in 2.0814, 2.094%, and 2.09%.
He won the second and third heats at Columbus in
2.0844 and 2.08%, and finished in second place in the
race. He won the first two heats at Glens Falls in
2.124% and 2.11%, and finished in second place. At
Hartford he won the first, fourth, and fifth heats, in
2.11%, 2.10%, and 2.093. He wonat Fort Erie, in
straight heats, in 2.12%, 2.14%, and 2.13. At Port-
land he finished in third place. At the fall meeting,
at Readville, he won, in straight heats, in 2.08%,
2.091%, and 2.0834. He closed the season at Lexing-
ton, where he won, in straight heats, in 2.1534, 2.08,
and 2.08%. His record for the second racing season
being seven times first, twice second, and third once, and
retiring in his five-year-old form with a race record of
2.08. He improved all during the season. I raced him
that season shod with ten-and-a-half-ounce shoes in
front and five-ounce shoes behind, and since then he
has worn nine-ounce shoes in front. He developed
speed so rapidly and showed all the elements of a first-
class race horse so plainly that before this season was
through I was convinced he would be invincible in the
free-for-all class whenever I should deem it advisable
to introduce him to that select company. He started
the campaign of 1899 at Detroit, July 2oth, in the
2.08 class, where he won the first, third, and fourth
heats, in 2.07%, 2.09, and 2.1034. Inthe same class,
at Cleveland, the next week, he met and defeated
Eagle Flannigan, Kentucky Union, Mattie Patterson,
and John Nolan, in straight heats, in 2.0834, 2.08%,
and 2.0834. He won in the same class at Columbus, in
straight heats, in 2.0934, 2.074%, and 2.07%. His first
start in the free-for-all class was at Fort Erie, August
Tope

7, 1899, which he won, in straight heats, in 2.08, 2.09%,
and 2.10%. In the free-for-all at Glen’s Falls he de-
feated Bingen, Monterey, Kentucky Union, Directum
Kelly, and John Nolan, winning the first, third, and
fourth heats in 2.09, 2.0934, and 2.0834. He won in
the same class at Hartford, in straight heats, in 2.08Y,
2.0834, and 2.0734. He repeated this performance at
Providence by winning two straight heats in_a free-for-
all three-heat race in 2.081% and 2.0634. At New York
he started against John Nolan, in a free-for-all three-
heat race, and won in straight heats, in 2.0934 and
2.06%. He started at Providence in the free-for-all,
and had Bingen as his only competitor, whom he de-
feated, in straight heats, in 2.0934, 2.09%, and 2.06%.
He closed the season’s campaign at Lexington, where
he defeated Bingen and Cresceus, winning the third,
fourth, and fifth heats in 2.071%, 2.084%, and 2.104% —
Bingen winning the first two heats in 2.07% and 2.09.
His record for the season being ten races won and not
meeting a single defeat. No other horse, living or
dead, ever made such a record as this. In a total of
thirty races, embracing all the races in which he has
ever started, he was first in twenty-three, second in
two, third in one, fourth in one, and unplaced in three.
In the thirty races in which he started he won seventy-
six heats, all below 2.20; sixty-nine of these heats
were better than 2.15, and thirty-eight were better
than 2.10. In 1900 there was no free-for-all class in
the Grand Circuit, and believing he had the ability to
trot a faster mile than any horse had ever yet done, I
took him along with my racing stable and gave exhi-
bitions at many of the large meetings. I first started
him at Detroit, and he trotted a mile in 2.07. Read-
ville next engaged his attention and he there trotted a

106

mile in 2.0534. The next trial was at Providence and
here the time was 2.0434. When Hartford was reached
the race record to wagon was 2.124, which he made
on this track in 1898, and the trial record to wagon
was 2.09%, held by Lucille. I therefore determined to
try and crown him as king in front of this vehicle, and
he easily demolished all previous records by drawing a
wagon a full mile in the phenomenal time of 2.05%. I
next started him against the Sickle Bearer,at New York,
where he trotted to a record of 2.04; and when Terre
Haute was reached, in the fall, all the conditions were
favorable for a fast mile, and I there drove him a mile
in 2.03%, and thereby dethroned Alix as Queen of the
trotting world. The fractional parts of this record-
breaking mile were made as follows, viz: First quarter
in 3134 seconds, 2d quarter in 301% seconds, 3d quar-
ter in 29% seconds, 4th quarter in 31% seconds, and
the mile in 2.034%. It will be observed that the middle
half of this mile was trotted in exactly one minute,
which is much faster than any of his predecessors ever
trotted this particular part of the mile, and that while
several other champions have surpassed his time in the
first quarter, no one has ever approached the speed he
showed in the third quarter. It will also be observed
that in the five starts he made against time in harness,
he improved at every trial, from 2.07 at Detroit to 2.03%
at Terre Haute. The gait of The Abbott, when at full
speed, approaches perfection as nearly as we are likely
to see in any horse forsome time; there is just enough,
but not too much, knee or hock action; his stride is
even, fast and frictionless, with no false motions or
waste of power. He has constantly improved in every
race and every trial since the commencement of his
career, and as he is now only eight years old, perfectly

107

sound, and without a blemish of any kind, I can see
no reason why, if he does not go wrong in some way,
he should not still further reduce his record. That a
horse will trot a mile in harness in two minutes in the
near future does not in my judgment admit of a doubt.
Whether any of the horses I have mentioned will be
the first to accomplish this much-desired result time
will soon demonstrate.

108

j CMAP PE Re or

BREAKING COLTS.

ef S THE twig is bent the tree will grow” is a
maxim that has come down to us through
the ages, and has direct application to the

breaking and educating of a colt. The viciousness

and worthlessness of many otherwise valuable horses
can be traced directly to the want of knowledge,
care and patience on the part of the trainer, in giving
the young animal his first few lessons in harness.

While in my early career I had quite a large experi-

ence in breaking colts, since being at Village Farm

I have had nothing whatever to do with that

important branch of the business, as that is done

entirely by Mr. H. B. Freeman, a man of large

experience, and the most successful colt breaker I

ever saw. Out of the great number he has broken at ©

Village Farm he has never injured one, and when he

turns them over to be handled they are thoroughly

broken and ready for use. I thoroughly approve his
methods, and if those desiring colts well broken will
follow his instructions, their desires will be gratified.

