Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-13
THEY RAISE HORSES.
MISS VAN BUREN,, MRS. JOHN NJ. CLAY
AND OTHER EXPERTS.
Great stock Farms Conducted by wo'
men--women Who Drive Regu-
larl,~-Circuit Professionals.
"Nn ,hern Is mol rnasnn Nhg women

should not OfkNe iIoRtit~-h't'',''
mean no reason based upon hard logic:
INC framed horse is the eentlest and most
intelligent Of animals aud most appIs-
ciative of delicacy and kindness. woman
naiure is particularly such rs to appear 70
the high.brod horse, and there ~ no nVuO.
OF the fact that she has naturas< s'if'icient
physical strength 90 drive. She wouid
probably acquire much quicker than men
that delicacy Of touch ana hanelinb 'nas
goes SO far with horses OF merit
Tins was what Robert Bonner sara Wheh
he vYasaelked whether there was any reason
other than fashions within why women
should not drive East horses. he SAID, now
ever. that he know of no women VINO drove
or owned fast horses. or who took any out
a pAasing interest IN trOttcrs. he fud not
com,aerf upon this hack of interest IN an
animal so worthy Of wolnans attention az
he paiuted. Neither did hc attempt TO as
sign a reason Tor u.
Bu, the trotting-horse Is not so excip-
siyely mans animal az Mr.. Bonner
seemed 10 suppose. a vast number az
women are numbered among its admirers.
Women who drive are asserting themselves
more strongly every year, and doubling OF
freblinc their numbers with each succeed
ING season. And, although riding y the
prevailing hobby among New York ladies'
and n dozen riding-schoolsa and riding clubs
flourish, while there IS not single similar
institution for driving, nevertheless re
fair devotees of the trotter are nota nlt as
conraeed, and boldly prophesy that thee
logic of the thing. il nothing eise. W,ii
brine the trotter eventually 20 the ifopt "a
the woueu's horse. To bo driven rather
Than 10 drive and 10 talk saddlc-horses
and be densely ignorant oi trot.ets Is tash-
ionabie proprieiy for women to-day. But
there are hosts Of women who openly
defy this dictum and take Their SPIN ia tle
Park or the highways Of the annexed dls.
trlct daily. much to the Improvement OF
health. complexion, and good huinor.
men devotees Of the trotting- horse,
md II il not always trne OF those
who ride-thev do not follow fad, but
n passion. Those who love driving drive
in every weather, and because thev love H..
The saddle-horso hes followers. the trottcr
has worshipDers. Women. too, are taking
nm interest in trotting stock, and more
than one has made q reputation as 2 sue
cessiul horse breeder. The example OF
Mrs. Lorillard. who carried on, with
marked success, her husbands siud-farin
al runners. IS matched by half "a dozen
women who have put brains and good
,nanaaeinent into the raising OF trotterS
and have made money ont OF II. lheIe
IL another large and growing BODY
of women, who. while they drive httio
and have no taste for breeding horses
Themselves. arc intensely interested III
frotters from a semi-scientihc standpoint,
and take every opportunity they get % SEQ
"a fnely-bred or fnely-tralned horse.
John Splan seys that the reason running
races are more popular with women than
trotting matches is that the running races
are more exciting and spectacular. This
uuolify draws hundreds of women VINO
crave excitement without knowing or
caring a straw about h0rso.s On the
other hand. he SAYS. every woman VINO 1T
tends a trotting race Is very likely an cX-
pert. or AT laast an enthusiast on horses,
and # racing crowds were compared,
woman for woman. 1t would be found that
the trotting horse. considered as a horse,
has "a greater following of women than the
running horse.
II Is impossible to speak of women who
love trotting hoses 80 tr0iting sharps
around here without at once hearing OF
Miss Edith Van Buren,. She Is the daugh-
ter of the late John Van Buren, Consul
General for several years 30 Japan, and a
niece Of William Walter Phelps. Though
only twenty-six or twenty-Soven ycars of
age. Miss Van Buren has been breeding
horses on her fathers place at Tea
neck, n. j., for a number of years, with the
result Of having produced some very
creditable horses. She has been student
of the trottiug horse since Young Giri,
and, practically, Is a thorough hoTsewo-
man. On the Van Buren, and Phelps
places at Jcaneck she speeds her horses TO
her hearts content. Away from home.
however, she will not handle the reins.
