Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-11-19
Excessive Training Of Young Colts.

Gu. special commissioner, wAose able
aud exhaustive criticism on the Rey. W.
IL u. Hurray's recent production. THE
Perfect Horsc," has been received with
so much favor, this week gives our read
crs a report Of the meeting Of the ken.
tueky TroIiing Breeders Association.
held at Lexington. The communication
treats more particularly on the subject OF
the early forcing Of the tr,tting colt, in
such masterly aud exhaustive manner
that it cannoi fail to arrest the attention
of those most deeply interested in the
production AMI advancement Of the Amer
lean Truiilng Horse. OF recent years
We have been startled every now aud then
by wonderful accounts Of the remarkable
periomluces of soRe young prodigy,
aud exorbitaBt prices have been paid for
thea by persons who have been misled
into the idea that the marvellous powers
thus displayed would be Increased with
age. aud thus they would be in possession
of the horse of the period. That these
Aattcring promises have not been fulfill
ed, is amply proved by the facts ~ fully
aud only set forth in the criticism we re-
fer to. The excessive calls upon the
stamina aad endurance Of yonDg colts
lead but in Que direction, and that is tAc
early decay Of the powers so ruthlcssly
aud rccklcssiy called into rcquislDion be-
fore the colt has attained sufficient age
and maturity to eUable.it To perform the
task imposed upon it. That able writer,
"Stoueheucc, IN his work on the lhor-
oughbred running horse, says: 1.-The laws
regulating growth aud decay are iinmuta-
Bile, and it may almost always be pro.
nounced, that IN proportion to the quick
ness of the growth will be the early decay
of the animal or vegetable being. Thus
the oak is more lasting than the larch,
and the elephant outliyes the horse; gn1
so it will be found that, whether in the
case Of the greyhound, the horse, the
sheep, or the bullock, those animals which
come to maturity the earliest are the first
to decay, or TO show sgns of that stage
for in II state of domesication actual de.
caY is really permitted to take place
hence while the breeder has his attention
drawn to the production of colts which
shall at two years Of age be formed like
old horses, aud be fit TO compete with then
for short distances, it will always result
that he attaius his cnl at considerable
sacrifice Of durability as pyuced in the
diminished strength OF constitution, ant
the feeble aud yielding halure Of organ,
of locomotion. The timber in fact, in
stead OF being wax is deal, and is as lltllc
to be compared in durability with the
materials Of which the od-fashiOnod hors
es were composed, as the latter timber il
with the former" The natural result o.
the hot.house system Of training the rae
ing colt in England is now plainly 10 bC
seen by looking over list Of entries tC
auy OF the haudicap races, which, next tC
the great three-year-old races, are the ain
and desire of every racehorse owner ofth'
couutry. "Eaaly maturity 'nSureS earl,
dccay," is AN axiom Which cannot be to,
strongly ncuIcated on the breeders Of rae
ing stock, aud if it is their desire to per
peiuatc and develop the trottiRg horse a
the ne pl'tS ultra of speed, stamina, an'
endurance. it behooves them to take warn
ing frsm the effects we have so clearl,
demonstrated as the result Of the carl,
traini's and racing Of the English runnin!
horse. We again quote from the Sam
authority: But in addition there is TIL
early trial OF both bone and siuew, t.
which the young horse is now submitted
Thus all things tend to the production o
unsound aud soft constitutional animals
aud it cannot occasion surprise if the per
centage Of lumeniage Of Iameness, or 9th
er iufrmity, is greatly increased. 1t
quite true that our hunters and othe
horses are also earlier iu coming TO thei
full growth, and thus some advantage i
gained but. | am afram, more tina
countcrbalanced by their early de
cay. and by the want of duarbiit
which their legs AMI feet SHOW, II
evidence BY the frequency of inhamc
joints AMI diseased feet, now so prevalcu
ia the hsld and on the road. Thus a0ha
is gained beta0sen three and fee gears
lost betDeen ten and fifteen and, al
afraid, more than lost. = Wilkes Spiral