Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-03-17
HORSE IALK.
Something About Los Angeles Studs
How Near We are to Going Up
Head-Some Facts Gratifying to
Los Angeles Lovers OF the Noblest
of Animals,

Too Arga,ss r.ovars NJ the Noblest
K Of An,ma,s
EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-I promised
some days ago to write you some horse
notes. ! yet remember the promise, but
/ have been so very busy that could
not get around to 1t until now. Even
now have only short time. which is
perhaps fortunate; for, having had no
time to give the matter much thought,
! have but little to say.
Los Angeles county occupies very
enviable place for producing some OF
the best colts in the United States. both
running and trotting, and the time may
come when Los Angeles will be as well
known as Lexington, and will produce
fleeter horses than that renowned city
has in the past. There is nothing vic
lent in such belief The natural adj
vantages are all with Los Angeles. We
have a climate which is far superior.
Not day in the year that colt needs
shelter; not a day in the year but that
he can eat his green grass. with a
pureness of atmosphere to breathe which
expands his lungs. with perpetual sun
shine, tempered by the ocean breeze, no
sluggish warmth but, on the contrary,
bracIng air which makes II necessity
to frollc, play and race, winch develops
the muscles, the California horse ought
to go up head. Kentucky boasts OF her
blue grass and limestone water but we
have better than either. Our alfileriiia
and burr clover are tar superior In giving
strength and form, ana our pure soft
mountain water is far more heaithiul.
1t is claimed that the lime Is necessary
to make bone, but our horses have
plenty OF bone without 1t, and there Is
some mistake in the statement that hard
water Ia beneficial for that reason. Here
are all the conditions Tor developing the
highest type OF animal organism, as IS
abundantly proven by the native morse
OF California, which Is the superior OF
any wild horse. inns horse Is raised
entirely upon the native grass OF the
country, without any care or iced other
than those named. In former years
they roamed over the plains as wild as
deer, and nothing was done except every
year branding and castrating colts and
selecting such as were needed Tor use,
and breaking then Tor the saddle. Yet
these horses, raised III tins way were
able to carry large man hundred
miles day, ana TINS, too' without any
extra preparation or otner ieeu .han tne
native grass on when they were pick
eted with q long iariat alter their uaily
work was dore. Ihey could run so
rapidly that nothing but a Thoroughbred
or nus descendants ana only the pest Oh
tnem' could out run mm' snort or long
distances.
1t Is somewhat strange, when you
think OF It, that the fastest trotter' occi-
dent, that was ever raised IN this state,
was out OF a California mare which came
from the southern counties, and the
grand dams oil Bonita and Wild Flower
were said to be California-bred mares or
mustangs, as they are sometimes termed.
This fact furnishes food for thought.
It shows very strongly that this is a
horse country and when it is remem.
bered that there are thousands of i'm
ported mares of all kinds of stock and
breeding, which have been brought into
this State, selected from the best the
Eastern States can produce, yet that the
fastest gelding ever produced was out of
a despised California mustang. for which
SIS would have been big price, and
that the grand dam of the fastest two
year.old ever produced anywhere be-
longed to the same breed, one may well
be surprised. Then there was Tommy
Gates. who almost went through fire.
He was trotted in and out of season,
young and old, was poisoned, banged
and hammered; yet, after all, was as
sound as new made dollar and WIS
finally sold East, where he was used as