New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-04-04
A Tale Of n Horse.

Tho following tale is true in every parti
cular. The facts can DO vOuched for by Mr.
Fower, of Hyde Park Gardens, whose
earnest condemnation of the gag bearing
rein will be fresh in the memory of news.
paper readers Victoria Maya-ine
When the work on the Central Park had
fairly commenced, in the spring OF 1858,
founder l fancied-that proper attention
to my scattered duties made it necessary
that should have saddle horse.
How easy, by the way, the arguments
that convince us of these pleasant necessi-
ties find their way to the understanding.
Yet, how to subsst u horse after buying
one, and how to buy! The memory of a
well-bred, keen eyed gray, dating back to
the earliest days of my boyhOod, and form
ing the chief feature of my recollection of
piaytime for years an idle propensity, not
whit dulled yet, to linger over Leech's
long necked hunters, and Herring's field
successes, an almost superstitious faith in
the different analyses of the bones of the
racer and the of cart.horse firm belief in
Frank FOrrester's teachings about "blOOd,"
all these cOnspired to narrow my range of
selection. and, unfortunately, to contine it
to q very expensive class of horses.
Unfortunately, again, the commissioners
of the park had extremely incOn venient
ideas Of economy, and evidently did not
consider in fixing their schedule of salaries
how much more satisfactory our positions
would have been with more generous emOl-
ument.
How man with only park salary and
with a family to support could set up
saddle horse and not ride to the dogs, was a
question that exercised not q little of my
engineering talent tor weeks; and many an
odd corner of plans and estimates was COW
cred over with calculations of the cost of
forage and sh0eing. Stable room was plenty
n frao srt han ,vIa mad hull u.>f$ ~
former occupants, and a little cover time
of one of the men would suffice for the
grooming.
] finally concluded that by giving up
cigars, and devOting my energies to the
pope in their stead, l could save enough to
pay for my horses keep; and so the ways
and means having, in this somewhat vague
manner, been provided, the next step was
To 'ony horse. To tell of the days passed
at auction sales in the hope (never there
realized) of goodness and cheapness COM
0ined, OF the stationery wasted in answer
ing advertisements based on every cOnceiv-
sole form of false pretense; to describe the
nNu berless brOken-kneed, broken winded,
and brOken-down brutes that came under
inspection would be tedious and cruel.
Good horses there were, of course, though
very few good oaddle horses america is
not productive in this drecticn), and the
possible animals were held at impossible
prices.
Those who rode over the New Park lands
usually rode anything but good saddle
horses. Fast trotters, stout ponies, tolera-
BILE carriage horses, capital cart horses there |
were in plenty. But the clean cut, thin |
crested, bright-eyed, fne-eared, steel |
iimbed saddle horse, the saddle horse pan, |
excellence, and may | say the only saddle |
hsrse! rarely came under observation; and |
when, by exception, such q one did appear,
he was usually so ridden that his light was |
SADLY dimmed. 1t was hard to recognize an |
elastic step under such an unelastic seat.
Finally in the days of my despair, kind
saddler, kept to his daily awl by too keen
,ve for sport, and still, believe, victim to
ais propensity for laying his money on the
horse that ought to win and don =, nearing
If my ambition Ito him the most laudabie
If all ambitiOns), came to put me on the
ong sought path.
He knew a mare, or he had known one,
hat would exactly suit me. She was IN
lad way now and good deal run down,
mt he always thought she had 1t IN her"
nd that some gentleman ought to keep her
or the saddle, (which, in my mind, sir, she
70 the finest bit Of 'orsetiesh that was ever
nported. SIR" That was enough. lin,
orted" decided my case, and l listened
agerly to the enthusiastic story, story to
,6ich this mans life was bound with
nreads of hard earned silver, and not less
v a real honest love for fine animal. He
ad never been much given to saving, but
A was q good workman, and the little he
sd saved had been blown away IN the
nat that olOuded his favOrite at the tail OF | :
be race.
sam. he attached himself to her person,
nd followed her in her disgrace. "She !
eren't quite quick enough for the turf' !