Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-19
STEAM REARED COLTS.|
WONDERS OF A RICH cALIFoR-
MANS EQUINE HOT HOUSE.
Senator Starford's Famous Palo Alto Horse
Farm-weaninss Taught to Trot and
Make Marvellous Records While Stu in
IA

Make MARVELLOUS 6ecoTus ~ Mic Stu In
the Nursery.
'Why do these California bred horses, both
trotters and runners, develop such tremen-
dous speed at an early age, and then retire for
the rest of their IvesF'
That is a question that has been put to
every horseman of note in the country, but
not one seems able to answer it. A gentle
man, a horse fencier and now and then q
buyer at the California sales, being much in
terested in the phenomenal trotters that como
from that region, went down to Palo Alto to
see the famous Stanford breeding farm, and
Of it he said: Palo Alto is about forty miles
from San Francisco in what is known as the
Santa Clara valley. The horse part Of the
estate comprises about three thousand acres,
though good many more acres are in vines
and forests and the private grounds Of the
railroad baron's summer retreat.
Talk about princes and princeses Of effete
monarchies being reared ia velvet and fed
from gold spoons; the nearest approach to
that in this great republic is this equine prin-
cipality at Palo Alto. DeaL Swif6s cele-
brateG Houyhnhums never had a better time
in their kingdom than have the modern
Houyhnhuns OF the Stanford place.
Az IMMENSE ESTABLISHMENT.
As soon as the babies have forgotten their
mothers comes the beginning Of their life's
work The leading halter and a soft rubber
bit kept in the mouth for half an hour day
is the A B c. Then comes the kindergarten
track to discover if any of them have nat
ural gait. Ealf O. dozen are put into the saw
dust circle at once. A man stands in the
middle with long whip, which he waves
furiously. but no little one is ever permitted
to feel its sting. All start around the ring,
first in coltish canter, and then some little
pupil more promising than the others will
strike q trot. Soon another will do the same.
An apple or a lump of sugar IS the reward Of
merit. Usually before the class has finished
all of them will be jogging about on trot.
Then a new batch is taken, and in a few weeks
forty or fifty FLIES and as many colts have
gone through the kindergarten course Mean
time every little one of either sex Is handled
and fondled. The colts and FLIES are relent-
iessly parted at weaving time and never see
each other again except at a distance. Co
education of the sexes is frowned upon at
Palo Alto. The little ones are very tame and
follow one around like lot of kittens. II
you stop In the paddock they instantly sur
round you like lot of chattering school girls
and begin to search your pockets with their
velvety noses Tor bit of fruit or sugar. Not
one is ever scolded or permitted to be fright
ened in any way, nor is the whip ever used
except as badge Of authority.
When the infant aristocracy is bride
trained and thoroughly tractable, say at or
10 months, and from that to a year old,
comes the first introduction to harness The
of h11,
with his first pair of boots, nor do the FLIES
seem to enjoy it as much as the girl does her
first long dress. Indeed, they are pretty
''scary" at first and require the presence and
experience of an old stager beside them at the
pole of the breaking cart. But their timidity
soon wears off, and it is astonishing how fast
they learn. y
1t must be remembered that by this time
these youngsters are to the nOn-critical eye
almost full grown horses. Their legs are
strong their bodies well filed out, their necks
plump their eyes bright and intelligent and
their coats shine like satin. All this is the re-
suit of the forcing process. On the Stanford
farm the 3 year-old colt looks like the well
matured horse of 5 in Illinois. At IL years
old begins their hard work on the track. It
is then that the best and most promising are
selected for yearly record.
HOW THEY ARE TRAINED.
The railroad station for Palo Alto is Menlo
Park. A mile from Menlo you enter broad
gateway, pass a portsr's lodge and enter upon
the big domain 4 magnificent broad avenue,
lined with stately oaks, and winding through
q dense foliage, leads you to the senator's
house, another mile away. You pass that,
and the same avenue, still winding for another
mile as only Frederick Law Omstead can
make it wind, brings you to the crest of
slight elevation.
Descending from the slight elevation you
pass through lane 100 feet wide This is
the main street of the horse village. On
either side for nearly half mile are half acre
paddocks, each with water tubs, feed troughS
and an oak tree or two for shade. These are
divived, not by the ordinary board fence Of q
Kentucky farm, but by palings painted white,
with each gateway done in brown. There
are nine huge hay barns clustered about the
center Of the village. These are painted in
brown, with white trimmings A great grist
mill, with steam power for grinding the food,
is near at hand. Another huge barn is for
the work horses aud mules OF the place
nearly one hundred and fifty in number
the servitors Of the pampered aristocracy Of
the kingdom A magnificent race track hes
on the outskirts of the village, with train
ing track for colts within the outer circle.
Another building is set apart for the kinder
garten''-a great CANOPY covering sawdust
ring an eighth of a mile long. This is when
the little weanlings, six and eight months
old, are brought TO be- taught their first
PAGES.
Fright here" said the enthusiastic horse
lover, lis where got the first inkling Of what
it is that enabled 2-year-old in California
10 trot a mile In 2:IS, as Sunol did. 1t is fore
ing and feeding Trainer Gallagher gave me
the history Of Sunol, and the life she Led there
for two years Is the lie Of all of them. When
Sunol was six months old she was brought In
with twenty other FLIES from the pastures in
which their mothers roamed The weaving
process is quite easy. The youngsters are put
on steamed grain foodat once. In the morn
ing q quart of steamed barley mixed with
bran, In the evening two quarts Of ground
barley steamed aud moistend with lime wa
ter, is about their daily diet That Is pretsy
high food for wesnling. When was a boy
on the old farm In Pennsylvania twas pretty
lucky colt or fly that ever saw anything but
hay or gras, until it was years old But a.
Palo Alto the babies are stuffed with grain
from the start / was thsre N July, and
there vss no green food TO speak of. with the
exception OF green corn tops. f which the
little ones had three dietS a week Even then
it was chopped IN a steam cutter and mixed
with bran hicago Herald
ROYAL -fLUSHES.