The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-05-15
A BRAVE OLD HORSE.
Dexter's Part In the DEVELOPMENT
of Fast Time On the American
Turf.
From the Chicago Journal !

From the Chicago Journal.
The death OF Dexter. the trotter,
marks an era in equine development
He did not reduce as greatly as some
of his phenomenal predecessors the
speed of trotting horses, for when he
made his best effort a very low mark
had already been reached. To beat
Flora Temples time of 2,i9is by one
second and threc-quarters was as great
a feat as to heat a 10 gait by several
seconds When Maud :. reduced her
own wonderfully low record by quar-
ter OF second. IL was regarded as a
more wonderful Improvement than
that of one or two entire seconds
would have been when her record
stood higher and could he more easily
/ beaten.
forty-oid years ago the trofting
record stood at ? 20. That figure was
used in slang to illustrate all fast men.
fast methods and fast movement.
Horses had not then been trained 10
trotting. and the possibilities OF devel-
opnent in that direction were not even
family imagined. After this record
had stood for years, and was supposed
ia he the hest that could bc made. a
horse named BipIo, in lsil, completely
fractured IL by troiting mile in >, -
This also remained for years the best
time made, and again the world inter
ested in sports settled down into the
easy belief that the best possible trot-
ting time had been accomplished. Bat
such was far from the truth. A few
years afterwards Jack Rossiter, horse
t.t
young dragged hotel baggage wagon
around the strrets of Western city,
and was afterwards trained for the
ton was by Flora Temple, mare also
without pedigree. who improved this
time bv ~ seconds. making record
of 2.I9jI. This In turn was broken by
Dexter at Buffalo, Aug. IA, 1867, when
he trotted a mile in 3l7a. He was
bought on the track by Robert bonner
for So. 60, and that remarkable anna
feur owned him 10 the time OF his
death. Mr. Bonner has also bought
each OF the fastest troiters on the turf
as they have since appeared from time
To time. down To- Maud =. with her
record OF 20s3..
More time, skin and money have
been devoted 10 the development OF a
fast-troiting gait In horses than 10 al
most any improvement in machinery
which the Inventive genius OF man has
undertaken. To increase by few sec
onds or the fraction Of second on a
mile the speed Of single tro,tiDg horse
has required years Of training. and 10
keep and train trotting horse costs
n much as II costs to keep small
sized family OF moderate desires in the
comforts and neccs-aries OF life. The
multitude and quality Of hor~es that
have been 80 kept and trained indicate
the vast expenditure that has been be-
slowed uyon these experiments. The
best aor@es. except Maud s.. have made
the hest time alter they bad passed
what was supposed to- be their maturi.
Is. at eight or nine years OF age, and
she may cease 10 lie an exception.
Flora Temple. al NEARLY twice that
age, did her hest work. This is an
other evidence Of the expense se involved
in training trotters. Hall the lifetime
Of a horse fifteen or sixteen years old
IL required To develop it, best speed at
this gait, and often the Improvement
l. but q few seconds or less in trotfing
a mile.
A good old age for an ordinary horse
H. eighteen or twenty year,. The age
Of Dexter at his death was thirty
year-. But since he wa purchased by
Mr. Bonner he has had an easy time,
like any other fortunate and retired
Individual. With enough 20 eat-and
8 horse never eatS too mueb--with Just
the exercise that he required for health.
he had Mi the chances for long life that
the capacities OF hi SPECIES and good
constitution could have allotted To hi
share. The Old friend. OF Dexter In
Chicago. where he was once o~Ded,
will he gia,t - learn that in bis death.
according 90 his magnificent osnsr=
order he doe not 20 To the toneyar'j,
hat has a tit grave ia country field.
where the apf4e blossoms are begin
ming to display their neg-llDwn tint
OF ieaafy and 10 make the yeFnai air
delightful with their fragrance, and
where the tall ssrass ia summer viii
wbve isi the breeze above his remains.