In the first place, I think it best to take plenty of
time to bit a colt and have him thoroughly broken
before trying to give him speed. I usually ground
break him a week or ten days, that is, let him get
thoroughly use to the harness, and drive him a good
deal with it on and teach him to start and stop at the
word. Also to turn to the right or left, with ease ;

109

and, above all, never exhaust him or get his mouth
sore. During this time it is well to pull a cart
or sulky, or something light, with shafts up to him
as if you intended to hook him up. He will soon
find that the rig is not going to hurt him and will
not be afraid; and when hooked up, he wants to
be driven slowly and only a short distance, never
far enough to fret and tire him. You will find in
a short time he will take his work cheerfully.
After two or three weeks of this kind of work, drive
him out on the road about a mile, then turn; if the
road is good, let him move a hundred or two yards
well within himself. After getting back to the track,
jog him around once, let him step the last 200 yards
at about three-fourths speed. His improvement will
be astonishing after two weeks of this work. Of
course, his work can be increased as he gets in condi-
tion, but I do not think it advisable to continue his
fast work too long. Always let up on him before he
gets tired of his work; two or three weeks’ let up will
do him a great deal of good. Afterhe is taken up the
second time and jogged a week, he is ready to begin to
step along a little, as he has not been turned out long
enough for his muscles to relax; and after he has been
started up two or three times, you will find he will
have more speed than when turned out. I think six
weeks is long enough to keep him at work this time.
Turn out again from ten to thirty days. Be governed
by conditions and the constitution of the colt. My
experience has been that it is not advisable to jog a
colt too much, as he is apt to get off his gait and
does not improve so fast as he does with short, lively
work. You can generally tell from the actions of colts
barefooted about the weight shoes he will need. I
Ifo

like to shoe them as light as possible. You must
have weight enough to balance them. The average
colt will need about seven ounces in front and about
four ounces behind. Some want a little more and
some less. When they require more, I generally use a
light toe weight, two or three ounces, and just as few
boots as possible. It is safest to use a light quarter
boot on all of them, as the purest-gaited and best-
headed colts are liable to make a mistake and cut a
quarter.

Itt

CHAPTER oii

IMPORTANCE OF GOOD ASSISTANTS — TRAINING STABLE
SHOULD BE PROPERLY CONDUCTED — ADVANT-—
AGES OF SOUTHERN CLIMATE IN WINTERING
HORSES — SUGGESTIONS ABOUT FEEDING — HOW
TO CARE FOR TENDER FEET — USES OF THE
SPRING—IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THE TEETH
IN GOOD CONDITION.

S NO general, however much ability he might
EN possess, ever won a battle unless he had com-
petent men under him, so it is that no trainer,
however competent he may be, can properly condition
a stable of horses for racing unless he has competent
assistants. I have been very fortunate in the assist-
ance I have had, especially since coming to Village
Farm. Mr. Ben White, who has been my chief assist-
ant for several years, is a young gentleman of the
highest promise. He is intelligent, patient and care-
ful, and at all times a gentleman, and I predict for
him a most brilliant career in his chosen profession.
The groom is a very important factor in the success of
a racing stable, and any man that learns how to care for
his horses as he should, and does his work well, de-
serves just as much credit for the success of a race as
does the man that trains and drives the horse. An-
other important matter I desire to impress upon the
minds of beginners, and it might apply with equal
force to some of the more experienced, is that loud
talk, profanity, vulgarity and obscenity have no proper
I12

place in a training stable. I have never known a
horse to be benefited by any of these disgusting habits.
The training stable should be conducted with the same
degree of propriety that is observed in the transac-
tion of any other legitimate business, and should
at all times be a place where ladies, as_ well
as all others, can visit without their sensibili-
ties being shocked by hearing and seeing things to
which their ears and eyes are not accustomed.

A Southern climate has many advantages not pos-
sessed by a Northern one, in preparing horses for cam-
paigning. I have experimented in different latitudes for
the past twenty-five years and feel that this experience
qualifies me to speak with some degree of accuracy.
The climate of California in winter is all that could be
desired, as, except for the rain, there is scarcely a day
all winter in which horses cannot be worked; but
the great distance to ship back and forth from points
east of the Rocky Mountains renders a resort to that
delightful climate impracticable. Everything con-
sidered, I think the most satisfactory climate to winter
campaigning horses east of the Rocky Mountains is in
Alabama and Georgia, as it is warm enough there so
that horses may be worked during all the winter
months as well as they can in the North during the
spring and early summer. I have wintered at Selma,
Ala., several winters, and like it very much. There is
no use in starting to race horses unless they have
sufficient speed and endurance to warrant the conclu-
sion that they will have a fair show of winning in their
classes, and in order for them to be fit for racing they
must have a careful and painstaking preparation. You
cannot take a horse direct from the plow to the race
track and make a successful campaign with him, how-

113

ever much speed you may know him to possess, and
many horses unjustly get the reputation of being
“quitters ’’ simply because they have not been suffici-
ently prepared to stand the strain of racing. A
moment’s reflection will convince any one that a horse
cannot do as well when worked in the cold weather of
the North, where when he sweats it is almost impos-
sible to get him dry and properly care for him, as he
can in a warm climate, where he can be worked and
cared for the same in winter as in summer; and, from
my experience, I am satisfied that as much can be
accomplished in a climate like Selma in the three
months of winter in preparing a horse for the next
season’s campaign as can be accomplished in six
months in the North.

I prefer to winter the horses I expect to campaign
the following season so that I can have them good and
strong, with no surplus flesh in the spring. Winter is
the time to get their feet in good condition, especially
where they have contracted or uneven quarters.
A great many trainers use springs in the feet in the
summer season when the horses are getting strong
work, which I think is injurious, as the sole of the foot
has to be trimmed down too thin for the horse to
make fast work at that time. Some pull the shoes off
and let the horse go barefooted, to let Nature do the
work, which is all right, and will be beneficial if you
will give them time; but more can be accomplished
with the spring in six weeks then can be accomplished
in twelve months when the horse is running bare-
footed. If the foot is contracted and needs the spring,
stand the horse in hot water up to the coronet thirty
minutes; then take him to the shop and have the sole
of the foot well pared, also the wall of the foot taken

114

down, but that should be done in a manner that will
not make him tender. Put in the spring, and put
on an open shoe with nail holes punched near
the toe, as the nails will not give the spring a chance
to work if too near the heel. Put the shoe on full at
the quarters, and it will be only a few days before the
foot will be wider than the shoe; then the shoe
should be taken off and the springs and shoe widened
a little and the shoe put on again as before. Keep
this up until the foot is as wide as desired. Do not
stiffen the springs any more after this, but keep them
in about six weeks, just stiff enough to hold the foot
at its then width, and get the shoe set. Be careful
and not get the heels too wide, as that would be as
injurious as when they are contracted. A great many
horses’ feet turn in on the inside quarter and are
straight and all right on the outside quarter. When
this is the case, punch the shoe with four nail holes on
the outside, and two on the inside near the toe. All
the nails being driven on the outside and only two
near the toe on the inside, will cause the spring to put
all the pressure against the inside quarter. When
shod in this manner it will only bea short time until the
inside quarter will be as straight asthe outside. After
the horse is shod put him in hot water again for thirty
minutes, and pack his feet with oil meal or clay every
night for a week or ten days; after that time two or
three times a week will do. Some horses have high
quarters on the inside of the front feet, that is, the
inside quarter seems to be forced up higher than the
outside quarter, and when this is the case the horse is
apt to get sore in his feet. In order to remedy this,
drop the quarter down, have a stiff bar shoe made
weighing not less than ten ounces, level the foot, then,

115

after the shoe is fitted, commence at the inside
quarter, take it down about a quarter of an inch lower
at the heel than any other part of the foot; then with
a rasp file from the lowest point in this quarter to
about half way to the toe, running out to a feather
edge at this point; then put on the shoe, which will
be solid on the outside quarter, and the bar resting on
the frog; this will leave a space on the inside quarter
of about three inches that does not touch the shoe.
In ten days or two weeks you will find this quarter
will come down and rest on the shoe the same as the
balance of the foot; then reset the shoe and trim or
rasp the quarter as before, and continue to do this
about six weeks or longer if necessary, and you will
find the foot will be very much improved.

