The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-07-01
Remarkable Instinct Of q Race.Horse.
Tine following is one of the most re.

The following is one of the most re-
maFkahle instances ON record of the in
stMet0f horse. Immediately after the
last days meeting Of the Maryland Jockey
ClakHt Pimlico, this spring, Business,
Artist, George West and two or three
otheS. lnoken-down racers were put up at
Auction by their owner, Mr.. Joseph DON
a4u4 As is generally the case, however,
NJ UnS swanted to purchase them, and
with the exception Of Jim Crow none
were sod. They were taken back to the
stables, and on the following day George
Wcst, the renowned steeple-chaser, was
sent to the farm of Capt. Powers, in Balti-
more County, and turned out on pasture
withsa number of common work horses.
Strange, to say, however, the old racer re-
fusst to associate with the common
hssses, and will not.ssyen remain in the
same part of the fssaxith them except at
cessain hours. Every, morning and even
ing Curing a ncer's training he is
walkcd slowly around in small circle
foran hour or so. These walking circles
can beS found near the stables at every
racesrack, and they are usually about 100
feet in diameter. On the first morning
after old George West was turned out of
tie Stable at Capt. Powers faffh he waited
around the stable doors for some, time and
neighed as if impatient. TIE Old horse
spent, the entire first day walking up and
ddwnh front of the stables. On the fol-
lowing morning he Was turned out again,
and after standing around the stable some
time he walked off to adistant corner of the
fefd Where he proceeded to walk around
ina circle of about fifty or sixty yards. i
The walk was kept mp for. an hour as
steadily as he had ever done tin his palm
lest trainng days. After exercising about
al hour the old horse left his walking
ground and caperedsaround the field as if
delighted. In Intervening it, was noticed
that shortly beforenundown be threw up
his head, and, after neigliing once OF
twice, galloped around the entire field
seven or eight timesss He then suddenly
stopped and went tosthe small circle used
by him in the morningand walked around
it regularly for aboutah houf.wzAt the.ex-'
piration of that time he yenttosthe stable.
These exercises of walking &ndsgalloping
have been repeated regularly ever since,
and Capt. Powers states thas the time
George West begins exercising each Day
does not vary oversshalf hour. Heawas
kept in the stable sywosdays without get
ting out, butwhen, turned outpn the third
he at once began his walk and kept itsup
as usual The other horses.,in the field
have followed his example, and now every
morning and eveR1ng sevens common
horses may be seen moving regularly
around the small circle like a string of
racers, headed by George West. The
sight is novel one, and hundreds ofper-
sons have visited the farm during thepast
week to witness a. Beyondathe walking
George West doesnot mix with the com.
mon herd at all, and takes HIS gallopssen-
tirely alone. George West -is,nowover
six years old, but there is probably no
steeple-chaser now living in this country
that in his fourth and fifth years wen as
many gallant races as he has done. -Balti-
mana d,1arjrnn ~