Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-08-04
THE EVENING STAR.
AUGUST 4. 1851.
HOW TO MAKE GOOD HORSES.
or the Secrets of the Trimming School.
THURSDAY.

| WHERE ALL THE STYLISH CARRIAGE HORSES
CONE FRoM-wHAT 1T COSTS TO EDUCATE
| AND IMPROVE COUNTRY ANIMAL
To see the stylish carriage horses that fill the
drives of the park every pleasant day the spec-
tator might think that half the biooded steeds
of Arabia had been brought here and sold to our
New York milonaires. A carriage horse is of
no account in New York unless he is as slick
and smooth as piece of seal skin arches his
neck. keeps his chin well drawn in steps high.
and has the proper curve to his tail. All horses
are not born with these accomplishments ON
| the contrary, very large majority OF horses are
born with necks that look as if they might have
been mortised into their bodies. with tails hang
| ing straight down like COWS tails. and with their
noses out in the air. There are not enough nat
uraily graceful and shapely horses in all Amer
lea to supply the demands of New York city
alone. 80 as shapely horses enough are not
born they have to be made. There are a hum
drcd places in New York city where they make
| horses. They take in misunderstanding
gaWky creatures. cross between "A sheep and a
camel. and turn them out stylish carriage horses
| improved in style. and so increased in value
Horses that would do no credit to street-yen-
doris wagon after a few weeks of TRAPPING and
manipulation come out fine looking carriage
! horses. with many OF the peculiar markings of
thoroughbred. Ii is only a few years since
many cruelties We're practiccd upon horses i'm
this and other cities to give them a good ap-
| peaiance. the clipping of their tails. which is
still very fashionable does not according to the
statements ofhorSe dealers give the animals any
more pain than cutting corn. But there We're
other methods employed that beyond doubt
made the animals suffer intensely. Among these
was nicking" their tails. The tails were nickcd
on the under side to force the horses to hold
them up and give them graceful curve. This
| process has been superseded by system of puI-
| ieys and weights. described hereafter.
veteran veterinary surgeon. who is also the
| proprietor of large livery stable not more than
two or three thousand miles from Washington
square, spent the greater part of YESTERDAY morn
| ing explaining 10 IA Times reporter how cheap
hack is converted in short time into beau
| tiiul and stylish thoroughbred. He was sur
prised to meet anybody so verdant in horsey
matters as to ask whether these things really
| done. Il don't say they are cruel" said the
horse doctor: there used to be crueties prac-
ticed but they have pretty much all been done
away with by Mr.. Bergh's society. There are
| still. however. tricks of the trade. There are
| Tricks IN all trades, as everybody knows. |
don't think there are any more tricks in the
| horse business than in any other But there are
so many GreenhOrns buying horses every day
1t wound be stranger if they weren not sometimes
imposed upon. The great scheme with all car
riage horses is to make them look like thorough
Oreds II they can be given that look they are
all right. and will always sell and bring coed
prices. In the first place, do you know any
thing about a horse?"
The reporter replied that he knew enough
ABOUT the noble animal always to keep at least
| 10 feet away from his heels that the horse is
hoOfed quadruped exclusively herbvorous: that
he sometimes bites, always kicks, and frequently
runs away.
1.-THE great thing" the horseman reDeated
| lis TO make horse look like a Thoroughbred
| don't suppose you know what Thoroughbred
is. He is horse with pedigree. with blue
| blood in his veins. of good stock for many gen
erations. Any judge of horses can tell one i'm
minute. will tell You some of his character
| ist!cs. His neck. to begin with. is beautifully
curved. He holds his head up. with his chin
drawn in toward his breast when in harness He
has delicate legs and feet almost like deer He
| is succession of lines Of beauty His neck Is
not set into his body. as if carpenter had
put it there, but joins it gently and grace
1uily with long sweep His body. i'm
medlateiy behind the fore legs. comes
o dGMa o,,n almost T., to point After a
is almost straight all the way to the tail. He
| lifts his feet high when he walks. His tail falls
with graceful arch. and hangs like a festOon at
| the back. Look at one Of the fine th0rOughbreds
| you see on the race tracks. Just in front of the
hind legs you can span him with your arms But
| measure that horse around the body, just behind
the fore legs. and you will find he is as big
around as an elephantine gray horse. Here lies
his strength and staying power. His heart and
| lungs are large and work with great power
When he comes in after long race his
| lungs work like mill. This is not because
he Is exhausted-it is a sign of health.
| strength, vitality. His ankles are hardly
bigger than your wrist but take section of
bone out of the ankle of a thoroughbred and
| section of the same length out of the ankle of a
| cart horse: although the latter may be twice as
large in circumference the piece out of the tho
| roughbfed will weigh the heavier. The thorough
pred bones are solid, compact and heavy, while
| the bones OF the common horse are SpOngy and
weak. 1t is on the same principle that some gem
| tlemen with wrists like wOmans are stronger
than gigantic laborers This is the perfect horse.
| He IS found, in his best estate, in Arabia. The
AngiO-Arabian horses rank next. All our finest
| thorOughbreds are Anglo-Arabians."
Now. what the horse-dealers have to do"
the surgeon continued lis to take common
horse and make him look as much like thor
oughbred as possible. The plebian horse
| stretches out his thick neck. He drags his feet
along: his tail hangs down straight. His back.
instead of being straight line. says down to-
| ward the tail. He is a succession OF unsightly
angles. If he is sound and healthy, he is worth.
| perhaps, $500 in his natural state. The dealer
| takes him in hand. spends. perhaps $50 on hill.
and makes him worth $500. A good part of the
work is legitimate training. Some of it, per-
haps, is cruel. will describe it to you. and you
| may draw your own conclusions. | do not do
/ this, because it does not pay me i'm nv business
but am we'll posted on the way it is done.
I'VE will say" continued the doctor. THAT |
| am householder, engaged in the business of
| improving horses 4 country horse comes in
| and l buy him. He is awkward gawky and
| city horses, just what an awkward backwOOds-
| man is compared with polished gentleman.
First OF all. fatten him up give him good feed,
and have him carefully groomed twice day to
make him smooth 1t is new experience for
him, and he likes it. It is like a boarder i'm a
Water street boarding house going to first
| class hotel to live. II makes him gOOd-natured
| and happy. Then take his neck in hand No
| matter how sleek and fat and shiny he may be,
no gentleman would have him In front Of his
carriage as long as he carries his nose ont in the
air and his neck is straight like piece
Of board. He must be made to arch his
| neck and to pull in his chin. put mouth.
ing-ron' on him. This is solid iron bar, like
| heavy bit, with rings on the ends. At the
| middle Of it three heavy iron tassels are fas-
tened SO they will rest on the top of the tongue.
This weight of iron makes him lower his chin
| and draw it in toward his breast l put sur
cingle on him, put straps through the rings in
the ends Of the mouthingiron fasten the other
ends Of the straps to the surcingle, and brace
| them up tight. This makes the horse arch his
| neck. He must do it whether he wants to or