I do not think a horse should be fed too much grain
through the winter. It depends a great deal upon the
condition of the horse at the commencement of winter
in regard to the amount of grain he should eat. I find
from seven to nine quarts a day is enough for most
any horse when he is not getting hard work. A horse
wants all the good, clean hay he will eat in the morn-
ing, and I generally feed him two quarts of grain at
that time; at noon I like good, clean sheaf oats, cut
them up and put in about a quart anda half of bran
to a large pailful of oats; put in the least bit of salt,
add just enough water to dampen the bran; give him
this, with three or four carrots. With some horses I
add an ear or two of corn with this feed. At night I
like to cook the oats; to do this, put enough oats in
a large kettle with water sufficient to cook well, which
will take about two hours; keep adding water, and do
not let the oats get too dry while cooking; after the
oats are well cooked add about a fourth as much bran

116

as there are oats, that is, each horse wants to eat
three quarts of oats and one quart of bran at night;
feed while it is warm; you may also give an ear or
two of corn with this feed, if the horse hasn’t had
enough. As spring advances and you begin to give
the horse more work, you can dispense with the cooked
food and give him dry oats, especially after grass be-
gins to come; then I like to graze two or three times
a week on days after giving the horse fast work; the
grain will have to be increased as the work is increased.
In the spring I generally feed from ten to twelve
quarts a day, and some horses will need a little more ;
but I think most horses do better on twelve quarts a
day or less, than more. Very few horses will digest
more than twelve quarts of oats a day. If a horse
does not digest his grain, fifteen quarts would not be
as good for him asten. When horses commence to
jog in the winter the teeth should be looked after and
the rough edges taken off, so that the mouth will not
get sore. When the teeth are neglected they get to
driving on one rein and fussing with the bit, which is
very injurious to the horse’s temper, as he is liable to
form the habit and keep it up through the spring and
summer; and to be successful the race horse must have
a good mouth.

117

CHAP T BR (OC Taine

ADVICE TO THE INEXPERIENCED — JOGGING — FEEDING
AND PREPARING HORSE FOR RACES—BITS AND
CHECKS -—-CARING FOR HORSE DURING RACE —USE
OF REMEDIES FOR DIFFERENT AILMENTS—IMPOR-
TANCE OF KEEPING STALLS CLEANSED.

HIS chapter is intended for the benefit of the
a inexperienced. A man to bea successful trainer ©
and driver must be a diligent student during

his whole business life, and should never allow himself
to think that he has arrived at that state of perfection
where there is nothing more for himtolearn. Success
will not always crown his efforts, however careful and
industrious he may be. Any one that has had a large
experience in the prosecution of an enterprise will
have some good ideas about the business even though
he may not himself have met with success, and the
beginner can get advice from such a man that will be
of great benefit to him if it is understood and properly
applied. It is practically impossible to formulate
any inflexible rule as to the amount of work a
horse should have in the spring to properly condi-
tion him for a season’s racing,as so much depends
upon the strength and condition of the horse, that
what would be proper in one case would be entirely
inadequate or excessive in another, and the trainer
must necessarily exercise his best judgment and dis-
cretion in determining the amount of workto be given
a horse that has been placed in his hands to condition.
The following are general rules applicable to most

118

horses, but must be varied as circumstances require.
I think it is a mistake to jog horses too far. From
three to five miles a day is ordinarily sufficient for
most horses, except that on one day in each week it is
best to jog seven or eight miles, so the horse will get
a little leg weary. Some days three miles and some
four and five miles; but I do not believe in slow
jogging for more thanone mile. After going the first
mile it is best to let them jog along good and strong,
as I am satisfied that from three to five miles stiff
jogging will doa horse more good than twenty miles, at
a slow, pokey gait. I also think a great many horses
are jogged so far, and slow, that it takes away their
speed, besides it gets monotonous to the horse, and he
does not take his work as cheerfully as a horse that is
jogged short and lively. Experience teaches us that
for a man to do his work well and keep himself in
proper condition to perform the work, it is necessary
that the element of cheerfulness be present during
its performance. Monotony is not only injurious to
the mental faculties, but, if long continued, will under-
mine the health and strength. This same principle
applies to the care and work of horses. Drive a
horse over the same road day after day, week in
and week out, and you will observe that he seems to
lose all interest in his work; and instead of showing,
by his actions, that he considers it a pleasure to do the
master’s bidding, his only thought seems to be about
getting back to the stable where there is rest and
something to eat. But take him out on a new drive
where the scenery is fresh to him, and, behold, what
a change! He is looking at every object, listening to
the unfamiliar sounds, and keeps constantly begging
for more rein, that he may show by his speed the

119

pleasure he is experiencing as he gaily steps along the
new pathway. A horse that is jogged fifteen and twenty
miles a day slow will stop quicker than a horse that
is only jogged four and five miles a day good and
strong. This I know from experience, as I have tried
the same horses both ways. When possible, I think
it advisable to give horses some fast work up to the
first of January, especially green horses that have never
been started. I find when they have been given strong
work up to that time that they are much easier to put
in condition in the spring, as their muscles do not
relax as much and they stand the work much better.
This is one reason I think it better to winter them in a
warm climate. Another is that you have more time
in the spring of the year to get them ready, and do
not have to hurry their preparation as you do when
they are wintered in the North. Any horse that gets
a long, slow preparation will stand the season’s cam-
paign better than one that does not get it. The trot-
ting-horse business is like a chain of many links. If
one or more links are neglected and get rusty, the chain
does not work well. So it is just as important to look
after each and every detail as it is to drive the horse
and hold the watch. It is very essential to have the
harness fit easy and comfortable, particularly the
bridle. If the bridle does not fit just right the horse
will not drive right. The martingales should not be
too short. Most horses drive best in easy bits. I like
a large snaffle bit for most horses. The leather bits
are good for some and pneumatic are good for others.
I think the Gillan bit is about the best and most
humane I ever used on a hotse. There areyseme
horses that need a bar bit, and I find it is well to
change the bit on some horses every few days.

