Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-08
MOUNTAIN AIR FOR HORSES.
A Novel Reason for Spokane's Speed
Effects of Montana's Atmosphere.
From the Salt Lake Tribune.

From the Salt Lake Tribune
The winning of the Kentucky derby and Clark
stakes at Louisville by a mountain horse is all
event which will set the far east and the far
west to studying new problem in horse breed
ing. 1t has long been settled in the minds of
the horsemen in this intermountain region, but
1t will be new thing to the Blue Grass and
California valley horse raisers The climate of
California is not more favorable to the rapid
growth of colts than that of Montana. If the
winters are not quite so severe, the summers
are far more prostrating. Then the food in
Montana-the grass, hay and grain-is far
superior to that of the California valleys.
With these conditions on the sea level the Mon.
tana horses would have the advantage. But
Spokane was bred and raised several thousand
feet above the sea. He has lived all his life in
light atmosphere. The consequence is that
his lungs are half as big again as they would
have been had he been raised in Kentucky or
in any Of the coast valleys Of California.
So when taken from home to Kentucky and
put in race with valley-bred colts the same
difference was realized that would be were two
engines, each, say, of forty-horse power put to
an extreme test, with one driven by a forty
horse power boiler and the other by sixty
horse power boiler. When men from a valley
go up mountain they are quickly exhausted
When men from the mountain 60 down to the
seashore for several days they feel as though
they had about them a buoyancy which pre-
vented their feet from getting down to the
ground. In one case men cannot get the
needed oxygen; in the other they have such q
surplus that it amounts to half intoxication.
We believe that 1000 mountain miners have
been arrested in San Francisco for too much
hllarlty. solely because with their expanded
lungs filled with the dense airof the sea level they
without comprehending anything except they
felt an indiscribable joyousness were impelled
by an irrepressiSle impulse to paint the town
crimson.
That is the way Spokane felt at Louisville,
and that IL why he easily took from Proctor
Knott all chance for his friends to make ex-
cuses for him by lowering the record two sec
onds. 1t does not prove that he is by nature a
better horse than Proctor Knott. The chances
are that with the same treatment the Kentucky
horse may beat the mountain horse before the
season is over, after the lungs of the latter
shall have become adjusted to the Kentucky
level But jest as a mountain Indian can out
run a valley Indian, a mountain horse when
first taken to the valley is q most dangerous
competitor for a valley-raised horse The one
matter Of the difference in the lung power of
the horses is the chief difference, but. at the
same time. the difference of food must like wise
be considered. There is no country that raises
superior grass and hay to Montana; no coun-
try where through the long summer the reed
keeps more nutritious, the climate more brac-
ing, or where animals are troubled less by in
sects; and, while the winters are cold, it is not
cold that reduces vitality. The east and west
will have to Look out in the future for noun