Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-05-26
How Kentucky Horses are Trained.

A letter from Lexington, KY, describ.
ing how horses are trained, says:
lone after another beautiful saddle
horses were ridden ont over the track,
moving at gentle, easy gait, flying at a
rapid canter, racing or breaking into q
trot, as the rider willed. All these
horses, | believe, were thoroughbred.
and their prices ranged from $500 to
1000. So we'll we're they gated and
trained that the rider had but TO touch
the name in n given place or make a
certain signal TO have them take rack.
canter, trot, run or lope. Any one can
learn to manage these gaits in very
short time, as | found from experience.
But the method by which these horses
are so perfectly trained / could not
learn. Either the trainers do not know
exactly how to impart this information,
or they are determined to keep il 10
themselves.
"Some answered my questions by say-
ing 1t is easy enough. You can make
a horse do anything you want TO. Only
let him know what you want him to do.
You had better wear spurs in riding,
give him his head freely, and il he takes
one gait when you spur him on the
right side, just spur him again there when
you want the same gait Here a horse
passed on a rack, and as the rider
touched him with the top of his finger
on the head, he struck out on fair
trot. Now said i, 'how was that
horse trained 80 as TO strike trot by
that signal?' why" answered the
Kentuckian, "our saddle-hor all learn
that from the time they are colts" l
asked Mr.. Lindenberger, What is the
secret of the superiority Of Kentucky
horses?" There is n combination Of
causes, he answered.
THE great majority OF the hc-ses here
have some good blood in them, and YOU
will find it crossed somewhere back in
their pedigrces. The best strains OF
running or trotting blood have been
taken from here to other States, and
they there fail to produce the desired
results. There is something in the
blue grass, the water, the atmosphere
and the general climatic influence, and
then, as Mr.. Trcacy told you this morn.
ing, there is everything in iudicious
breeding and training. We force our
horses to gait when they are one wear
old, and at three years old they are
pretty well developed. The Northern
men, however, always improve them.
How long have Kentucky horses held
their high placeY queried. "No one
hereabout can tell. / know men who
have lived here eigh:y-fve years, and
they state that from their earliest child
hood they have heard OF the superiority
Of our horses. Their fathers before them
had the same story to tell. The fact is,
that somewhere in the past there was
brought into this State pure strain Of
thorough blood, derived from the best
stock Of the mother world, and it has
transmitted its qualities from sire TO son
to the present time. II is lamcntablc
fact that We have not the exact data upon
which TO base history of tho Kentucky
horse" The fastest horses in the world
have been bred and trained in this
neighborhood. Maud Stone, better
known as Maud s., record, 2:lO "a:
Wedgewood, 2;l9; Woodford Mambri.
no, 2:24 Trinket. 2,191-4 Dick Moore,
2:22 John Morgan, 1924 Indianapolis,
2:2l F.; Voltaire, 2.2O, are but a few Of
the race horses that have been sent out
of Kentucky, while the number of her
carriage, saddle and trotting horses
that have been sold alive, and are now
scattered throughout our large cities,
could no more be calculated than one
could count the trees of the forest