120

Some horses drive best with side checks and some with
overdraw; but I find most horses work best with the
overdraw. My expérience has been that more horses
work good in the Hulten overdraw-check than in any
other. This check does not suit all horses. Some
like the plain over-check, with secret bit and chin
strap. Others like the plain over-check, with chin
strap without secret bit. When a horse does not
drive to suit you, it is necessary to change bits and
checks until you find what suits him best. After the
horse has been jogged through the winter, as spring
advances, and the roads get good, it is time to let him
move along at half speed for two or three hundred
yards. Do this a couple of times during the three or
four miles on the road two or three times a week, and
increase the work from week to week. After getting
on the track do not speed them for two or three drives,
then only at half speed for a couple of quarters in the
mile; it is best after jogging three miles the wrong
way of the track to turn around and jog stiff to the
quarter pole, step them at half speed the second quar-
ter, jog stiff the third quarter, then step them at half
speed the last quarter. Do this about three times a
week for two weeks, the third week work them about
the same, except step them the last quarter at about
three-quarter speed. After this they are ready to go
an easy mile the last half about half speed. Finish
the last 200 yards good and strong. After a week’s
work of this kind they are ready to go easy repeats.
The first and second weeks you begin to repeat only
give them two heats each day you repeat them; for
instance, if you are working a horse that can trot a
mile in 2.20, give him a mile on Monday in 2.40;
Tuesday, jog him; Wednesday, give him a mile in

I21

2.45; Thursday, give him a mile in 2.40 and one in
2.35 or 2.36; Friday, jog him; Saturday, blow him
out just a little through the stretch, and rest him on
Sunday. The following week work about the same,
except a second or two stronger. After this give him
a mile Monday in 2.40 and repeat him in 2.35, always
stepping the last quarter a little the strongest. Jog
Tuesday ; Wednesday, give him a mile in 2.40; Thurs-
day, give him a mile in 2.40, one in 2.35 and one in
2.30; jog on the road Friday; Saturday, jog good
and strong on the road; rest again on Sunday. Con-
tinue working this way, the number of days and heats,
about four weeks, except increasing the speed one or
two seconds every week on the days you work out
three heats. These directions are for horses that can
trot or pace in 2.20 or better, sound and all right.
There may bea great many things happen that will
change the program, such as rainy days, cracked heels,
etc. It is necessary, after you have commenced to
repeat to score them once or twice between each heat
at half speed. Continue work in this way until about
three weeks before they start in races; then on Mon-
day you can give them one heat in 2.40, one in 2.30,
and one in 2.25; jog, Tuesday; Wednesday, give them
a mile from 2.25 to2.30; Thursday, go the first mile in
2.40, the second in 2.30; the next two miles go within
three or four seconds of their speed. The days you give
them four miles, increase the speed the last two miles
a couple of seconds; also score three or four times
between each heat during the last three weeks before
starting in races. Some horses do well to blow them
out, that is, work them out, three slow miles two
days before they race, one mile in 2.40, one in 2.30,
and one in 2.20 to 2.25; but I find most horses do
122

better to blow them out an easy mile the day before
the race. I think it is very injurious to most horses
not to give them any fast work in four or five days,
then take them out and give them three or four fast
heats, especially horses that are good feeders. After
the horse is in condition, he doesn’t need very much
work between his races, three days before his race
three slow heats are sufficient. The day before the
race go a mile in 2.40.

In the early part of a horse’s work I do not think it
advisable to bandage much nor use leg or body wash.
I do not think it best to rub the horse too much; it makes
him sore and irritable, and causes him to lose flesh.
When the horse comes in from his work throw a light
blanket over him and take a damp sponge and sponge
his legs and rub them with a cloth a little, then scrape
the sweat out of his hair. Straighten his hair with cloths,
and throw the blanket over him again; you will be gov-
erned by the weather as to the weight of the blanket.
Walk him fifteen or twenty minutes, then take him
in, rub him again very lightly with the cloths five or
ten minutes, blanket him again and walk him twenty-
five or thirty minutes, then he is ready to do up, if
the work has not been very strong; but if it has, it will
be necessary to spend more time on him. After he
has been rubbed out and cleaned thoroughly, wash
his feet and sponge his legs. Dry them thoroughly
with the cloths, give him a little water at different
times, as he is being cooled out; after he is finished,
give him allthe water and hay he wants. The day he is
worked out lightly, he should have a cold mash for his
dinner; three quarts and a half of oats and a quart of
bran, with just enough water to dampen the bran.
The day he gets repeats or strong work he should

123

have a hot mash at night. As you begin to give
him strong fast work it will be advisable to use band-
ages, leg and body wash. A wash I like the best for.
this purpose is two parts of witch hazel, one part of
alcohol, and one part of soft water. This should be
used warm when the horse comes in from his work.
Spray it on the body and muscles, then rub well with
the hands, lay the cooler or light blanket over him —
while the wash and bandages are being put on his
legs, and cool him out as before stated. If the horse
has had fast hard work or a race, after he is cooled out
and ready to put away, use a little of the wash on his
legs and put on the bandage for a couple of hours. It
is best to put on the bandage very light. I think the
wash should be used sparingly on the horse’s body.
Most grooms will use twice as much as is necessary.
If a horse has a bad leg it will be necessary to use a
wash that is more of an astringent at night, such a
one as is hereinafter described for lameness. In dry
weather, both winter and summer, the horse’s feet
should be packed with oil meal, or clay, three or four
times a week.

If the leg is very bad and the horse is lame, it is
necessary to go easy with him a week or ten days, and
use “Great Discovery’’ according to directions.
After using this a few days use the wash I have here-
inafter mentioned for lameness, etc. I have derived
great benefit from using a wash made of sugar of lead,
six ounces; chloride of ammonia, six ounces; tincture
chloride of iron, four ounces; acetic acid, one pint; salt,
eight ounces; dissolve all separately and add one gallon
of soft water. The proper way to use this is to bathe
the leg well with it at night and put a sheet of cotton
batting around the leg, then put on the bandage and

124

leave it on all night. . Take it off early in the morning,
and rub the leg lightly with a soft towel. Leave every-
thing off until he has had his exercise or work, so the
leg can have air. I think Mr. Marvin has used this
tincture for several years.

It is hardly necessary to say anything about driving,
as that is one of the first things most trainers learn,
but I would make a few suggestions. The first is,
learn to drive with a light hand. Never pull on the
horse’s mouth more than you can possibly help. A
pulling horse is disagreeable to drive, and cannot trot
as fast when he pulls, as he is liable to cut off his wind
a little and possibly choke; and, above all, never drive
a horse with the arms extended straight, as you do
not have control of the horse, and cannot help him
when he is tired. A great many horses will pull a
little at times, especially in scoring with a field of
horses. Then it is necessary to take hold of him a
little, but ease away to him as soon as possible. With
some horses you can tell when to do this by the move-
ment of the ears and head. If you fail to do this at
the right time, and the horses are evenly matched, you
will certainly lose the heat. Another suggestion I
would make is: if you have a horse that cannot trot
better than 2.14 or 2.15 and you are ina race against
horses that can trot in 2.10 or 2.12 and happen to
get away well and trotting second to a horse you know
can go in 2.10, it is bad policy to try to drive your horse
faster than he can go in chasing the 2.10 horse. If
you do this, you will certainly get left, as there is no
chance for you to win, and you are apt to make a mis-
take and other horses may come on and beat you for
a place. A great many horses lose races they could
win if the driver had patience to sit still a little longer.

