Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-04-11
Selection OK Trotting Horses.


I Charles G. Hayes, Of Muscatine
/ Iowa, gives in the National Steel
Journal some remarks on the rear
ing and selection Of trotting horses
that are Of interest to readers and
which we copy. He says
There is no nsc in attempting to
test the speed and endurance OF
colts that arc half-ted. All improved
races have been literally fed, and
individuals Of these various races
have no hereditary capacity to as.
simulate nutritious food. The best
bred racing colt when half starved
may he found inferior in perform.
ance to the well fed half-brccd.-
Oats and timothy hay are consider,
ed the best food for all horses OF
whom speed is required. American
clipae was fed on shorts mot BRAN
and dampcned clover. Since the
advocates Of inuring colts to idle
ness and starvation as fit prepare.
ton for a lifetime of work and high
feeding are fond of citing American
Eclipse as an argument in their ia
yor, the following items concerning
his management, taken from mem.
orandum in the handwriting of his
breeder, Gen. Nathaniel Coles, may
be of interest
Gle was born May %, lsl4.-
Weaned on the tenth day of NoAem,
Der, at the commencement OF the
winter fed with four quarts OF
shorts, which was increased during
the winter to eight quarts per day
Hay, clover dampencd. Second
year in the spring, turned to grass
with no grain. November 18th
put up and fed with eight quarts OF
shorts per day. September lst
commenced breaking. Feed, eight
quarts Of oats. Through the win
ter, hay, clover dampcncd, grain
ground corn and oats, equal to
eleven quarts of oats. March lst,
three years old, commenced and
trained for nine weeks then gave
4 trial for two miles, when found
the colt very superior"
While a colt he was not confined
but during the winter season turned
out every fine day Eclipse died
July 10th, 1917, in Kentucky, at the
ripe age of thirty-threc.
In selecting colts for speed, the
most reliable token Of future speed
is present speed but two colts pos
sessing equal speed may differ very
much in action. The long shoulder
blade, inclined backward with ele-
waited point, the long arm and long
hip and thigh, with corresponding
length of muscle, but greyhound
conformation otherwise, usually be
long to the long stopper while an
upright shoulder and shorter arm.
hip and thigh are accompanied by
q shorter stride and more confined
action. But the speed of the two
may be equal for the long stride
may be slow in his movements, and
the short stopper quick. Whether
the short quick stopper may length
Ell his style sufficiently may be part
ly determined by his family. Kirk
wood when five years old was quick
but short stopper. Several times
| measured his stride and found it
varying from twelve to fourteen
feet at 1920 gait. His stride in
creased in length with age and
training. In addition to Messenger
blood he possessed some Canadian
blood, derived from his sire and
some Morgan blood from his dam.
The Hambletonians have a long,
sweeping stride or soon devclopc 1t
with training, which also quickens
with age. BY breeding very quick,
short stepping mares to Handle
tonian stallion, colts may some times
be produced that will trot taste.
when young than their longer strid-
ing comrades that have more Ham.
bletonian blood. OF three Tramp
ycarling colts that | have been
handling, two, out Of very quick,
short stepping mares-one Of the
two ou q full sister of Bashaw, Jr..
that with summers training could
only stride eleven feet, the other on,
of EDWARDS dam. The latter strides
eleven feet, the former twelve feet
the third out of well built farm
mare with some pretensions to trot.
ting blood strides fourteen feet. In
speed the three are about equal
The question is which of the three
a,c to excel in the future :? TO de
terminc it the breeder looks at the
individual colts, the known
pedigree of the dam of each and the
history Of her family. Although
number one, out of a Bashaw mare
strides only one foot farther thar
number two, his forward action is
free, his hip and thigh bones arc
long and he looks better able to ex
tend himself than did Bashaw, Jr.
and Kirkwood his dams relations
On the whole it does not appear
that number two, the quickest step
ping colt will stride far enough, OF
that number three the long stridins
colt, will quicken his step sufficient
ly to pass number one. Now, sup
pose number one was more promis
ing than his sire's or dams relatives
at the same age, here would be al
opportunity for an upward step
He might be saved for a stallion
Then what should he be bred to
To mares of the best families in hi
pedigree and nearly related to hin
in blood. His sire is an inbred
Hambletonian. The colt is the re
suit of an out-cross. BY breedin!
him to mares of the Hambletonial