But wherever she Is she viii lose no c hance
of inspecting a iineiy-bred horse. and VIII
leave ballroom any day 20 talk records
and breeding theories with an expert.
Miss Van Buren, is described by hel
friends a very attractive. She is Of good
figure and very active. Her complexion Is
far and she has dark brown halr ana large
dark, and thoughtful eyes. In the privacy
of her fathers andunclc's great grounds at
Teaneck she lives an active outdoor life,
eyerv hour of which has something TO do
witha horse. The Van Buren, place adJoins
William Walter Phelps's place, and the two
together contain something Like fifteen or
twenty miles Of drives. thi, Is very para
disc TO the young hOrse-l0yer. There IS a
half-milo trotfing-tTaCk near by under the
management of an association, and here
she sends her horses 40 times for time
trials. Not far from her house are large
stnbles. which contain every possible con-
venience Tor raising and breaking horses.
Miss Van Buren, superlntends the raising
and breaking Of her horses herself. She IS
perfectly capable Of doing it. At inter
walls a veterinary surgeon from the CITY
visits her stables, OF comes on her call 10y
telephone.
Miss Van Buren, got her FIRST good horse
before she was twenty years old. Ii was a
mare of good blood, down III the trotting
register as Norma She bought her al the
Waycrley State Fair, whore she had Just
GOT a first prize in her class. Norma has
since taken several prizes III the New York
horse-shows She has been Miss Van Blu
ren's principal orOod-mare. having been
bred 10 Idle Gift and several other stations
equally well known. Miss Van Buren, has
raised five colts from Norma, all of which
have proved capital stun. She owns the
Hambletonian black stallion Prosper. Her
BAY mare Ihorndalia. by Ihorndaie. sired
by Edwin Tbornc. 2:lGa, out Of Norma, she
susing for breeding purposes. Norma and
another mare are ut present in fOal by Idle
Gift in her stables. Two OF The get OF
Prosper. out of Norma. the black gclding
Typhoon and the brown mare Pet, are now
stabbed with John j. Quinn in Harlem fOi
the winter. She has as present eight OF
ulne standard bred trotters belonging 20
her stable.
Miss Van Buren's horse-brceding is done
on thoroughly scientific principles. She
knows the literature OF the trotter as well
rs most breeders. and can give ofihand tn,
pedigree of more good horses than the
average expert can. She believes Ill tho
roughbred blood. and ~ IN the habit of an.
alyzinC every Hooded horse she sees Will
the idea of tracing its points to Their re
spective origins Ia strain. In breeding hol
mares she studies out. with great
care the points she wishes 10 pro.
duoe in the fOals. and selects stallion;
IN accordance. There are two mares now
in foal in Aiiss Vcu Buren's stables whose
foals VII be OF interest to breeders
generally. They Will mark the success 81
failure Of an interesting experiment whieh
Miss Van Buren, Is making IN cOach-ho
Miss Van Buren, has long been considering
the problem OF improving the American
coach-horse. She has been casting about
for some cross % produce q cOb-made
chunky coach. with arch neck, big stride
and great endurance. Tho American coach
horse possessed neither the strength not
the endurance she wished. Not long ago
her attention was directed 70 the brOncho
- marvel % snap and endurance q he
hroaohO was smaller than she wshct
and possessed OF bad habits 10 BOOT.
Hut she determined 10 try the experiment
believing that II once "a strain o. horses
could be produced with the bIOncho's cn
durance and snap the bad po'rts could b,
reduced by further breeding. 20 this enc
she secured two broncho mares Of power
tul build and good habit. and put them &
. coaching stallion of undouhted BLOOD
and unusual size. tier experiment Is looke(