125

To keep horses in good health you must at all times
have plenty of fresh air without a draught on them.
The stall should be cleaned and disinfected. To do
this, sprinkle all around the stall inside and out with a
solution of carbolic acid. Also sprinkle slaked lime,
especially in damp places. Every time horses are
shipped, the car should be thoroughly cleaned, aired
and disinfectants used before putting the horses in it.
I find it very important to do this in every place horses
go. I also think it is advisable to burn tar and sul-
phur in the stable two or three time a week. I am
satisfied it will relieve you of a good deal of worry and
expense during the season. Horses get sick some-
times even though you do all you can to prevent it.
When a horse is taken sick, it is all important that he
have immediate treatment; but it sometimes happens
that when sickness is discovered there is no veterinary
surgeon to be had in time to do the horse any good,
and many horses are lost that might have been saved
if the veterinary had seen them intime. Appreciating
the importance of applying a remedy as soon as sickness
is discovered in a horse, and knowing the impossibility
sometimes of getting a veterinary just when you want
him, I have for a number of years kept with me a full
supply of Humphrey’s Homeopathic Remedies, and
have had good results from their use. Not only
are the results of this medicine very satisfactory but
it is so easily administered that any one can give it.
If a man will study the book and go strictly by direc-
tions he can accomplish much with it. It seems
hardly necessary to say that you should know and un-
derstand what the ailment is before you attempt to
cure it; for if you do not, neither these remedies nor
any others will do the horse any good.

126

For chafes and cracked heels I have found the follow-
ing treatment the best: take a little castile soap and
warm soft water and a soft sponge and cleanse thorough-
ly; then thoroughly dry the same, and if very bad put
on a little vaseline; then apply a powder made of the
following ingredients, viz: calomel, one ounce; borax,
one ounce; pulverized alum, one ounce; pulverized
camphor gum, one ounce; pulverized orris root, one
ounce; fuller’s earth, one ounce; gum of myrrh, one
ounce. If vaseline or other salves are properly used
they are beneficial; but the trouble is, most grooms
will use several times more than is necessary, and this
excessive use keeps the part to which it is applied so
soft that it does more harm than good, and, therefore,
I think it advisable to use the powder alone, except in
- extreme cases, which rarely occur. When it is found
necessary to use vaseline or other salves, as I have
indicated, it should be applied very sparingly. When
the heels are rough and more chapped than cracked,
glycerine is a good remedy. To properly apply this:
wash the afflicted part with castile soap and warm
water; dry thoroughly, and apply a small amount of
glycerine, and this will often be all the treatment the
horse will need; for thrush keep the foot dry and
clean, and use creoline or calomel.

It frequently happens that a campaign will develop
curbs and other forms of weakness in a horse’s legs,
hips and shoulders that willrequire treatment. I have
used a great many different kinds of liniment to cure
these ailments, but have had the best success with
iodine. To properly use this remedy the following
method should be observed: Clip the hair off the
afflicted part; bathe with warm water, to open the
pores; then dry thoroughly with cloths; put on iodine

127

liberally at the first application, and rub with a stiff
brush four or five minutes. Every day for a week,
after the first application, apply a small quantity of
iodine with a soft brush. In six or seven days, after
you are through with the iodine, rub on lard a few
times. In two or days after this, wash with castile
soap and warm water. In very bad cases a second
treatment may be necessary; but in ordinary cases I
have found one treatment sufficient. After this treat-
ment, if the ailment is in the legs, the afflicted part
should be treated with a preparation composed of salt-
petre, two ounces; borax, two ounces ; arnica flowers,
two ounces. This should all be put into a pan with
enough water to keep from burning and boiled half an
-hour. When boiled, put it ina gallon jug, add two
ounces of spirits of camphor, and fill the jug with soft
water. It is then ready for use as soon as cool. This
wash should also be used after using ‘Great Dis-
covery,’ and is the most cooling and _ satisfactory
remedy for inflammation of any kind, and will harden
the part to which it is applied better than anything I
have ever used. If it is desired to work the horse
after he has been treated with iodine, he may be
jogged in a week or ten days after the first treatment.

128

Crp h(i INT Creve

IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING HORSES’ FEET IN GOOD CON-
DITION — PROPER WAY TO SHOE HORSES TO COR-
RECT CERTAIN DEFECTS —WHEN PADS SHOULD
BE USED AND THE PROPER KINDS FOR DIFFERENT
HORSES.

ENTLEMEN of experience do not need to be
ee told that the foot is about the most important
part of the anatomy that a horse carries to
the race track; hence, what I am about to say is not
intended for their enlightenment ; but, as this book will
probably be read by some who are just commencing to
learn the art of properly caring for horses, I deem it
proper to say that the old adage of “no foot no
horse’ is as true to-day as when it was first promul-
gated generations ago; and that, as effect follows cause
in any case, poor shoeing and want of proper atten-
tion to the feet will produce a worthless race horse
more effectually than the want of sufficient feed and
grooming. The suggestions contained in this chapter
are based upon my personal experience, and, if followed,
will, I think, produce satisfactory results. .
A great many trotters, both colts and old horses,
will forge and scalp when jogging. When they do this,
I always use a square-toed shoe in front, also bevel the
shoe on the outer edge near the toe from the hoof to
the ground surface. Do not file off the hoof at the toe
when it projects over the square of the shoe, only re-
move the edge of the hoof with the rasp. You will
129 .

find this will be a great advantage to a great many old
horses as well as colts. I have been using this kind of
a shoe about twenty years and have had great success
with it on some horses. The first horse I ever used
them on was McCurdy’s Hambletonian. When I took
him he was very rough gaited, and would not trot any
distance square and true, and would cut a new pair
of leather scalpers all to pieces in one work-out. I
knew that was the cause of his going rough gaited, and
thought if I could stop it he would go much better.
So I shod him several times in a short period, experi-
menting. I finally filed the shoe square at the toe,
like an old worn-out shoe, and he went much better
forme. Then I began to square the shoe, and let the
hoof project over. He went square and true, shod
this way, and was a good horse and won many races.
I find this a good way to shoe most trotters during the
winter and spring while jogging, as they do not forge
and scalp with the square-toed shoes; and a great
many horses do better with them taking their first
work, as they quicken the action, especially long strid-
ing horses; and a great many horses that need scalp-
ers with the ordinary shoe can go without them by
using the square-toed shoe, which is quite an advan-
tage, as the scalpers area great impediment to a horse’s
speed, often causing him to carry more weight in front
to balance the weight of the scalpers. Another advan-
tage this shoe has, isthis: Some horses are inclined to
go a little sideways, that is, carrying one hind foot in
between the front feet, and carrying the other hind
foot out. When a horse does this, he will trot faster
around a turn than he will through the stretch going
straight. If he carries his right hind foot in, he will
trot the wrong way of the track around the turn

130

faster than straight away. This shows that his stride
is shorter with the foot he carries in. If it is the left
hind foot he carries in, put a square-toed shoe on
the left front foot, bevel the shoe from the
foot to the ground surface on the outer edge near
the toe; put an ordinary-shaped shoe full at the
toe on the right front foot; on the right hind foot
square the toe the same as on the left front foot; on
the left hind foot shoe full at the toe, the same as on
the right front foot; have this shoe a quarter of an inch
longer or more at the heel than the right hind foot,
and throw the outside calk or heel out just a little
more than the right foot, also put a piece of leather all
around under the shoe to make this foot longer. I
have been benefited by shoeing some horses this way
when they were inclined to hitch and go sideways. I
prefer a convex creased shoe beveled from the foot to
the ground surface on most horses. A shoe made this
way is stiffer, stronger, and protects the foot better,
and breaks the concussion more, and the horse will
have a better hold when his foot leaves the ground, as
it is the natural shape of the horse’s foot when bare-
footed. It is very seldom that a pacer needs a square-
toed shoe, unless he isa horse that is big gaited and
needs his action quickened. Pacers do not forge and
scalp with the toe of their front feet as trotters do.
They very often clip the inner edge of the left front
foot with the inner edge of the right hind foot and,
vice versa, with right front foot and left hind foot.
The way I have had best success in shoeing them is
to use a shoe weighing six or seven ounces on the
hind feet, a shade heavier on the outside and the
shoe straightened on the inside from the point of the
toe to the middle of the quarter, that is, about half way

131

from the toe to the heel. Let the hoof project over
and round the edge with a rasp, also bevel the shoe
well on the inside with a rasp from the foot to the
ground surface. Have these shoes made with calks
and run back about three-quarters of an inch longer
than the foot; on the front feet put ordinary shoes,
weighing about the same as the hind shoes, and bevel
well on the inside from the foot to the ground sur-
face. Any pacer that crossfires will be very much im-
proved this way. Hal Pointer had to be shod like this.
Some pacers will need a little more weight in front and
less behind, and some go best with light toe weights.

A great many horses that wear light shoes have to
be padded. To pada horse right it is necessary for him
to wear bar shoes. For pads I prefer to use firm pli-
able leather, such material as is used in making horse
collars; and I prefer to use sponges instead of oakum.
Take a fine quality of sponge just a little smaller than
the foot, cut the sponge from the point of the frog to
the heel of the foot so that the sponge will come down
on either side of the frog, in order not to get too much
frog pressure. Also lay a small piece of sponge in the
center of the frog under the bar of the shoe. It is very
important not to have too much sponge, as it will very
often force the leather below the level of the shoe,
particularly so on light shoes, which will make a horse
very sore in its feet. Before putting on the sponge
and pad apply Moore’s hoof ointment liberally to the
sole of the feet.

There are a great many kinds and varieties of rubber
pads now in use. I have found the most satisfactory
pads for winter, while driving on the snow, to be the
Mooney racing pads. These pads give plenty of
frog pressure and cause the foot to spread. For some

132

horses they are the best for summer; but, as a general
thing, I prefer the leather pads I have spoken of for
most horses for summer use. The Mooney racing
pads are used without bar shoes.

Some horses, that have excessive knee action and
pound the ground hard, need a shoe with fine, sharp
toe and heel calks, to break the concussion. To
properly shoe a horse with these calks, a flat shoe
should be used, with very light, sharp calks; the
calk should be about two inches long at the toe, set
well back on the shoe from the toe and perfectly
straight across, thereby allowing the horse to break
over easy and causing no strain on the tendons; the
calks on the heel should be about one inch long, set
lengthwise of the shoe. If the horse has to be shod
with light shoes or pads, it is necessary to shoe him
with bar shoes. Some horses, that have low hock
action and are close gaited behind, will slide an inch
or two on their hind feet when striking the ground
going fast. In such cases I have had the best results
by shoeing them behind without calks; if calks
are used, they will prevent the sliding and shorten
the stride too much; but for horses that do not thus
slide I prefer to use calks on the hind shoe.

Nature is more generous with some horses than
with others respecting the bestowal of good feet.
The perfect forefoot of a horse 15% hands high
should measure about 37%-inches from the coronet
to the point of the toe, and stand at an angle of
about forty-seven degrees. The heel of the front
foot should be about 134 inches long from the coronet
to the bottom of the foot. Both the toe and heel of
the hind foot should be a shade shorter than the front
foot, and the foot should stand at an angle of about

133

sixty-two degrees. Ido not believe in too long toes, as
it brings too much strain on the tendons, and will soon
cause lameness. Neither must the toe be too short,
as that will cause tenderness, which is equally as detri-
mental. The trainer is frequently admonished of the
fact that vigilance is the price of keeping a horse's
feet in proper condition, and if they are neglected he
will soon learn, to his sorrow, that he has a race horse
only in name.

There are a great many good horseshoers all over
the country. Mr. William Cope, who has been shoe-
ing for me for the past two or three years, I consider
as good a mechanic as I ever saw. He has a quick
eye, handles the rasp well, can get the right angle of
the foot with perfect ease and can make any kind of a
shoe. He is perfectly reliable and willing, and never
gets out of patience with a nervous, uneasy horse.
He has been an important help to me in the races I
have driven since he has been shoeing my horses.

134

Cr i Re Ne.
HORSES I HAVE GIVEN RECORDS— CONCLUSION.

DROVE the horses named below to the records
indicated, which were their best records at the
time they were made, and I believe are still their

records except in the cases of Bonesetter, Mattie
Hunter, Hal Dillard, Star Pointer, and Joe Patchen.
The record I gave Joe Patchen of 2.01% was in a race,
and is the present race record; but I believe he has
since acquired a trial record of 2.014%. Besides the
horses named, I have also driven a great many in races
where I have been substituted for other drivers, and
given them records better than 2.30; but I kept no
records of such horses and do not remember their
names. The list is as follows:

ROUTERS,
PRDRIRE DS i VA e eae ele eee nee ek eee
ALICE WEST, 2.26
AMERICAN BELLE, 72 YA
ANNIE W.,, 2.20
ATHANIO, . 2.10
BaRKIS, . ae a 2.251%
BAEEEETON, o! Wye ells Oe kee ot az O04
BEAUTIFUL CHIMES, 2.224
BONESETTER, . 2.26
/Boy Buug, 2.25%
CARILLON, . hele Sanne? 2a OPA
CUARMING (CHINES. (5) ete ka kr 2.074

135

Cora,

DAN ae

Dare Devin,

Dr. ALMONT,

Dr. NORMAN,

ELECTMONT,

EMILY,

EQUITY,

EXCELLENCE,

FANTASY,

Fitz RoyaAt,

FRANK BUFORD,

FRED S. WILKES,

GLOBE,

HAWLEY,

Herr-at-Law,

HENRIETTA,

HONEST GEORGE,

J. B. RICHARDSON, .

Jerre LEE,

Jor RuHEa,

Josiz CHIMES,

JunE Bue,

KATE ASHLEY,

KEOKEE, 3

LapDy GERALDINE,

LorpD DERBY,

LUCRETIA, AACE EE ay

McCurpy’s HAMBLETONIAN,

McEwen,

MERRIMENT,

MILAN CHIMES,

NETTIE KING,

NIGHTINGALE,

ING: ia eae

ONWARD SILVER,
136

N N N NN NY NN NNN NN NN N NHN NN DY KN NY NN NN YN NN NY NNN DN WN

ORR ha Sos) ie) Vo he, | ee On

‘PLay Boy, 2.18%
Rex AMERICUS, . 20154
Roxie M., 2.2834
SIXTY-SIXx, er Yi
SmirH O’BRIEN, . 2.29%
STEVIE, . ae 2.19

TENNESSEE WILKES, 2.27

esxcAs BILL, 2.264%
THE ABBOTT, 2.034
THE EARL, 23

Tue Monk, 2.08%
THE QUEEN, . 2.104
Tocsin CHIMES, . 2.24%
TRUE CHIMES, 2.124
TuUupDoR CHIMES, . 25s

VALENCE, . 2.1234
WaDE HAMPTON, 2.29%
WARDWELL, 2.144%
RENE 7, 2.29%

DOUBLE-TEAM RECORD.

BELLE HAMLIN AND HONEST GEORGE, . . 2.12%

FRIPLE-EEAM RECORD:

BELLE ELAMLIN, JUSTINA AND GLOBE, ~~ *." (2.14

137

PACERS.

ACTOR, .

Bay Tom,

Bogs Tay or,
BRANDON, .
BRIGHT REGENT,
Brown Hat, .
CASSIE,

CuIMEs Boy,
CUCKOO,
DUPLEX,

Ep. EASTON,
ELSINORA, .
ERA CHIMES, .
FRANK Dorcu,
GEORGE GoRDON,
GLENDENNIS,
HAL BRADEN,
Hat DILuarp,
HAL POINTER,
HEAD LIGHT,
‘Hetir-atT-Law,
ILpRIM,
INTONE,
INTREPID,

Jim FRIEL,

Jor Bowers, .
Jor BRADEN,
Jor PATCHEN,
KITTIE B.,

LADY OF THE MANOR,

MANDOLIN, -

bw NNN N NN NNN NN NNN NN NN NN NNN NN ND NN WN DN

MATTIE HUNTER,

MERCURY, .
MERRY CHIMES, .
Mockinec Boy,
MonocraM,
MOONSTONE,
MorELIA,
NETTLE KEENAN,
OvID,
RED Fox,
RED OAK, .
ROBERT J,.,
ROCKDALE,
SAILOR Boy,
STANLEY P.,,
~STAR POINTER,
Tom WILKES,

Summary :

TROTTERS,
PACERS,

Total,

°

oO N Nb NY NN NH NN HY NY NN NY DN DN
La]
Oo wm
NS
iS)

48

ee be iekre ya Ee

139

WORLD’S RECORDS.

HAVE given world’s records to the following
horses, some of which stand as world’s records
and some have since been lowered, viz:

Brown Hat, . . pacing stallion record.
Haut PoINTER, . . pacing gelding record.
‘FANTASY, . . . . three-year-old race record.
Fantasy, . . . . four-year-old mare race record.
Fantasy, . . . .. fastest four-heat race.
NIGHTINGALE, . . three-mile record.
NIGHTINGALE, . . two-mile race record.
UROBERT Ji. 06 . 0 > sbastest gelding,

ROBERT J... . . world’s harness record.
RosperT J... . . fastest heat in race gelding,
Ropert J., . . . fastest four-heat race.

JorE PatcHEeN, . ._ fastest race record.

LADY OF THE MANOR, fastest pacing mare.
LADY OF THE MANoR, fastest heat in race mare.

Lorp Dersy, . . _ fastest five-year-old trotting gelding.
THE ABBOTT, . ._ fastest six-year-old gelding.

Tue Appott, . ._ fastest two-heat race.

THE ABBOTT, . ._ fastest five-heat race.

THE ApBoTT, . . fastest race record to wagon.

THE ABBOTT, . ._ fastest trial to wagon. .

THE ABBOTT, . ._ fastest trotting record.

BELLE HAMLIN AND
Honest GEorGE, fastest double-team record.
BELLE HAMLIN, GLOBE

AND JUSTINA, . fastest triple-team record.
HeEir-AtT-Law, . fastest race records, both trotting and
pacing.

140

The World’s Record for Triple Team, 2.14, made by BeLLe Hamuin, GLose and JusTINa.

fe
ri
i
\
‘
“i
{
\
}

That others will surpass the record I have made,
both as regards the number of horses driven and the
time recorded, is highly probable, and yet I can
frankly say that my ambition is measurably gratified.
I have certainly achieved a far greater success than I
had reason to anticipate at the dawn of a career to
which my mature years have been devoted ; and if, in
the years to come, I shall witness higher achievements
by others than I have been able to obtain, I shall ever
be ready and willing to extend to him or them the
same cordial greeting with which I have always been
favored. No tinge of envy or bitterness will mar the
memories which cluster around the past. The good
will I bear to those I have met in friendly rivalry, as
well as to those who may in the future adorn a profession
of which I only claim to be a humble member, will ever
be cherished by me as one of the brightest jewels I
possess.

141

INDEX.

PAGE.
RMT Teeny BS ic or st Vice ery eS Giese Ge aye aes 2 Meee lew Rae. en RR ERD
PRRMECNCG Mn os re a a. ee Oe NR net OR) ARS Bel Ee NRG ee ne Oe
meimerican belle, {2° 5 5s PP MERI ae aes oh Lee Tse Kore BO
Assistants, importance of faving Sood: Si, eats pon teas Sho sts Septem eter LE
Peesmaes. wien snould be Useds 36s a ae ee see 1S
1S LSet Sa Ea ad om eae tora Sa OE CURE RE aire eS NAO
PEELS AVIGE’ tO} i) oS. ah ich coe a eee a ee eae ee EO
emeemiekonmiitces fh oe are ee ee ee ee an ahrncee emma 93
Bree mite erie se So ar) ad HAR ee eet ies eaten Sue ee tues! nag
re ORME AICO Nd) font ses cin Sine aces aime women roma tthe Sod tome Pocknen Aiea BAe
LF CIE DOL, ol ies al me re ann. dl ae II
esac aMnOnAR Oe Ag Ogt e h Men Wat ame tes elt es ok QQ
Ree MELO MESES Ee Sica) te oh Nah ecto e Gea el eae ete: Led ete E2O
Bright Regent, . . ROR crise eae Pion oil Weitah sg Ne Mabermitn Mpyeik vao1o pe (OS,
Brown, Major Campbell ae eg ah aa) Soe tetas. ligt vee ana 2a ee
brown Eialy 3. Srp tah Whe vial Reese Rage eis Meee Soon Sean wearer BRS
California, as place to winter Horeen Cea Dak oar et Mite ton: Oe een omercn CODES
Waves orcas and, GrVING owe Vs Ae eh ee ee we eee) ek
Gacine for horses during preparatory work, ..<. . -. . .1.» . ¥13
Sraresand cracked heels, remedy, for. 5023) 22) is ee ey
RPE ISASITMA SLO 352 sisteah cP shNe esis Lani at beeke 4 es vei aa. Soom rem ae
MB wen balite perce ik tS) vat) Bah chose eee or cael srog prse ake) a tet ae Mee Ramee
Chimes, . . PL PRD INE Varag tg Sante Darwen tae oa eae eae re RES
Collision and reer foci. PONY Adi ca stceometel Ny etd Sod een ec Ree O
Me CI Oe Wsu\l a Lou tae emer el Penh, Yori Wath umttn reipieens cee 109-111
AP oliMViyehinstis feo ene me ag Rae aoe a Nan ap tieiaee i, none Teac
Goltshows, 3”. ORS Au Ur He Noe eae er ede gays) HON
Columbia, Tennessee, iesdence Abie oaths Bae Ce teeta ee
Conditions in Tennessee not favorable for anne TACES, ct) eer aye LO
Wonverving pacer tO trOt,. “es se ee oe) ey he LOE
SU DEAN TING sane mer hr Snel yy anys leper pa open Sugiyama ale (oY
SU HURIBV CAINS i) ss) Aue eek eet ele ie Ve eu em Lae af seo eel ToL2c matings on te 14
rep to) 2a ies ae atin ee ey eRe es WVomet en gh Tar EOS
PareMOevil ss Ehiy c iicwea oie ot Dee Preis Wet ars IOI, 102
Date of career as trainer td driven Dre ecto eiiee, Wie ae ae ME PLO
POL CW Ne hii it ey et a rari ee Gua RSet ato oO Varn: aa! ahh a Urata em
MO eet eee v5 Also bees ae Lae Mitedat ak Te eyes eR lon (ia eet ep cierOR

143

Disinfectants, Importance of using,
Doble, Budd, .

Double-Team record,

Driving, suggestions about,

Early Life,

Easley, John, and needoe! a oihe
Ella Brown, Strange incident in training, .
Fanning, Rev. Talbot, .

Fantasy, Se hee :
Feeding horses in winter and spring,

Feet, best time to get in condition, .

Feet, importance of keeping in condition,
First Lesson, My, in caring for race horses,
First Monday,

First Race, My, .

Foot, Perfect, of horse i y, hands high,
Forging and scalping, ee for,

Fox hunting, . : :
Freeman, H. B.,

Ery,,O.

Fuller, George,

Gibson’s Tom Hal,

Globe, : :
Glycerine, when ciauld ie eed

Goldston, Wm., .

Grand Circuit,

‘‘Great Discovery,”’ when ‘ ibe seed ‘
Greenlander,

Hal Family,

Hal Pointer,

Hamilin,:C..f..,

Hamlin, Harry,

Harness, should fit ee,

Heir-at-Law, . :

Hock action, when low, ee to ahs :
Honest George, . . Se et
Horses, working and preparing dior races, .
Hotspur, race with, A :
Humphrey’s Homeopathic Rewiedics! :
Iodine, how and when to use,

Jockey Day,

144

gel mame

PAGE.

72

120

93 94
133

73, 80
121, 122
78

126
127, 128
36

Joe Braden,

Joe Patchen,

Jogging, general rules fon
John R. Gentry, .
Justina, .

Kittrell’s Hal,

Knee action, when high, proper way to shoe,

Lady of the Manor,

Little Brown Jug,

Little Dave,

Lizzie,

Locomotive,

Lord Derby,

Lucy,

McDowell, icity,

Mambrino King,

Marvin, Charles,

Mattie Hunter,

Milan Chimes, é

Montgomery, accident at, -
Mooney’s Rubber Pads, recommended,
Moore’s Hoof Ointment, when to apply,
Morgan Horses, .

Mountain Slasher,

Mud, racing in,

Nightingale,

Old horses, how aieposed alee

Old Spot, ege

Pacers driven to eas ;

Pacers, how to shoe,

Pacing gait not appreciated,

Pads, how and when to use, .

Parents object to my becoming trainer ine auiver :

Pneumatic sulky, first used in Grand Circuit,
Preparing horses for campaigning, .

Prince Pulaski,

Quarters, when defective, hae s seiueae
Race Track, My first,

Raymond, Tom, . Sek Sore 46

Receipt for wash in certain cases,

Repeats, when to give,

145

. 99, 100

18 139

PAGE.
ci hai, BO
82, 83
119
82
73
47
133
97, 98
49
18
49
52

33> 34
83
78
125
31-34
96
24
Le
132
II, 18
BAST.
75, 83
74, 75
66

AI

131
10
132
16
79
114
31
115
16
83
124
121

Robert. Ji 600 ee as ciel) sae alice a oh palate

Rowdy: Boys.) a0 le eh RC cal I 0 ce
Roy Wialkkess) soci ERNIE eR
Saddle Horses first need in nee I oe Se
Salisbury, Monroe, . . Meer ee
Scenery, change of, dawicatie, bane : ok 6 ieee nee
Selma, Alabama, desirable place to winter Hepes oN ae een
Sheep.iuse of, tony racelteaelk, jinn mes ouees 83
Shoeing to correct certain ee Reece rive om I ae I at 133
Sickness in horses, suggestions about,. . ... . oi Go Panza

Sky Blue, er 8 oe a ay err
sleepy Georges. ei jah vie (oe ec esa a ee
Southern Cireuit, vi 2. ee Lia St, 2 rr
Southern climate, Sdgantes of tor winter eae ee ee
Speeding horses in early winter, : 60. (000) ) ae
Springs, when and how to use, . 2. . » ss « 4) eee ep eme mes
sulky, only time ever taken outjefy).. 2). Mr kc cy
Teeth, importance of keeping in good conden 0 gat Dies ane en
Tennessee, Leaving, for Village Farm, . 2.) a) 3 ee
Tennessee, pacing-bred pacers, .0 20 ss 6) as)
Tennessee pastimes, 925 (0 2 a” Sa
Tennessee, settlement of, 0 20 50a
The Abbott, 0 000 60808 OS) 0 rr
The Momky i vicinal ee
‘(bhrush;: Remedy for,() 2952): Ur me
Toe, must not be too long or too skeet rr So
Training stable should be properly conducted, . . . . . # I12, 113
Triple Team, difficulty in‘driving, . ..0. « : .\ )) eee
Triple: Team, record, |. ee ea el we 0) er
Trotter, My first, oy er eye oe ea ee, oe
Protters driven to'reeonds, \. 0.8 py) o) a oe 135-137

Prowble, isle vie wh gale da tte yak a) 200k MS 0 a rr II
Troupe and Bisence! Saas Ieee EO co KS
Vaseline, when should be eee. PU Mee ree LT
Willage Maran yoo. PPM eC hep eS
Wash, proper to use ates cearieig horse OM ah Se 124

Wash (stringent), to be used after treatment for lumens . ie ZS
White; Beng ei Oe eee canine ap Nia? a ih ee a rrr
Woodruff, Hiram, ah, | eee ae eh) oiae ie) aio aN cae eel cr
World’s records, . . 4 Bg ie a oi UE ae RE Sis a
Volo Mardy ii) ee 5 ay oe es Se PR ys) en eee

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